ROGERS — Rogers High boys basketball coach Wayne Herren calls Joe Adams the best athlete on the team.
He is also the toughest.
Profile
Joe Adams
SCHOOL: Rogers High
CLASS: Senior
POSITION: Forward
HEIGHT: 6-5
NOTABLE: Has suffered two shoulders injuries and has had surgery once since moving from Pea Ridge following his sophomore year. ... Played football as a junior, but missed the entire 2011-2012 basketball season after having surgery.
Since moving to Rogers from Pea Ridge, Adams has suffered injury after injury to his left shoulder. He was hurt prior to the 2011 football season after a weightlifting accident, but played through it. He had surgery after the season which derailed his entire basketball season a year ago.
Adams reinjured the shoulder over the summer, which ended his football career.
He needs to have surgery again, but the athletic 6-foot-5 senior marches on with the basketball team despite being limited by the injury. At times this season, he has had to pop his shoulder back into place during games.
Adams said the love of the game keeps him going. The injury limits his range of mobility, especially on defense, and hinders his free-throw shooting.
“It’s worse now,” he said. “It’s a downer not being able to play much. It felt good before I hurt it again this past summer. I just didn’t think it would dislocate like it does. I’ve just tried to have a lot of mental toughness.
“There have been times when I have wanted to stop. But this is what I like to do.”
Adams plays sparingly, but Herren said the senior is an inspiration to the rest of the Mounties’ basketball team.
“Joe still fits into our plans,” Herren said. “Joe is the toughest kid I have ever coached. He is playing with one arm most of the time. There is no doubt that Joe would have been a starter for us.
“Joe shows everyday how to overcome adversity. He doesn’t complain, but like all great players, he fights through it.”
Adams said he knows that he must play hard when he does get into games.
“I just try and give it my all and not worry too much about my shoulder,” he said.
Herren said he struggles about whether to play Adams or not.
“My most important concern is his overall health,” Herren said. “When he leaves here, we don’t want him to have something that is going to affect him the rest of his life. We just manage it.”
Rogers will look to stay in the hunt for a state tournament berth when it plays at Fayetteville in a 7A/6A-West Conference game tonight. The Mounties upset Siloam Springs 55-53 in overtime on Tuesday, but they will probably need to win three of their last five games to extend the season.
“What that win does is that it gives us a chance,” Herren said. “It gives us something to play for, but we are going to have to work extremely hard. We do control our own destiny.
“We just have to take it one game at a time, but the Fayetteville game is the most difficult of our remaining games.”