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PROVO — Arguably the most interesting man on the BYU men's basketball roster watched practice Tuesday afternoon with a precautionary boot on his right foot and an intent gaze as he continued his acclimation to a new state, a new school, and his third basketball program as an incoming freshman.
Marcus Adams Jr. hasn't practiced for the Cougars yet as he recovers from a minor injury that assistant coach Nick Robinson said is well into the "healing phase." But the former four-star prospect's freshman season at BYU is equally in limbo as the Cougars await an appeal decision from the NCAA to determine the 6-foot-8 wing's immediate eligibility.
In terms of his fit with head coach Mark Pope's program, though, there's less mystery.
"He fits in great in terms of being able to come in, get established academically, and the human being that he is," said Robinson, who ran practice while Pope was traveling. "He's great here at BYU, and on the court is to be determined. But his skillset is really conducive to coach Pope's system."
Truthfully, Adams should still be in his senior year of high school. The top-50 prospect who is the No. 46 incoming freshman in the country by 247Sports was initially a top contender in the 2024 recruiting class.
But the junior from Torrance, California, reclassified after his junior season, when he averaged 28.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game for Narbonne High en route to John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year honors in the Los Angeles City Section Open Division.
From there, the No. 29 overall prospect by 247Sports in 2023 committed to Kansas, signing with the Bill Self's Jayhawks on April 17 over competing offers from UCLA and Syracuse, among others.
Four days after beginning workouts at KU, Adams entered the transfer portal, citing mental health and family reasons for his departure. He committed to Gonzaga on July 22, but his stay in Spokane lasted less than a month, when Adams again reopened his recruitment Aug. 27 and visited BYU — prior to signing Sept. 2 and immediately enrolling in classes.
It's a lot that has happened for the teenager in six months, but that's one thing that has stood out about Adams with his new teammates: his age and the maturity with which he's handled a wild ending to what should have been his junior year in high school.
"He's awesome. He's young, a lot younger than the rest of us, which is a credit to him to come in at a young age and jump into the swing of things," said BYU point guard Dallin Hall, the former Utah prep star from Fremont who will be a sophomore. "He's just picking it up and trying to be a sponge, take it all in. He has good energy, loves to laugh, loves to have fun, and we like having him around. He's a great addition, and we're excited to see what he gives us out there."
Adams is one of three newcomers to the BYU basketball program ahead of its Big 12 debut in arguably the toughest college basketball conference in the country (is it still arguable?) that precedes a primarily close-to-home nonconference schedule.
The others are a pair of Division I transfers in former Charlotte post Aly Khalifa and UC Irvine scoring wing Dawson Baker joining a returning core that includes returning starters Hall, Spencer Johnson, Jaxson Robinson, Noah Waterman and Fousseyni Traore.
They'll also welcome back a pseudo-newcomer in Trevin Knell, the former Woods Cross star and 3-point specialist who missed the entire 2022-23 season following shoulder surgery.
With just over a week of practices since the NCAA moratorium ended a week ago Monday — plus a 10-day period prior to the Cougars' overseas trip to Italy and Croatia — the inclusion is well under way.
"They've meshed really well, honestly," Hall said. "Our coaches do an outstanding job at recruiting guys of high character, who are about the right things, both on and off the court. We all share similar goals and morals. We mesh well as a family, we look out for one another, and we help keep each other accountable."
