By ROBERT CESSNAIt took a day longer than expected, but Danielle Adams, named the national JUCO player of the year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, has signed with Texas A&M.
The 6-foot-1 forward from Jefferson College (Mo.) faxed her paperwork to A&M late Monday afternoon, 24 hours later than expected.
Adams was delayed a day in traveling from Colorado Springs, where she spent the weekend trying to make the USA Women's World University Games Team Trials roster. Adams said late Monday night she had to wait until returning home to Kansas City to sign and fax the paperwork.
A&M head coach Gary Blair didn't care when he got the fax, just as long as he got it and the machine worked.
"She is an offensive machine who can play both the power forward and the high post position for us," Blair said. "She has a tremendous vision for the court. She is one of the best passing kids that I have ever signed."
She averaged 22.1 points per game for 34-1 Jefferson, which lost to Central Arizona College in the national championship game.
A&M won a recruiting battle with national runner-up Louisville for Adams, who originally signed with Missouri before her senior year in high school but couldn't get in academically. She's the third player from Kansas City that Blair has signed in the last three years.
"We first signed a McDonald's All-American in Tyra White, then a junior college All-American in Tanisha Smith and now the No. 1 JC player in the country," Blair said. "All three of these kids knew each other and Tanisha did an excellent job of helping recruit her."
Smith and Adams played on the same AAU team, the Kansas City Keys.
A&M assistant coach Johnnie Harris and associate head coach Vic Schaefer also helped the Aggies overtake Louisville, which had been recruiting Adams longer and did a great job as well, said Jefferson head coach Kevin Emerick.
"Johnnie recruited her out of high school when Johnnie was at Arkansas and established a great relationship with her," Blair said. "Coach Schaefer handles our junior college recruiting and he did a great job establishing a great job with the JC coach along with Danielle."
Emerick said A&M did a great job recruiting Adams, who was contacted by most of the 25-30 top programs in the country but quickly settled on Louisville, A&M and Mississippi State.
Adams will try to fill the void left by two-time All-Big 12 player Danielle Gant, who was drafted in the second round of the WNBA Draft by Chicago. The 5-11 Gant played all five positions for A&M, but mainly the three and four.
"Danielle [Adams] plays the four and the three," Blair said. "She shoots the high post shot, where Danielle Gant had to take it on the drive."
Adams, who is nicknamed "the D-Train," completes A&M's incoming class, joining four freshmen -- Diamond Ashmore, a 6-3 post from Midwest City, Okla.; Kristi Bellock, a 6-1 wing from East Jefferson, La.; 5-7 point guard Adrienne Pratcher of Memphis; and 6-foot guard/wing Cierra Windham of Corona, Calif. Everyone but Adams signed in November.
"This is gonna turn out to be our best recruiting class that we've ever signed -- at least ratings-wise," Blair said.
The Aggies lost out in trying to sign 6-5 Kelsey Bone of Sugar Land Dulles, who went to South Carolina.
"You can't lose something you've never had," Blair said. "Sure, we would have loved to have a dominating No. 5 player coming in. But we've been winning with the kids we have. I do think it's pretty doggone good when people say you lost the second-best player in the state, but then you rebound and sign the nation's top junior college player."
Blair said he expects seniors Damitria Buchanan and Katrina Limbaha along with sophomore Kelsey Assarian to be vastly improved and play at the five and four.
"Remember, Danielle can also play the five," Blair said. "She has versatility."
Adams averaged 2.8 blocks per game, which was in the Top 10 in the country, but she said she'll have to improve her perimeter defense, which has been a key to A&M's four straight NCAA Tournament appearances including an Elite Eight two seasons ago and Sweet 16 last season.
"I think as a coach, sometimes you have to make a few adjustments for a certain player, but at the same time, our overall philosophy will not change," Blair said. "We are all about pressure. Will we be able to apply the same full-court pressure? I don't know. But we will come with defensive pressure, we will still front the posts, and we will take away the high post.
"Nothing changes because of one player. Remember, Tanisha might not have been a good defensive player when we got her, but by the end of the season, she was one of our more solid defensive players. It just takes awhile. I think Danielle will get it."
Adams said she'll arrive in Aggieland in July.
A&M lost three starters in center La Toya Micheaux, three-time All-Big 12 guard Takia Starks and Gant. They posted a school-best 104-32 record, including a 27-8 record as seniors.
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