The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball program has announced the addition of Drew Adams as the Associate Athletics Director for Men’s Basketball.
Adams comes to Clifton by way of Bradley, where he was an assistant coach the previous seven years (2015-22). He helped the Braves to a complete rebuild that resulted in consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championships for the first time in school history.
“Drew is one of the brightest young minds in college basketball,” Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller said. “His experience in operations, recruiting and coaching at the highest level – including multiple NCAA Tournament bids and conference championships at several different elite programs – has given him an impressive resume and the skills to come into Cincinnati and immediately make us better in every facet of our program.”
Respected among his peers and established as one of the brightest young minds in college hoops, he helped guide Bradley and New Mexico to five NCAA Tournament berths in his first six years as an assistant coach.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be a University of Cincinnati Bearcat,” Adams said. “Growing up in Southern Indiana, I know how special this place is with its history and tradition. I have so much respect for Coach Miller, and I couldn’t be more grateful for him giving me this opportunity.”
Adams earned Top 50 Most Impactful Mid Major Assistants distinction from Silver Waves Media in both 2020 and 2022, and he was also named one of the top five assistant coaches in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2020.
Adams played an important role in reestablishing Bradley to the peak of the Missouri Valley. He helped turn the nation’s youngest team with just five wins in 2015-16 into conference champions and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament just three years later in 2018-19 – Bradley’s first MVC Tournament title since 1988. BU then repeated as conference champions in 2020, marking the first time since 1954 and 1955 the Braves qualified for the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.
He coached 10 all-conference players and seven MVC All-Freshman recipients at Bradley. Most recently, Bradley featured the 2022 Valley Newcomer of the Year in Terry Roberts and featured two NABC All-Region selections.
Adams joined Bradley after four seasons at the University of New Mexico, where he helped the Lobos to a 99-36 (.733) overall record, including a 45-21 (.682) tally in the Mountain West Conference. During his tenure in New Mexico, Adams helped the program to two regular-season league titles, three Mountain West postseason tournament crowns and three top-7 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
He initially joined the staff in 2011-12 as Director of Operations for Steve Alford, was promoted to assistant coach for the 2012-13 season and remained on Craig Neal’s staff his final two seasons.
Adams, who played for Alford during the 2006-07 season at Iowa, began his coaching career as a student assistant at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and the program’s first No. 1 national ranking during the 2007-08 season. After graduating from Tennessee in 2009, Adams spent two years on Tom Crean’s staff at Indiana, first as Coordinator of Basketball Systems in 2009-10 before being promoted to Director of Operations for the 2010-11 season. He also has coached on the AAU level for the Indiana Elite program.
Adams began his collegiate playing career at Florida Community College of Jacksonville where he was team captain as a sophomore in 2005-06 before transferring to Iowa.
A 2004 graduate of Bloomington High School South, Adams spent three years playing for head coach J.R. Holmes. During his senior season at South, the Panthers won Conference Indiana and he was selected as team captain, was the team’s leading scorer and was an all-conference selection.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Tennessee in 2009. Adams and his wife, Brooke, have two daughters, Quinn and Ava, and one son, Nolan.
Story courtesy: David CohenDirector / Strategic Brand Engagement
