It seems a little strange to call Christian Adams a raw talent, given that he has been playing regularly at a high level through high school, the HS All Americans, the USA U20s, and now in college.

 

But the American International College freshman is still a raw talent, albeit one trying to hone his abilities. One of two freshman named to the Collegiate All American game squad for this June’s matches, Adams has found that his game, and his approach, have both changed.

 

“A year ago, if you asked me what I wanted to show in my game I would have said ‘offense,’” the wing told GoffRugbyReport. “But now I want to show how I play defense - how I tackle, cover kicks, get back to cover. That’s what I am working on and taking pride in.”

 

Adams said he found in college that defenses were tougher than in high school. It was an adjustment for him early on, but one he was able to make.

 

“Going on the Argentina tour [with the HS All Americans] helped me a lot,” he said. “But I knew I hd to step up, and pick up my skills - not just in running with the ball but with my kicking, my passing, and my defense.”

 

In fact, despite being a freshman who knows he has to raise his game, Adams was at a bit of an advantage over some of his older teammates.

 

“We only had a few freshmen in camp, and I was nervous at first,” he said. “But I’d been in the U20 camp recently and it wasn’t that much different. I started doing the drills and in a way I had an edge over some of the players because I’d been to a lot of those camps, and some of the guys hadn’t.”

 

Adjusting to different environments will continue to be something Adams has to do. The youngster from the Perry Street Prep charter school in Washington, DC is now at a college in Western Massachusetts, and playing international rugby. College has been an adjustment, he said, but he is committed to “moving forward and staying on track.” 

 

Much of that resilience he credits to the Perry Street program, which, sadly, will be ending soon as the school’s charter was revoked for poor test scores (a fate not suffered by other types of public school).

 

“What I learned at [Perry Street Prep] and from coach [Tal] Bayer was everything,” he said. “I learned integrity, character, resilience. He always talked about us showing good sportsmanship. If you lose, or you have a setback, you learn from it and try to improve. And he always taught us that having fun is the most important aspect of the game. I remember that.”

 

Christian Adams is the GoffRugbyReport Player of the Week.