By. Nick Konotopskyj
Assistant Sports Editor
In early April, the men’s basketball team found out it would be losing one half of the Adams family.
After redshirting his freshman year and appearing in 14 games during his sophomore campaign, Jalen Adams has decided to transfer out of St. Bonaventure.
Adams, a 6’5″ redshirt freshman from Saginaw, Michigan, decided, along with teammate Xavier Smith, that it was time to end his time as a Bonnie.
“I don’t know what school I’m going to yet, but I’m talking to some really good schools,” Adams said. “My reason for switching schools was because I wanted more playing time.”
Adams had a knack for scoring in high school, but what really got everyone’s attention was his athleticism. Adams has a 40-inch vertical, which is good enough to make professional All-Stars such as Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving jealous. He averaged 25 points and 13 rebounds per game his senior year at Arthur Hill (his high school team) before joining the Bonnies.
This season, Adams averaged 1.7 points per game in just 4.4 minutes. His best game of the season came in the season opener at home against Dartmouth. Adams scored 11 points on 3-4 shooting with one steal and one assist in the 20-point victory.
On a team that ended the season with one of the worst benches in Division I basketball, Jalen Adams was unable to get a comfortable spot in the rotation. Adams only received garbage time as it got late in the season, so now he will look at other universities for another opportunity.
Even though he will be leaving the Brown and White, Adams understands that it was his time in the classroom that made a big impact on him.
“My experience at St. Bonaventure was great,” Adams said. “The teachers were very helpful, and I made some good relationships with some of them. They helped me stay on my academics in my two years here.”
Even with most of the Bonnies backcourt returning for next season, the team will miss Adams and the various assets he brought. Although it does not show up on the stat sheet, Adams provided energy on the defensive end of the floor. Adams is a point guard, but normally Coach Mark Schmidt put him at the shooting guard.
His quickness, athleticism and height at the guard position made it tough for his opponents to cover, especially during non-conference play.
Developing strong relationships with his coaches and teammates was something Adams did throughout his two-year span as a Bonnie.
“I’m really going to miss my coaches, teammates, and teachers,” Adams said. “I really enjoyed my time at St. Bonaventure, and I will never forget the connections I made with everyone. I learned a lot from them all.”
No matter where Adams decides to attend school next fall, he will surely be missed by the Bonaventure community. All of the potential he had to become a star for Mark Schmidt didn’t quite work out in the end. However, moving on from St. Bonaventure gives Adams a chance to make an impact for a team other than the brown and white.
