Maximo Adams Includes Illinois in Top 11: What to Know About the Top-40 Recruit

Maximo Adams' background

Adams attends and plays for basketball powerhouse Sierra Canyon – which has produced a handful of NBA players including Bronny James, Brandon Boston and Amari Bailey, among others – while suiting up for Vegas Elite on the AAU circuit.

Adams' game

Offense

A versatile scorer, Adams can fill it up from all three levels. He’s practically a knock-down long-distance shooter in catch-and-shoot situations, while he has recently shown a developing off-the-dribble game from beyond the arc. In the midrange, Adams can get to pull-ups from anywhere, and is quite efficient there.

Adams prefers to just rise up and shoot, but he has shown the ability to drive close-outs. Although he’s not a springboard athlete, Adams has solid hops and has shown ability as a rim-runner in transition. He also can use his strong frame (205 pounds) to bully defenders around the basket.

Rebounding

At his size, and considering he’s playing high schoolers, Adams is an absolute beast on the boards. He’s equally effective on both ends of the floor as a rebounder and plays with a great motor. His raw numbers figure to drop at the next level, but he will still be a plus rebounder at his position, even as a freshman – which is likely a trait that has caught the eye of the rebounding-focused Underwood.

Defense

Also a net-positive defender, Adams anticipates well and has enough athleticism both vertically and laterally to effectively defend a wide range of positions and styles. He’ll immediately be able to handle Big Ten competition, although he may not be a star defender from Day 1.

Illinois' recruiting competition

The Illini are battling for Adams’ talents with a handful of respected programs, including Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, USC and Texas.

There are a few other notable schools still involved in Adams' recruitment, but he has notably scheduled visits with only those aforementioned programs (and has already taken one to USC). It would be hard to imagine the Illini staying in the mix if Underwood doesn't get Adams lined up for a trip to Champaign sometime in the not-too-distant future.