Rhode Island Basketball: Brendan Adams commits to the Rams

Rhode Island basketball not only has a solid team this year, but they are adding pieces for their future. Brendan Adams is the latest to commit to the Rams.

Last season was a big one for Rhode Island basketball. Not only did the team finish with a solid record of 25-10 (13-5), but they were able to come away as the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament champions. With that victory, the Rams were awarded the conference’s automatic bid and a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

In the Big Dance, the team was matched up against the No. 6 seed Creighton Bluejays, who they knocked off thanks to double-digit scoring efforts by every member of their starting lineup. Although they lost in the second round to Oregon, last year was certainly a successful one for head coach Dan Hurley and the Rams.

The successes don’t stop there, though.

With plenty of talent returning for the 2017-18 season, the Rhode Island Rams are looking to be the preseason favorite to come out of the Atlantic 10 again this season. The present is certainly taken care of due to seniors E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell, but the future looks good as well.

On Oct. 8, Rhode Island basketball received their fifth commitment for their recruiting class of 2018 in Brendan Adams. By 247Sports Composite ranking, Adams is rated as a three-star recruit and is ranked 179th in the country (No. 36 at point guard). With the graduation of many guards from the upcoming veteran-laden 2017-18 squad, Adams will be expected to make a major impact in his time with the program.

A 6’4″, 180-pound point guard, Adams is a very good scorer. He gets to his spots well and can score from both the inside and out. Although scoring is his main calling card, Adams also takes care of the ball well and can be a solid facilitator.

While playing for Team Melo on the Nike EYBL circuit, Adams played in 13 games and averaged 13.7 minutes per game. In this time, he put up 8.2 points per game. Although he was not extremely efficient as a shooting from the field (36.6 FG%), he was solid from behind the 3-point arc (35.4%). In addition, his deadly free throw shooting (87.0 FT%) made him a great closer for the team.

In addition to his scoring, he was also able to contribute 2.9 rebounds per game and dished out 1.5 assists. These numbers might not be spectacular, but he averaged nearly two assists for every one turnover. This ability to take care of the ball will translate well to Rhode Island, who was very good at taking care of the ball as a team last season (69th fewest total turnovers in the country).

Adams talked to Elevate Hoops about his decision and what he can bring to the Rams:

"“I feel like I can bring scoring and play making to the team,” said Adams. “I think everyone knows how I can score and I believe my scoring will transfer well to the college level but I think I’m also a better playmaker than people think and I can bring that to Rhode Island.”"

Next: R.J. Barrett down to three schools

In total, this recruit is an addition to an already great recruiting class for Rhody. Headlined by top-100 recruit Jermaine Harris, Rhode Island’s recruiting class of 2018 is ranked in the top-25 nationwide. With this class coming in soon, the future of Rhody looks very solid. 2017-18 is expected to be a season in which the team returns to the NCAA Tournament. The talent in this class will give Rhode Island a chance to finish near the top of the Atlantic 10 in years to come.