Former Arizona State F Marcus Adams Jr. commits to Hawai’i

HONOLULU – An old foe, finally a friend.

Arizona State forward Marcus Adams Jr. announced his commitment to the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball program on Saturday, becoming the first major addition from the portal for the Rainbow Warriors’ 2026-27 roster.

A former four-star high school recruit, Adams Jr. graduated early from Narbonne (CA) after reclassifying from the Class of 2024. Despite giving up his No. 29 spot in the ‘24 rankings to move up a year, Adams Jr. still finished among the top 50 recruits in the Class of 2023.

Originally signed to Kansas, Adams Jr. transferred to BYU before ever suiting up in a game for the Jayhawks. He appeared in just one contest in Provo as a freshman before an injury forced him to miss the remainder of the season.

Despite an outspoken love for his time at BYU, Adams Jr. decided to enter the portal after family hardships saw his presence needed closer to home in California.

Back home and playing in the Big West with family matters handled, Adams Jr. enjoyed a healthier campaign at Cal State Northridge where he averaged 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds across 32 games (20 starts) and earned all-conference honors.

After flashing the four-star potential he had shown throughout his high school career, the 6-foot-8 wing took a jump to the Power 4 level once again as he joined Bobby Hurley and Arizona State for the 2025-26 season.

With the Sun Devils, injuries plagued the redshirt sophomore as he appeared in just 14 games before getting shut down due to a back injury. His numbers were somewhat muted in the 14 contests as he tried to re-find a rhythm following a preseason injury, averaging 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in just under 12 minutes per game.

Jan 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Marcus Adams Jr. (8) against the Colorado Buffaloes at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After ASU announced on March 11 that head coach Bobby Hurley’s contract would not be renewed after 11 seasons leading the program, Adams Jr. hit the portal again with two years of eligibility remaining and hopes of rediscovering the elite form he showed during his single campaign at CSUN.

“The people were great,” Adams Jr. said about Arizona State. “It was a really challenging year having to work through the injuries and after I found out they were going to let go of my coach, I just felt like a fresh start would be good.”

His eyes weren’t fixed on the islands alone, but Hawai’i certainly was among the most immediate places for a new home to jump into his mind after playing against the Rainbow Warriors three times in the past two seasons.

The interest was mutual as Adams Jr. was quickly courted by the UH staff, first connecting with assistant coach Gibson Johnson before fellow coaches Clay Wilson, Rob Jones, Juan Munoz and head coach Eran Ganot followed along to make their case to the redshirt sophomore.

“It just felt like they were super invested in me from the beginning,” Adams Jr. said in a phone interview with HSRN.

The forward also pointed to his memories of playing inside the Stan Sheriff Center, both from his 18-point, 3-block performance with the Matadors back in January 2025 and the atmosphere from the 4,700 fans in attendance when he returned to the islands with the Sun Devils last November.

“The fans are just super passionate,” Adams Jr. recalled. “Even when the building was half-full, it was still so loud.

The travels of the UH fanbase to support of the Rainbow Warriors as they advanced through the Big West Championships and into the NCAA Tournament was also something that stuck out to the talented scoring forward as he prepared to hit the portal.

“I know it’s not a short trip to the continent,” Adams Jr. said, lauding the dedication of Rainbow Warrior fans and their support. “I definitely noticed that … I wanted to play at a place with fans like that.”

He also believes that the fan support will only grow after last season’s Big West title and with the team playing against even better competition in the Mountain West next year.

While the coaching staff continued to pursue the Arizona State transfer, he took it upon himself to speak with some of the players that are graduating from this year’s squad while connecting with returners Tanner Cuff and Isaiah Kerr.

After connecting with players from this past season’s Big West championship squad, Adams Jr.’s decision was all but complete.

Playing in paradise, playing high-level competition and still going to a place that wants him as much as he wants to be there?

Sign ‘em up.

It’s a strong Hawai’i start to the portal period.