After recording his first career double-double in UNC’s 109-70 win against Wofford Friday night at the Smith Center, freshman Maximo Adams walked into the media room wearing a chain. It was bright, bold, and in-your-face — very similar to the guy wearing it.
This chain included a bedazzled version of a strutting Rameses hanging jauntily in the middle.
“This goes out to the defensive player of the game,” Adams said. “Coach made an emphasis: you can’t get back on offense without ending a possession on defense with a rebound. And I had 11 of ’em.”
A freshman reserve player ended the night as the Tar Heels’ leader on the glass, outrebounding the next-best teammate by four while adding 11 points. He was also Michael Malone’s most-used player, logging 21:52 when no other player even reached 20.
To put it bluntly, Adams simply makes it hard to take him off the floor. He plays the game with an edge and intensity – and, it must be said, a stage presence – that none of his Tar Heel teammates have shown in the young season. When Adams makes a nice play, he’ll let you know about it. Yes, even you, sitting in the upper reaches of the cavernous Smith Center.
He knows how to play the crowd. This season, the Smith Center is debuting a new promotion: if an opposing player misses two consecutive free throws in the second half, everyone can get free food from Chick-fil-A. After a Terrier missed his first free throw in the second half, everyone in the building got loud — and Adams encouraged them to do so.
“His personality really helps him come in and be confident and aggressive,” said Jarin Stevenson. “He takes us to the next level with his energy. He’s really a spark for us.”
Jaydon Young summed it up more succinctly.
“I would describe Maxi with one word,” he said. “Maniac.”
The Tar Heels knew what they were getting into. Adams’ high school highlight reels from his days in southern California showed the same brash, energetic young man who arrived in Chapel Hill this summer. And for Maxi Adams, there were no freshman nerves. In his very first exhibition action against USC nearly a month ago, Adams was the same player: bellowing after every rebound and interacting with courtside fans.
“I think it’s a really big part of my game, getting the crowd riled up,” Adams said. “You get riled up by the crowd, that’s a surreal feeling. It feels great, man. It gets you rowdy.”
Adams knows how to get his teammates riled up, too. After UNC’s uninspiring eight-point win against Western Carolina in the season opener Monday night, head coach Michael Malone noted that his team was in the habit of taking “two steps forward, three steps back.” Adams heard that quote, and he used it to deliver a pregame message Friday.
“We’re leaving the locker room,” Young remembered, “and he was like, ‘Two steps forward, and three steps forward again!’ He joked about that all night.”
The result was a 39-point victory in which the Tar Heels heeded Adams’ challenge. It was Carolina’s highest-scoring game in more than six years.
So, now the burning question: what becomes of the chain? Will Adams wear it to class next week? Does he want to make it his own? Not so fast. Because as confident as Adams is, he’s still willing to be a team player.
“Maybe if I play,” Adams said, before quickly correcting himself, “when I play good next game, maybe [I’ll] get it back again. But hopefully it goes out to another player.”
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Todd Melet
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