Narbonne gets big boost from Adams Jr.
The return of Marcus Adams Jr. has taken the Narbonne boys basketball team to another level in terms of expectations.
The Gauchos are now one of the favorites, if not the favorite, to win the CIF L.A. City Section Open Division.
The Gauchos (1-1) showed Wednesday in their opening game in the Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament at Redondo High that they are still working their way into form and shape, but the final product could have the look of a championship team.
“I thought prep life was better, but somehow it wasn't the best decision, so I decided to come back,” Adams said.
Adams played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Narbonne but then left for a prep school. He returns to Narbonne stronger, taller and ready to lead the Gauchos.
In Narbonne's 64-62 win over Long Beach Jordan on Wednesday, he scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
“I'm more physical, I can shoot more, I'm quicker, I'm more athletic,” he said. “I'm more like a guard ... I'm better.”
It is safe to say the Gauchos have an upgraded version of Adams.
In his first two years at Narbonne, he received valuable playing time and he wasn't afraid to take the big shots in the big moments.
“When I was young, I was really more of a catch and shoot guy, which the team needed,” he said. “They needed a bucket, they would put me in. I started most of the games for the playoffs and after my sophomore year I went to the prep life ... I had a lot of workouts and now I was looking for a school and I decided to come back.”
This time, Adams will have his younger brother ,Maximo, on the team with him. Maximo, a freshman, scored 15 points against Jordan and hit three 3-point field goals that helped the Gauchos stay in the game in the first half.
“He does basically the same thing I do, just a younger version,” Adams said.
The Gauchos trailed 4948 entering the third quarter but took the lead for good on a basket by Ethan Rosborough that made it 50-49. Later, Adams threw down a two-hand dunk in transition and EJ Andrews had his lob attempt go in off of the backboard for a 3-pointer, giving the Gauchos a 59-50 lead.
The Gauchos made things interesting down the stretch, looking very much like a team that's played only two games so far this season. However, the Gauchos held on for the win.
Jaysen Owens added 12 points for the Gauchos and Andrews had eight.
Narbonne will be back at Redondo on Friday to play Windward at 6 p.m. and then Saturday it will play St. Monica at 3 p.m. Those will be two games that will be important for the growth of the group that's still waiting for a couple of more pieces to go through the transfer sit-out period.
“We're still working out the kinks,” Narbonne coach Kumase DeMesma said. “We're a different team than we were in the fall, so we're still trying to figure where is everybody comfortable at with the ball.”
The last L.A. City Section title for the Narbonne boys basketball program came in 2011. DeMesma was a member of that team and he said he is looking forward to the continued growth of the team and Adams.
“He's a lot more stronger and more confident,” DeMesma said of Adams. “He's a lot more aggressive. There are more moves to his game. He can play in the post, play inside out and now it is just adjusting to the double- and triple-teams that are coming at him and learn how to use his teammates, and he's getting better at that.
“I always tell the guys they have to stay humble and stay hungry. We haven't done anything yet, we still have a lot of work to put in and at the end of the day, they have to play together. The main thing is coming up with an identity. I want us to be a defensive team and as long as we focus on that, we're skilled enough offensively, and as long as we play together, everything will come together.”