John Luke Fabian
Jfabian1@uwyo.edu
Twitter: @HouseFabian
Go ahead Josh Adams take a bow, soak it all in, you have earned it.
The star guard played his last game at the Arena-Auditorium on Wednesday night, where he posted 28 points and six assists, leading his team to an 81-78 victory.
“What can I say about Josh Adams?” UW head coach Larry Shyatt said. “I’m so happy for him. I’m happy for his family. They were all able to get here and surprise him, and they saw a vintage Josh Adams’ game — from start to finish.”
A crowd of 6,617, cluttered into the AA to witness what could potentially be his last game in that building. The fans screamed and hollered for him during the pregame ceremony, anytime he made a signature play that we have all grown to love and after the game.
When the final buzzer sounded, Adams ran up to the student section and gave a high five to anyone that he could. He proceeded to kiss the floor of the AA, a little gross, and then shake the hands of the competitors who he just beat. None of the Cowboy fans left their seats.
Adams ran off the court, giving the crowd a little wave. The fans, myself included, started to look around wondering, “Wait, that’s it?” We just watched him score the most points by a Cowboy in a season and he is just going to leave us hanging?
The crowd and his teammates did not let him get very far. Those in attendance demanded a speech from the star, we needed to hear what emotions were running through his head.
“Playing here at the University of Wyoming, has been one of the biggest blessing I have ever had in my life.” Adams said to the crowd. “I can’t thank you guys enough for these four years.”
As he was speaking, he had that infectious smile on his face that seemed to jump from his face to everyone in the crowd. President Obama could have walked out to center court waving his hand, and nobody would have CE
notice. We wanted to absorb him, one last time.
Josh ended his senior night with a speech that spoke true to where he came from and to where he is finishing.
“It’s always going to be one of the greatest privileges to be a Cowboys, and it’s always going to suck to be a CSU Ram,” Adams said.
We erupted with joy, knowing that the kid form Colorado actually cared about the tradition of UW. Adams gave a quick wave and walked off the court, fighting back the tears.
“This was an important game and it really meant a lot to me for Josh [Adams], and I think our players played their hearts out for Josh,” Shyatt said.
March 9 begins the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas. There, Adams and Wyoming will have one last chance to make some magic happen.
