Western Colorado University head men’s basketball coach Zac Claus has announced the hiring of Henry Adams as the program’s newest assistant coach.
Adams arrives in Gunnison after spending the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach at Christopher Newport University, where he helped lead the captains to a 25-6 record, a No. 8 national ranking, and an NCAA Division III Final Four appearance. In his role, Adams directed opponent scouting, film breakdown, player development, recruiting evaluations, game-planning strategy, and coordinated team travel and operations.
“Henry’s professionalism, positive energy and work ethic stood out in a big way as we searched for someone to add to our program. We very much look forward to the impact that Henry will have on Mountaineer basketball.”
Prior to Christopher Newport, Adams served as an assistant coach at Dominican University during the 2024-25 season. There, he handled video analysis through Hudl and Synergy, created detailed scouting reports, managed travel logistics, led player development workouts, and helped enhance the program’s recruiting database and player evaluations. The Stars improved their offensive production during his tenure, increasing both scoring and shooting efficiency.
Adams also spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Northwestern University, where he specialized in film analysis and player development while helping the Wildcats reach back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time in program history. Northwestern recorded consecutive 22-win seasons, earned a second-place finish in the Big Ten during the 2022-23 campaign, maintained a national Top 25 ranking in 2023-24, and secured the program’s first-ever victory over an AP No. 1-ranked opponent with a win over Purdue. Adams also worked closely with All-American Boo Buie while assisting in recruiting nationally ranked recruiting classes.
Before joining Northwestern, Adams served as head manager at the University of Miami, where he supported one of the most successful stretches in Hurricanes history. During his time in Coral Gables, Miami reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history, won 26 games during the 2021-22 season, and earned victories over Duke and multiple nationally ranked opponents. He was responsible for video operations, scouting database development, recruiting support, and supervising the program’s undergraduate managers.
Adams also gained coaching experience at Nazareth Academy, where he assisted with scouting, practice planning, defensive instruction, and player skill development. His coaching career began at DePaul University as a student manager, where he supported daily basketball operations and recruiting efforts.
A native of Downers Grove, Illinois, Adams earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Miami in 2022 before completing a Master of Arts in Sports Administration at Northwestern University in 2024.
