Farragut's Adams returns to Chicago

Farragut's Troynell Adams has returned to Chicago after spending two weeks in Oklahoma.
(Stacia Timonere/For the Sun-Times News Group)

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Troynell Adams has returned from two weeks in Oklahoma.

Farragut basketball coaches said that the senior forward was coaxed by the coaching staff of Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Okla. to drop out of high school, go to Oklahoma, get his GED (general equivalency diploma) and play with them in the second semester.

Farragut coach and math teacher William Nelson said it was intense pressure that made them send the 6-5 Adams home, after receiving calls from the Chicago Sun-Times, Public League boys basketball coordinator Cyrus McGinnis and realizing the National Junior College Association had been contacted.

"It’s like someone getting caught for stealing and saying,"here’s your merchandise back, no harm no foul,'" Nelson said. "If they had been on the up and up, it wouldn’t matter who knew about it. But when you try to do something this scandalous nobody wants the covers pulled off."

Kennedy-King College coach Garland Dildy said that Carl Albert crossed the line.

"There are times when junior colleges help a student get a GED, but that’s after the student has exhausted all other possibilities," Dildy said. "You let a kid know if he doesn’t make it, you would like for him to come to your school, play for you and continue his education.”

Lloyd Walton, former NBA player and Marquette star who is now a career counselor for the NBA and founder of The Life Long Winner said, "First and foremost the wrong message is being sent to Adams. Beware of people that come into your life for reasons more advantageous for them than for you. This is not about the young man as much as it is about the people around him.

"Who would advise someone to do this and what do they have to gain by him doing it?." Walton said. "In the long run he is the only one who will have to answer if things don’t work out.”

Nelson said Carl Albert was fully aware of what they were trying to do. They arranged for him to have a visit three days after his 18th birthday in November where he signed a letter-of-intent to play in January.

"Here is a 3-13 team trying to be slick.," Nelson said. "They had an assistant coach drive here and pick the kid up. I know that’s illegal. I’ve been doing this a long time and I’m not stupid.

"They encouraged this kid to drop out of high school and go to their college. The only one who got hurt was the kid. He would have graduated and now he needs a whole semester of classes that he threw away.”

Nelson said he was really hurt by the text message he received from Adams Sunday morning: "I am back, thank you very much sir."

"They convinced him I am the bad guy," Nelson said. "I’m not finished with those people. They are not sorry for what they did. They’re sorry they got caught. "I see why Troy was not very concerned about his class work. He was told he didn’t need it. They should be sanctioned and disciplined by the National Junior College Association. If this is allowed to happen, students will be in serious trouble.”

Adams, who is back in the city, has not been available for comment and Nelson said that he is not returning to Farragut.