Smooth moves have always been a norm for point guard Jamie Adams, but he is most proud of the moves that impress his family.
“I just strive to be great so I can look at my brother one day and say, ‘We did this together,’ ” Adams said. “I want my brother to be proud of me.”
Adams credits his older brother, former University of California, Berkley guard Jerome Randle, who plays professional basketball in Turkey, as the person who motivates him to be great.
Adams, a senior agricultural business student from Chicago, said he used basketball as an escape when he was growing up.
“It was tough,” Adams said of growing up in Southside Chicago. “But when you’re a basketball player, you get some type of respect as long as you were in the place where you were supposed to be and stuck to what you were supposed to be doing.”
Head coach Clemon Johnson lauds Adams as hardworking and very persistent.
“Jamie is going to come in and give you everything he has and is goal driven because he knows what prize he wants,” Johnson said. ”He’s also persistent because he’s going to give you everything he’s got in order to achieve that goal.”
Senior guard Reggie Lewis sees Adams as a little brother, regarding him as quite the joker.
“[Adams] off the court is one of the biggest clowns you will ever meet,” Lewis said. ”He loves to talk and crack jokes with us, and if he isn’t talking he’s probably having a bad day. Jamie is a good leader, fearless and fun to play with.”
Adams was honored as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Week in January following a stretch where the Rattlers went 2-0 as Adams averaged 21 points, four assists, two steals and two rebounds.
“It felt good to be recognized for what you do for your team from week to week,” Adams said. “Most importantly, my team comes first. Without those guys, I’m nothing.”
Adams, who will graduate in the summer, aspires to play professional basketball. He’s leading the Rattlers scoring more than 17 points and adding three assists per game
“I’m just talking to a few people right now to see exactly what I can do professionally with basketball and what I can do with my degree as well,” Adams said.