Charlotte, NC – As Mallard Creek’s nationally ranked football team prepares to embark on its annual journey deep into the NCHSAA (North Carolina High School Athletic Association) state playoffs, its men’s basketball team is ready to set ablaze its own trail, ready to mimic what head coach Mike Palmieri has been able to sustain on the football field.
Enter former Ashbrook basketball standout Jabarr Adams. A Gastonia native, positioned to rebuild a program which finished the season with seven wins two years ago. In his inaugural season in 2018, Adams quickly turned things around. The Mavericks nearly doubled their win total to a respectable 13 wins including two post season victories in what was arguably one of the toughest conferences in the state.
During his prep years, Adams was a defensive specialist for Ashbrook from 1999 -2002, helping to dominate the stout ME-GA 7 conference on the way to three conference championships during the time span. After a collegiate coaching career that included stops at Northeastern State, Tarleton State and UNC-Pembroke, Adams came back home to provide some stability for his family. Ironically, Adams looks to bring the same stability to a Maverick program which has seen six coaches conceived in just 12 seasons. “We have alot of athletic talent at Mallard Creek but we have also had some turnover in the coaching position,” said Adams. “We have to change the culture, when kids like what you do and they start to see a coach they can trust, they want to come be apart of that.”
While a six win improvement shows signs of progress, Adams is still hungry for more. “Last season we did okay but I don’t want to settle for that. We ran into some tough competition and we really didn’t know how to win against some of the teams we played. But we learned how to handle adversity along with learning how to play together and we can build off of that.”
Adams will bring back five varsity players from a year ago including senior veterans Kalib Baker and Amarie Kirby. The 5’10 Baker will run the back court for Adams and has credited the team’s win increase directly to his head coach. “He’s really brought everything together since he has been here and he really fits in with us,” said Baker. Kirby, a 6’4 forward who has received interest from Winston Salem State University agrees. “I like the connection he has made with us and how he has built the program into a family.”
After a big step in the right direction last season, the Mavericks have high hopes for building upon what they have started. “We want to to be a top 3 team in our conference and get past the second round of the playoffs,” said Baker. “We want people to know that we are not just a football school. We are not backing down and we are going to be ready.”
Mallard Creek will open up the season Tuesday night @ Hickory Ridge at 7:30pm
