James Adams was named a Co-Head Women's Basketball Coach for Madison College in July 2022, after serving three seasons as an assistant for then head coach Lois Heeren. Adams, who will share the role with Mike Mayfield, was initially in July 2019. The WolfPack have posted a 22-30 record during his time, which included a canceled season in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Adams brings a dozen years of coaching experience to the WolfPack, as he served as the Oregon High School Junior Varsity coach from 2007-2010 before taking over the Madison East Varsity program from 2011-2019. In addition, Adams has also been highly involved in coaching many AAU teams. He was named the 2018 Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Purgolders to a runner-up finish in the league standings. Adams guided Madison East to back-to-back sectional final appearances and won three consecutive regional titles. As he coach he has helped send more than 25 players on to the collegiate level, including two that were McDonald's All-American nominees.
As a player, Adams college basketball at Mesabi Range College in Virginia, Minnesota, before transferring to the Univ. of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The shooting guard/small forward went on to graduate in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. He added a Masters Degree in Sports & Recreational Science from Ohio University in 2016.
During his prep years at Madison West High School and Middleton High School, Adams was a two-time letter winner that received honorable mention all-conference honors in the Big Eight Conference as a junior after averaging 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds a game for the Cardinals. Adams capped his high school career with a senior season that produced 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Away from basketball, Adams works as a Student & Family Engagement Specialist, a position he has held for three years. Adams enjoys listening to music, playing & watching basketball, and doing graphic arts during his free time. The Gary, Indiana, native currently resides in Madison with his family and also works in the Middleton School District.
