Duke women's basketball 2017-18 player preview: Jayda Adams

<p>Freshman Jayda Adams could be an effective shooter off the bench for the Blue Devils.</p>

Freshman Jayda Adams could be an effective shooter off the bench for the Blue Devils.

 Jayda Adams

  • Year: Freshman
  • Height: 6-foot-0
  • Position: Guard

Game Breakdown: After captaining her Mater Dei team to a finals appearance at the state championship, Adams, rated as high as the No. 36 recruit in the country, joins three highly-touted freshmen on an already strong Blue Devil team with a plethora of senior leadership in the backcourt. As a shooting guard, Adams will look to contribute on and off the ball from the onset of her Blue Devil career. 

Although she can make a mid-range or even deep ball consistently, the Irvine, Calif. native will leave her mark off the ball, where she excels in creating space with off the ball screens. Adams will not hesitate if given an open shot and some room to operate. Confident on the offensive side and a good perimeter defender, Adams can take advantage of a smaller player while also matching up with a strong perimeter threat while on defense.

Role on the Team: Although Adams will likely be relegated to the bench at the outset of the season, she will still make a greater impact down the road. With redshirt seniors Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell starting in the backcourt for the Blue Devils, there is not much room for a newcomer like Adams to break through. But with junior Kyra Lambert likely to miss part of the season after tearing her ACL in the NCAA tournament, there will be some open minutes where the freshman can step right in and contribute.

With a year to learn from Greenwell and Brown, Adams will likely step into a more prominent role next season when the senior-laden backcourt clears out and minutes open up. But for now, Adams will mix in here and there for head coach Joanne P. McCallie and could show sparks of potential while on the court.

Projected stats: 1.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.5 APG

Stay tuned with the Blue Zone for our continuing player previews with freshman Madison Treece tomorrow. 

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