NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Massachusetts of last decade

7. Jalen Adams – Connecticut

Adams was a Top 20 prospect and this 6’3 guard from Roxbury had high expectations when he arrived on campus at Connecticut. He had starred at three different high schools, including the final one in New Hampshire, before committing to join the Huskies, playing from 2015 to 2019. He wasn’t part of any of the program’s recent success, but Adams was still a formidable basketball presence.

The highlight of his freshman season was hitting a three-quarter court shot to force a fourth overtime in an AAC Tournament win over Cincinnati. After that, he spent three seasons as a full-time starter, becoming the Huskies’ most important offensive weapon in his later seasons. As a junior, he averaged 18.1 points and 4.7 assists per game, with his career-high coming the year before in a 34-point outburst during the Maui Invitational.

Adams was an important piece for the Huskies in one of their less impressive stretches of time, with him receiving All-AAC honors three times, including First Team honors as a sophomore. He sits on many AAC leaderboards, including for points, assists, and steals, though the conference remains less than a decade old. Adams was an important piece for UConn and has spent the last three years playing professional basketball, most recently over in Israel.