Cameron Adams is a 22 year old 196cm forward from FT Smith, Arkansas that will start his professional career in Germany with the Schwenningen Panthers. He played at Drury(NCAA2) from 2011-2015 and as a senior played 17 games averaging 15.8ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.4apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 66.4%, FT: 76.3%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Cameron thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how have you been enjoying your summer in 2015?

Currently, I am living in Springfield Missouri and working out to prepare for the upcoming season in Germany. I have been thoroughly enjoying my summer so far and I have been spending a lot of time with my family and friends before I head to Germany and begin the offseason with my team.

How crazy is it that you left the Panthers and now will be joining the German Panthers. When you look back at the last 4 years at Drury, what was the secret to the grit of the Drury Panthers when you were there?

It is completely crazy and unexpected I just thankful for the opportunity to continue playing the sport I love. There was no secret to the Drury Panthers we just had a great group of guys who all wanted to play our hearts out on the court and that paired with our Coach led us to having a successful four years at Drury.

Congrats on your first professional contract with German Regionaliga team Schwenningen Panthers. How excited are you to make the trek to Germany soon and start your professional basketball career?

I am very excited to make the trek to Germany! I have never been out of the country before so to get the chance to see a whole new country and play basketball is an amazing experience and a blessing! I’m am too excited to put it into words.

What was your first experience like the last few months entering the very competitive transfer shark tank and trying to land that first contract? Did you have other offers?

My experience has been eye opening and enlightening. I had never been through a process like this before and I did not even know how to get started in this field. I had some great people to help me out with everything and explain things when I had questions. Honestly, no I did not have any other offers, a team from Denmark had asked about me but they never offered me a contract. I mean of course it would be nice to have multiple offers on the table, but I did not i’m going to work hard this year so that I have more offers on the table for next year!

What do you know in general about the country Germany and its basketball? Do you have any friends balling in Germany?

I had a few friends from college that were from Germany so all I know about the country is what they told me but I am in the process of learning about the country’s culture, landmarks, and food. Food is very important to me and I’m excited to try authentic German food. Brandon Lockhart and the other is Sanayika Shields played in Germany and all played at Drury.

Were you able to talk to Panthers head coach Alen Velcic? What was your first impression of him?

I was able to talk to Coach Velcic. My first impression of the Coach is that he is a very passionate and driven and has a love for the game of baskeball. The two of these things combined make for a great coach in my opinion I cant wait to meet him face to face and shake his hand and play for him.

He is very impressed by your game. How quickly did you notice that he really wanted you on his team?

I noticed he wanted me on the team early into our conversation. He was very straight-forward about what he wanted in a player next year and how I could help move the team move forward in the coming year.

He described you as very athletic with a good drive, but you can also shoot the three. What is your biggest strength on the court?

My strength on the court is definitely my athleticism, I use it to my advantage on the defensive end, and in turn it allows me to drive and attack the basket on the offensive end as well.

Another strength is your leadership role. You had to take over that role as a senior at Drury and at times get in the faces of your teammates. Which NBA player would you best like to compare yourself with how you showed your leadership skills and getting into a teammates face if needed?

Well my favorite NBA player is Kobe Bryant but I don’t believe I am as stern worded as he is on the court. Still I would say I want to embody his passion and leadership on the court.

You are a very versatile shooter and your high field goal percentage in the 60´s really stands out for a player at 196cm. But what is a hidden strength in your game that you believe isn´t noticed right away on the court?

I do not believe I have a hidden strength I just play hard for the entire time that I am on the court. I just love the game.

It seems having that knack of playing under the NCAA always gets players very motivated and hungry. Your coming from an NCAA 2 school and now have to reprove yourself again in the fourth German league. Do you feel like you always have to revent yourself and prove yourself?

Yes, you always have to prove yourself no matter what. You can have a good year one year and if you just think people will back down you are crazy. I love having the opportunity to prove myself.

It has been two years since winning the NCAA 2 title, but what still is most vivid in your mind about this glorious evening for Drury?

The whole game was memorable from beginning to end I would say what I remember most about it was when our point guard Brand Lockhart made a lay-up and got fouled and for the first time all season showed real emotion and screamed at the crowd.

If you look back at that title game, how important was the game of Alex Hall not only in that game, but in the title run season?

Alex was vital to our title run. Our offense ran through him and Brandon. We would first get him open and then play off of that. I loved it because he was a great player because he made the game easier for people around him. That is what great players do.

You always have much talent, developed further as a player at Drury, but some credit much also go to head coach Steve Hesser. How was he able to prepare you best for a professional basketball career at Drury?

The best lessons that he taught me were to never be satisfied because when you are satisfied that is when you stop growing. Complacency is the enemy of progress. The second lesson he taught me “big time is where you are at.” That one speaks for itself.

Who would win a one on one in practice last season you or Mike Nwelue?

I would. Mike is a great players but I am not losing. Besides you can ask him and he would tell you I would win too.

How does a typical summer work out day look like for you on and off the court in 2015?

Depends on the day I have never played professionally so I do not know what the workouts will be like. I usually go for a run in the morning, then I will lift weights and shoot afterward and I go shoot again for about an hour later in the day.

Did you have more of a bond to college basketball growing up simply because where you came from in Arkansas and later at Drury Missouri, there is no NBA team to follow or go to games?

Actually my favorite team is the L.A. Lakers but growing up I would watch as many of their games on TV as I could. I do have a strong connection to college basketball but where I grew up and not having the chance to attend more professional games did not deter me.

What is the state of Lebron James in 2015? He just lost the NBA title. Everybody is making the Michael Jordan comparisons. What does king James need to do to be mentioned in the same breath with Jordan or is he already?

Lebron will never be what Michael was until he passes him in championships the same as Kobe. Until someone wins 6 championships they cannot be compared to Jordan.. He is a great player and one of the greatest all time but I will never have respect for him the same way as Michael because Jordan mastered almost every asset of the game and he did not make a spectacle out of the game like Lebron has done at times. Still lebrons finals performace last year was amazing he put up numbers that only Jordan has and he led a team of no names to the finals. Give Lebron another 6 years and ask this question again and my answer my be different .

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

The last DVD I saw was the Gambler with Mark Wahlberg it was a great movie.I was surprised how good it actually was I love watching movies and I did not see that movie when it was in theaters because I did not think it would be good at all.

Thanks Cameron for the chat.