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Barrow's Adams makes immediate impact at BMCC

November 25th 5:24 pm | Van Williams Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

It didn't take long for Barrow's Tyler Adams to pay dividends for Blue Mountain Community College in Oregon.

The freshman guard started the season opener and made several key plays in a 73-70 win over Portland Community College in NWAACC men's basketball action in Pendleton, Ore.

Adams played 39 of 40 minutes and delivered 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists - all with his father Mark watching from the stands.

"I played alright for my first game," he said. "I played pretty much the whole time."

Adams was just one of two freshmen to crack the 7-man rotation for head coach Larry Bartee. He hardly came off the court, earning playing time usually reserved for sophomore veterans.

The 6-foot-1 shooter scored all 6 points in the first half as Blue Mountain built a 31-28. In the second half his focus was on playing solid defense, boxing out and playing defense.

"It was pretty neck-and-neck the whole game," he said. "They had a chance to tie and missed a 3 at the buzzer."

Adams measured his success by his ability to do his job and help his team win.

And winning wasn't something Blue Mountain did a lot of last season. The team lost 17 of 24 games, including a 94-76 loss to Portland in this exact same spot a year ago.

"They were saying they won only one preseason game last year, and we already won one our first game," Adams said. "It feels good."

Adams is a key figure in the team's turnaround.

He brings a winning mentality [the Whalers went 20-6 his senior year] and he brings a sweet jump shot [he led all Class 3A players in Alaska last year with 89 3-pointers].

Both came into play in the season opener.

He played basically the whole game because he made smart decisions, played hard and took care of the ball. And he made two 3-pointers, helping Blue Mountain shoot 37 percent [4 percent higher than last year's average].

The head coach must have seen something special in Adams because he told the freshman he would start his first game in college.

"He said he liked the way I was playing," Adams said. "I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of it. I feel pretty good."

Adams is one of four Alaskans on the Blue Mountain roster, but he was the only one to play. Nome's Tim Sullivan and Bethel's Brodie Smith and Joey Glasheen never left the bench.

Blue Mountain doesn't play again until Dec. 2 against Grays Harbor Community College, which features two Alaskans: Adam Sage and Guy Tuzroyluk of Point Hope.

Stay tuned.

 

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