Adams grew up in
Manchester Township, New Jersey and initially attended
Manasquan High School. As a sophomore he averaged averaged 20.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists and led the Warriors to their first-ever state championship. After the season, Adams transferred to
La Lumiere School in
La Porte, Indiana. He was selected to play in the
2025 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year. Adams was rated a consensus top-30 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. He originally committed to play
college basketball at
UConn over offers from
Michigan State and
Tennessee. In April 2025, Adams requested a release from his National Letter of Intent and reopened his recruitment. He later signed to play at
Maryland. ==College career==