Adams named boys basketball Player of the Year
Robbinsville – When you get down to brass tacks, Bryce Adams was the only clear choice for the 2024-25 Smoky Mountain Conference Boys Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound small forward ended a decorated career with the Robbinsville Black Knights as the program's all-time leading scorer (1,231 points); as well as a member of two divisional-title teams (2022-23 and 2024-25). He also finished the season averaging a double-double: 14 PPG (points per game), as well as 10.7 RPG (rebounds per game).
Quick to deflect credit, Adams was nonetheless humbled by the accolade.
"It's very exciting news," Adams said. "This is something I've worked for my whole life, but it wouldn't have been possible without my teammates. I am who I am as a player because of how they pushed me every day."
Jake Beasley – who was named the conference Coach of the Year, after the Knights finished the year 9-1 to wrap up another league crown – said through his research, Adams is believed to be the inaugural boys basketball Player of the Year from Robbinsville.
"He had a phenomenal year for us," Beasley said. "Bryce has always been a 'team guy;' even when he was chasing the point record, he never asked how close he was to the goal – he was always asking how we could achieve more as a team.
"He's a great basketball player, but he's an even better kid."
Adams has grown up around the sport: his older brothers Reece and Brock both suited up for the Black Knights. While the versatile athlete has donned a jersey at one point for another for almost every male sport Robbinsville offers, basketball has remained his first love.
"It's a very competitive sport," said Adams. "My brothers really got me involved early on and I just fell in love with it."
"He's always had a desire to be the best he can be, but he also felt like he was under the radar because of the success his brother (Brock, who scored 1,000 as Robbinsville's point guard from 2020-23) had," said Beasley. "He played with a chip on his shoulder and with a purpose. Every kid should do that; they shouldn't try to be like mom, dad, sister or brother – they should be the best version of themselves."
Though offers have trickled through the pipeline for Adams to play at the next level, he has his eye set on pursuing a career in geomatics.
"More than the scoring and rebounding, the leader that he is separates him from a lot of different kids," Beasley said. "He is the toughest basketball player that I have ever coached, along with having the smartest IQ for basketball that I have ever coached."
Black Knights
Joining Adams on the All-Conference list were juniors Dane Knott and Luke Lovin. Roman Jones, Quinn Jumper and Darion Ledbetter each received an Honorable Mention.
On the wing, Knott averaged 10.4 PPG and was 41% from the three-point line.
"Dane Knott is probably the hardest-working kid that I have," said Beasley. "I can't run him out of the gym. Dane is very deserving of All-Conference. I never hear him complain about anything; he does anything you ask him and does it wide open."
Coming off a nagging injury his sophomore year, Lovin stepped into the role as Robbinsville's point guard. He averaged just 6.8 PPG, but four APG (assists per game).
"He's the type of kid that's going to battle through everything – and do it with a smile on his face," Beasley said. "He's a pleasure to have around. Without Luke Lovin, we would not have had the year that we had. He doesn't say a whole lot in the locker room, but he is a leader in the way he carries himself."
A forward, Jones finished the year with 5.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG.
"I couldn't ask him to do anymore than what he did all year," Beasley noted. "He always put the team first and never was a selfish player of any kind. He might not have averaged the numbers that everybody else did, but he did what he needed to do to help us win.
"He's a super athlete, but he's a better person. Any time we went to help with youth practices, he was constantly trying to show the kids how to work on things. The kids are just naturally drawn to him because of his leadership abilities."
Robbinsville often turned to Jumper as the "sixth starter" – and for good reason, Beasley explained.
"I hate to see him go," said Beasley. "You want Quinn Jumper's on your team. He's fearless. He is a tremendous leader for us and will do great in whatever he does in life; somebody is going to get a winner in Quinn Jumper."
Ledbetter dabbled as both a point and shooting guard, turning in numbers like 8.6 PPG, 3,7 APG, 2.4 SPG (steals per game) and 3.9 RPG.
"He's probably one of the most athletic kids in Western North Carolina," Beasley said. "Even if he's not shooting well, he tends to make up for it on defense. He's another player that I couldn't have asked for more out of him."
Robbinsville finished the year 19-7 overall, which included a first-round playoff berth.
"All six of the kids should have been All-Conference, but that's how loaded with talent this conference is," Beasley analyzed. "These six young men have been all tremendous leaders and I'm going to miss the four that is leaving. It's a special group; you don't have a senior group that comes through and wins two conference championships in basketball in Robbinsville."
Lady Knights
Three of Robbinsville's varsity girls made the cut for All-Conference selections, with senior Liz Carpenter and junior Abby Wehr earning the distinction. Freshman Zaelyn Phillips received an Honorable Mention.
Carpenter became a force to be reckoned with in the paint for her final year as a Lady Knight, consistently leading the team on the scoreline and in rebounds.
"She's really had a good run the last 2 ½ years," said coach Lucas Ford. "She's been a great teammate this year. Liz is very well-deserving of All-Conference and I hope she does well in life."
Wehr has settled nicely into the role as the team's point guard, after taking the reins her sophomore year.
"I'm very proud of Abby. She's a hard worker and a great kid," Ford said. "You want your kid to be like Abby; she has great character. The position she plays is not necessarily her best natural position, so receiving All-Conference accolades is huge."
Phillips was the only freshman that started for Robbinsville this year and impressed the coaching staff at the outset of the season.
"I knew right off the bat that she was a varsity player," said Ford. "She could run. Every day we would run sprints during the summer, she never lost a sprint. A lot of it was effort and a lot of it was natural speed. She will be a great asset for this team moving forward."
The Lady Knights were 11-13 (5-5) this season and also advanced to the first round of the postseason.