Wyoming’s Adams builds off success in Mountain West tourney

LARAMIE, Wyo. — On the day Josh Adams signed with Wyoming, there was no live announcement on ESPN. He was not a five-star prospect surrounded by hype.

"I wasn't heavily recruited," Adams said, without a hint of bitterness.

Four years later, he's the nation's No. 4 scorer, averaging 25.7 points. His name is listed just below another senior guard — Buddy Hield of Oklahoma. But putting up big numbers is not something Adams envisioned this season.

"I didn't really think about it," the 6-foot-2-inch guard said. "I tried to focus on how to help this team win ballgames. If I score some points along the way, it's icing on the cake."

The Cowboys, in stark contrast to the opponent they will face at 3 p.m. Saturday, are not celebrated in the media as a talented team featuring players chasing NBA dreams. They play in a small town where the brightest lights are traffic lights. There is snow on the ground and a bitter chill in the wind.

This is where UNLV (9-6, 0-2 Mountain West) hits a crossroads in its season, needing a win against Wyoming (8-8, 1-2) to avoid a disastrous start to conference play. The potential fallout from another loss could turn the Rebels upside down.

After two days of practice in Denver — following a last-minute meltdown in a 66-65 loss to Colorado State in Fort Collins on Wednesday — the Rebels took a bus ride north, checked into a hotel and tested the floor at the Arena-Auditorium.

UNLV coach Dave Rice distributed a scouting report of the Cowboys, with Adams at the top of it. He will come to play, and he expects the Rebels to, as well.

"I have watched them throughout the season because I knew they were going to be one of the better teams in our conference," Adams said. "It's an extremely talented team. When a team like UNLV gets motivated and hungry to win, they will give you their best one-two punch."

Adams was a big part of Wyoming's winning combination a year ago. He and Larry Nance Jr. led the Cowboys to the Mountain West tournament title and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Adams was voted Most Valuable Player of the conference tournament in Las Vegas, and Nance went on to be a first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Four starters departed, leaving Adams as the leader of a rebuilding team.

"We're built differently this season," Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt said. "I've loved Josh for four to five years, and we talked long and hard in June, when those six kids graduated from last year and six freshmen and sophomores arrived, that his only obligation was to leave this university with the legacy of hard work and aggressiveness, discipline and selflessness.

"Here is a guy who has been asked to lead a completely different group from the one we had last year, and he is doing a great job. He just always does the right stuff."

One story of legend about Adams involves a tip-in, not a stuff. In his last game for Chaparral High School in Parker, Colo., Adams soared to tip in a teammate's missed 3-point shot before the buzzer to win the Class 5A state championship.

Shyatt was scouting an AAU tournament when he spotted Adams, although Shyatt was there to watch a different player.

"Coach Shyatt came up to me and said, 'We're going to get you to come here, but I'm going to do it the right way,'" Adams said.

Shyatt visited with Adams' family before formally offering a scholarship. Adams' only other offers were from Northern Colorado and Portland.

As a sophomore at Wyoming, two of Adams' dunks made the ESPN "SportsCenter" Top 10 plays segment. As a senior, he has more than doubled his scoring average of 12.8 from his junior season.

"I tell him to just play as hard as you can and as smart as you can," Shyatt said. "He's not going to play the perfect game. But I love him to death. I've coached players in the SEC and Big East, and I wouldn't trade him for the world."

A big factor in the Rebels' fate will be their ability to defend Adams behind the 3-point line. He made 47 3s while shooting 32.4 percent last season. He already has hit 45 3s this season while elevating his shooting percentage to 39.5.

"It's a result of working on my game and improving my outside shot," said Adams, who is set to graduate in May. "I focus on being a good role model to these guys and being the best leader I could possibly be."

The Cowboys have lost two games in overtime and another by one point. But on Wednesday, Adams had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 64-52 victory over Air Force in Laramie.

"We just haven't figured out how to get over the hump and close some of these games," Adams said, "but we're right there."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247