Monsignor Martin League Player Spotlight Series: Adamu/Purks
Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This series will focus on the…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWestern New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This series will focus on the individual members of the 2020-2021 Nichols Vikings.
Jesse Adamu Jesse Adamu 6'0" | PG Nichols | 2021 State NY – G – Class of 2021
Jesse Adamu Jesse Adamu 6'0" | PG Nichols | 2021 State NY is a Senior who spent time playing both the lead guard role and off of the ball in 2019-2020. A confident player, Adamu likes to get into his opponents’ bodies on defense and use some muscle to bump them off of their spots. He has shown an ability to take and make big shots and is poised for a tremendous final season.
Adamu’s most valuable trait is his ability to score in droves. He ranks second out of all returning Vikings in shots attempted in 2019-2020. He attempted double-digit shots in 9 games in a season that featured scoring games with 28, 25, and 22 points. Adamu’s junior season ended with him shooting 68% from the free throw line on 53 total attempts. His shooting form is compact and his range comfortably exceeds the high school line by a couple of feet.
The part of Adamu’s game that needs to improve the most is his ability to take care of the basketball. At times, he was careless and committed turnovers to the point that he was taken out of the game for segments at a time. Though he has shown a strong crossover, many times his dribble was too high and difficult for him to control. To his credit, he always fought through any temporary rough stretches and finished the 2019-2020 season with a 0.66 Assist/Turnover ratio. Still, tightening his dribble and becoming more confident with the ball in his hands will be paramount to his success as a lead ballhandler.
I see Adamu as one half of a starting Senior backcourt for the 2020-2021 Vikings. Adamu is capable of shouldering an enormous load for Nichols and will attempt to shoot at a higher percentage at all 3 levels (last season, he shot 36% on 2 point shots and 40% on 3 point shots). I predict he will challenge himself to improve his ballhanding and will become a beacon of success in the upcoming season.
Hugh Purks Hugh Purks 5'10" | PG Nichols | 2021 State NY – G – Class of 2021
Hugh Purks Hugh Purks 5'10" | PG Nichols | 2021 State NY proved himself to be one of the most important players for Nichols a season ago. He led the team by scoring 366 total points. Additionally, he was one of just two Vikings in 2019-2020 to attempt over 200 shots throughout the course of the year and he finished 4th or better on the team in assists, rebounds, and steals. Purks averaged 15.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game and consistently was able to create offense for himself and others when his team needed playmaking the most.
As someone who watched the entirety of the 2019-2020 Nichols season in person, I can confidently say that Purks was the team’s most steady and consistent ballhandler. He is creative with his dribbles and is crafty in using angles to make his way to the basket. Often times, the rest of his team struggled taking care of the ball. Though that may have contributed to some added pressure being put on Purks by opposing defenses, he himself finished with a 1.22 Assists/Turnover Ratio, best out of all returning ballhandlers. He flashed potential as an offensive initiator with multiple games of 8, 7, 6, and 5 helpers.
Though Purks shot the ball nicely as a Junior, his team would benefit from him being more efficient in 2020-2021. As the team’s presumed leading shot-taker, he will want to manage better at all 3 levels compared to his output in 2019-2020. Improving upon his 42% two-point average, 30% three-point average, and 74% free throw average will make his team more dynamic and dangerous. It is realistic that Purks could play at the next level and he will no doubt have college scouts vying for his game tape in the coming months.
**All Stats Come From Maxpreps.com. All Analysis Is My Own.