Black Knights point guard makes history with signing
Robbinsville – When a Letter of Intent is about to be signed, there is normally so much emotion that speeches are hard to come by.
But much as he did his entire life as a Black Knight, Brock Adams refused to let the moment get in the way. Instead, he maintained his composure and shortly after his mom and dad sat down for the start of a photo session to commemorate Monday’s historic occasion, Brock had something to get off his chest – gratitude.
He took 15-20 seconds to extend his appreciation to everyone in the room: family, friends, coaches and anyone who had helped get him to the point he was at.
The departing Black Knights’ senior point guard then inhaled deeply and signed to play college basketball for the Bryan College Lions, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics institution out of Dayton, Tenn., which competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
Adams signing makes him the first Robbinsville Black Knight to ever sign to play college basketball; it is believed that other varsity boys who have played at the next level had to walk-on to a program.
“This is pretty amazing,” Adams said. “It’s a dream come true.”
Lees-McRae College (Banner Elk), Tennessee Wesleyan University (Athens, Tenn., and a conference rival of Bryan College), Montreat College and Warren Wilson College (Asheville) all expressed interest in Adams’ aptitude for basketball, but once he paid a visit to Bryan, he was sold.
“At the end of the day, it’s always about where you feel the most comfortable and what feels like home,” Adams said. “When I first met Coach (Don Rekoske), it was like, ‘I want to play for him.’ He carries all the values I want in myself, like family-first.
“I took a visit to Bryan. There was a cow pasture and a lake right by the school; it was really pretty and I thought, ‘This is where I want to be.’ “
A Graham County native, Adams becomes the first player in his family to ink a college deal. He grew up enamored with the sport – his brother Reece also played for the Black Knights – and chose the hardwood over the other activities he participated in growing up (baseball, football, track & field, and wrestling) at a relatively young age.
“Just like every kid, I wanted to do what my older brother was doing,” Adams said. “We would get out in the yard and play. Then, my parents got me involved in travel ball when I was 12 and I just fell in love with it.
“Getting to travel, playing big names in big tournaments. Living for moments like hitting the big shot to put your team up to win the game; everybody’s going crazy. You get that in other sports, but in a tight gym – when it’s packed – it’s different.”
Adams has won four individual state titles for Robbinsville track – divided evenly between the 110- and 300-meter hurdles – during his sophomore and junior campaigns.
He is the favorite to repeat as the 1A champion in both again, as the curtain falls on a decorated career as a Robbinsville Black Knight.
A 1,000-point scorer for Robbinsville (the achievement coming on the final shot of his career, a free throw in the third round of the state playoffs), Adams laughed when reminiscing about the one time a travel ball coach attempted to shift him from the quarterback on the floor to a wing.
“I wasn’t having it,” Adams said with a smile. “I wanted the ball.”
And he is not going to forget where he came from. Adams plans to obtain a degree in physical education (with a minor in coaching), then return to be a coach at Robbinsville.