RALEIGH, N.C. -- Darius Adams arrived at North Carolina State with something to prove, and the Wolfpack are banking on that edge to bring out the version of him that made him such a coveted recruit in the first place.
After one season at Maryland that fell short of expectations, Adams entered the transfer portal with a résumé that still carried plenty of weight: former five-star guard, McDonald’s All-American and a Top-30 prospect in the country. But the numbers from his freshman year told the fuller story. He averaged 10.8 points per game while shooting below 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range.
That’s exactly the kind of player Justin Gainey wanted to chase.
From the minute Adams hit the portal, Gainey went to work trying to bring him to Raleigh. The relationship wasn’t new, either. Gainey had already prioritized Adams when he was at Tennessee and had gotten him on campus before Adams ultimately chose Maryland.
“When he got the job and I entered the portal, I knew I wanted to go talk to him,” Adams said of Gainey. “It was very easy because you're not just going on a visit and meeting a person or having awkward conversations.
I knew him already and it was a great time. He just wants me to become the best player I can be and he's gonna push me towards that.”
Gainey said he approached the recruitment with a clear understanding of both Adams’ upside and the areas that needed work. He pointed back to what he saw in high school and then to Adams’ first year in college.
“I knew his potential from high school, but I also knew exactly where he needed to improv,” Gainey said. “He was playing a position he was still growing into [at Maryland], as he always wanted to be a combo guard with the ball in his hands. I viewed last year at Maryland as another developmental phase for him, and he learned a lot.
“When he decided to transfer here, he was one of the first guys on campus and immediately got to work. It brought out a serious determination and a chip on his shoulder.
Players with McDonald's All-American talent who feel overlooked are dangerous when they have something to prove. Speaking to him and seeing where he was mentally made me very excited because I knew he would be relentless.”
That relentlessness, according to Gainey, has shown up all summer. Adams has made gains in several areas, but the biggest jump has come with the ball in his hands.
“Everywhere, especially with his ball-handling,” Gainey said. “Whether he is acting as a secondary or primary ball handler, he looks much more comfortable.
He also continues to shoot the ball incredibly well. He's gotten stronger, adding about 15 pounds.
Going into his year at Maryland, he couldn't work on his shot during the summer because of wrist surgery, but he has put a lot of focus into that area now.
“Defensively, his added strength and athleticism allow him to play much more physically. He still has areas to grow, which is the exciting part, and we just have to keep pulling that potential out of him.”
Adams’ summer work has also caught the attention of his new teammates. Paul McNeil sees a player whose frustration has turned into fuel.
“He has a chip on his shoulder, and that makes him complete,” McNeil said of Adams. “I like how he plays -- gets downhill, bump fades and can finish with a pass.
He's a very underrated passer to me. In my eyes, a lot of y'all are gonna see what Darius can do.”
Adams is joining a crowded but dangerous backcourt. He’ll share time with McNeil, Christian Hammond and Preston Edmead, giving NC State a guard group that already made 287 3-pointers last season. Edmead and Hammond combined to shoot 38.9 percent from deep.
Even though Adams’ freshman season didn’t match the production of some of the other incoming guards, he has been one of the team’s best shooters and shot creators this summer. In the final week before practices began, he posted the best NOAH Score on the team at 94.3, a shooting metric that tracks arc, depth and left/right deviation. Edmead checked in at 92.2, while McNeil finished at 90.5.
Adams knows the ball won’t always be in his hands, and he’s fine with that. He said he’s “comfortable with anything” when it comes to role, but he also believes the four-man guard group can be a problem for opponents.
“I think us four guards -- we're going to be a problem,” Adams said. “I love playing with all three of them.
It's so easy. All of us can shoot, so the spacing is open.
Anybody can drive and we can all kick the ball out. It's flowing good and we're all connecting.
We're all putting our self goals aside and coming together as a team to make it happen.”
For Adams, this season is about much more than erasing what happened at Maryland. It’s about helping the Wolfpack backcourt click and trusting the staff to keep unlocking what made him such a big-time prospect.
“I believe that they can,” Adams said. “I believe they're already doing that.
I've been having a really good summer. I think it's going to be a great season.”
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