Career at Arizona ends too soon for Adams
by Steve Rivera on Mar. 20, 2006, under SportsCitizen Staff Writer
By STEVE RIVERA
srivera@tucsoncitizen.com
PHILADELPHIA – Arizona senior Hassan Adams said he’s ready to take some time off and rest from what has been a long season.
UA lost 82-72 to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament at there Wachovia Center yesterday, ending the Wildcats’ year at 20-13.
In time – perhaps even in the next day or so – Adams said he’ll “backtrack” over the season, “thinking about the good times and bad times.”
There were plenty of both for Adams and the rest of the seniors, and now their UA careers are over.
Senior Chris Rodgers declined to speak about what lies ahead for him, saying it was too early to think about that.
Senior Isaiah Fox, who made the trip but did not play or dress out because of a back injury, said recently he’s been invited to participate in the annual Portsmouth Invitational. That’s a tryout for seniors with a chance to play professionally.
Adams’ next move will be to start preparing for the NBA draft. What he wasn’t looking to do was think about his collegiate career being over.
“I wanted to get the ‘W,’ ” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about it (possibly) being my last game. I thought April 3rd would be, at the Final Four.”
Instead, Adams heads home with his teammates wondering what could have been.
“The love they give me is unbelievable,” Adams said of his teammates. “I’m grateful that I was part of this, the Arizona basketball team.”
After scoring 20 points yesterday, Adams finished with 1,818 points, good for seventh place on the school’s all-time list.
Adams was a part of two UA teams that advanced to the Elite Eight during his career. He also went through some tough times, including being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence earlier this month and being suspended for the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament.
“In playing four years, I became a man,” Adams said. “You go though a lot of trials and tribulations. And you go through a lot of good and you go through a lot of bad. At the end of the day it always makes you into a better person. That’s what I learned from this program.”
