Rutgers women's basketball adds Destiny Adams from transfer portal
The Rutgers women's basketball team landed a highly-rated transfer yesterday, adding sophomore guard Destiny Adams from the transfer portal. Adams joins the Scarlet Knights from North Carolina, where she spent her last two seasons.
During that time, she averaged 4.1 points per game (PPG) and 3.8 rebounds per game (RPG). She will have two years of eligibility remaining when she joins the team next season as a junior.
The announcement means that Adams will return home to the Garden State after spending her high school years playing for Manchester Township High School in Manchester, New Jersey. She racked up accolades while playing for the Hawks, including being named a McDonald's All-American in 2021 and winning the 2021 Gatorade New Jersey Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award. In her senior year, Adams averaged a whopping 30.1 PPG and 18.7 RPG.
Upon her arrival on the Banks, the 6-foot-3 forward will hopefully add an offensive spark to the team that struggled to find a consistent scoring punch in its most recent season. Rutgers ranked 14th in the Big Ten in scoring in the 2022-2023 season, averaging 63.2 PPG as a team.
While she did not light up the box score with the Tar Heels, Adams' performance in the wing spot is projected to mesh well with the Knights' existing structure. The 20th-ranked player in the ESPNW class of 2021 rankings saw her role on the court gradually increase during her time in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her playing time doubling from her freshman to sophomore year.
Adams scored a career-high 23 points in her first collegiate game against South Carolina State. She also flashed her range this past season, making 11 three-pointers on 42 attempts after attempting zero her freshman year.
Aside from her skill on the court, Adams is a much-needed addition to Rutgers' limited roster.
Last year, the team only had eight players on its roster, and only three of them had been on the team in the 2020-2021 season. Starters had to play big minutes in every game, contributing to continued fatigue.
The Knights played tough against some of the best competition in the Big Ten, only to run out of gas in the third and fourth quarters. Adding a player of Adams' caliber could potentially push them over the top and allow them to earn some upset victories this upcoming season.
Joining Adams as a newcomer at Rutgers is incoming freshman guard Jillian Huerter, who joined the Knights in November 2022. Head coach Coquese Washington describes Huerter as "a very talented and versatile player" who is an excellent passer and shooter. Her skillset will work well with Adams', as the latter is a player who primarily works down low in the paint.
Adams' commitment could potentially have an impact on the Rutgers men's basketball team as well. Her brother, Darius Adams, is the top-ranked player in New Jersey for the class of 2025. The Knights gave him a recruiting offer in September 2022, and having a family connection on the Banks with his sister could help in his own recruitment.
Adding Adams and Huerter puts the roster at eight, as senior guard Kai Carter enters the transfer portal and graduate guard Abby Streeter departs. Washington will continue to look for additional players in the transfer portal to fill out her roster for next season.
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