Adams Can Find Support From a Variety of Sources

Arizona Coach Lute Olson is not afraid to criticize his players. He was public with his displeasure of Salim Stoudamire’s uninspired play last season and even threatened the future NBA player with a season-long suspension.

So it was a measure of Olson’s belief in Hassan Adams that Olson suggested his senior leader has been given a bad deal.

Two weeks ago Adams was issued a misdemeanor citation for disturbing the peace. Tucson police said that while they were attempting to break up a party in the parking lot of Adams’ apartment building, Adams refused an order to return to his home.

Olson didn’t discipline Adams. “For what?” Olson said Monday. “There was a party in the parking lot. Hassan wasn’t even at the party. He came home to a parking lot full of students where he saw a young lady who was on last year’s women’s team being harassed by a former boyfriend. He steps in and it’s a case of police telling him to get back to his apartment. Hassan asked the police who was going to protect the young lady and all of a sudden it’s maybe he’s not obeying the officers.

“I will say this. Hassan is not a bad kid and I will bet this episode, which was front page news here, will end up nothing. Of course when it turns out he’s not guilty, it will be on the 15th page in a quarter-inch statement.”

It’s not only his coach who has come to Adams’ defense. Mary Reese Boykin, whose sons Ruben Boykin Jr., and Jamal Boykin played against Adams in high school sent an e-mail defending him.

“As a mother and a 34-year public school teacher, I make no excuses for young people.... Sometimes inner-city youth feel that police humiliation is intended against them. All I am certain of is that I am proud of the way this young man has handled himself throughout the years.

“To some he may just be another athlete acting out. When I look at young men in my community, Hassan stands among the best we’ve got. Hassan is among the young men in my community that I consider one of my sons.”

For their support, Adams is grateful. For his behavior, Adams in unapologetic.

“I would never regret helping a person I know and care about,” Adams said. “I know this young lady and my family knows her. I was raised to help our friends. My instinct was not about myself, it was about her. I saw her about to get hit. I told the officers if they felt intimidated by me that I was sorry but I was raised by a strong black woman to watch the backs of my friends.”

The strong black woman is Connie Adams, his mother. “I owe her everything,” Adams said. “I always will and I will never do anything to embarrass her.”

Adams had other trouble this season. He was suspended for the beginning of Arizona’s loss to Houston earlier this season because he was late to a team meal. “I took a nap and didn’t set an alarm,” Adams said. “That was a mistake and I apologized to the team. And no more naps.”

Adams played at Wilmington Banning as a high school freshman and at Los Angeles Verbum Dei as a sophomore before moving on to Westchester High in a controversial transfer. By his senior season at Westchester, Adams had been named the City Section player of the year.

Now it is Adams who is supposed to lead the Wildcats to another Pacific 10 Conference title and NCAA success.

While the Wildcats have struggled to a 7-3 start, Adams has sparkled. He averaged 19 points, six rebounds and 3.5 steals while Arizona won the Fiesta Bowl Classic title last week.

“There is no doubt Hassan is the leader of our team,” Olson said. “From the time I started recruiting Hassan what I admired about him was his heart. He was never afraid to take charge and he was playing for really good teams and under considerable pressure. I like kids from those types of programs, winning programs, because these kids learn to make sacrifices in their game and know how to make the commitment to win.”

Adams’ court case has been carried over until February. Olson is certain the facts will find that Adams acted appropriately. “I am convinced he was protecting a friend,” Olson said. “I wish everybody who read the story of his trouble could have seen what I saw last week. The team went to a Special Olympics clinic, to a rehab place, and Hassan was right out there, front and center, with a big smile on his face. He left giving everybody a very good feeling. He will walk [graduate] with his class in May. When you talk about college athletics this is a kid you should talk about.”

Early Sleeper

For those who fill in NCAA basketball pools, it might be wise to keep an eye on Indiana State.

The Sycamores are unbeaten (8-0), including an upset of Indiana. They were picked to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference but have opened conference play with a solid 10-point win over one of the league favorites, Illinois State. And the last time Indiana State started 8-0? It was the 1978-79 season when Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the national championship game.

Unbeaten but Not Respected

Pittsburgh is 9-0 and Clemson is 11-0. Are the Panthers or Tigers any good? Hard to tell. Pitt’s best win is probably over Auburn, which would have mattered in football. Clemson can be proud of beating South Carolina but shouldn’t shout too loud about wins over Puerto Rico Mayaguez or South Carolina State. Both teams walloped Coppin State and Penn State. Pitt Coach Jamie Dixon and Clemson Coach Oliver Purnell must attend the same school of easy scheduling.

Traveling Men

Cal State Fullerton is at the end of a seven-game swing that took the Titans to Brookings, S.D. (win over South Dakota State), Manhattan, Kan. (loss to Kansas State), San Francisco (win over Chicago State, overtime loss to San Francisco), San Jose (win over San Jose State) and Miami (loss to Texas San Antonio, a game against Florida International to come). Junior guard Bobby Brown is averaging 17.4 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.

The team suffered an emotional loss Monday when Drew Awad, who played three games for the Titans last fall before suffering a remission of leukemia, died from the disease. Awad played at Fresno’s Clovis West High.