Yorkregion.com - Sports - Hoops star grabs U.S. scholarship
Hoops star grabs U.S. scholarship
Sports
May 17, 2008 09:12 PM
By: Mike Hayakawa
Adam Folker took a cross-continent trip to Irvine, Calif.
Although his visit to the city just south of Los Angeles lasted just a weekend, the 19-year-old Markham resident enjoyed his time. So much so, he intends to spend the next four years there as a student at the University of California-Irvine and play for the Anteaters basketball team.
A six-foot, eight-inch tall Grade 12 guard-forward with the Markham District High School Marauders, Folker accepted a scholarship from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division One school.
For Folker, the offer was something he wanted to attain since his elementary school days.
“It’s certainly a big relief,” he said. “I put in a lot of training and work.”
Averaging close to 31 points a game in his final season with the Marauders, Folker revealed he entertained offers from several other U.S. and Canadian schools. More than 40 Division One schools, he cited.
While Folker didn’t recall how the Anteaters program found out about his exploits, he noted they made contact towards the end of his high school season.
From there, things snowballed.
Folker speculated, though, a video of his hoop skills put on YouTube, a broadcast website, by friend Justin Pugh drew plenty of curiosity from collegiate coaches.
“He did it for kicks, but I think some basketball coaches came across it,” Folker said.
After visiting the Irvine campus, Folker’s instincts suggested it was the ideal fit.
“It was a tough decision to make,” he said. “But I just felt comfortable there. I met the players and the coaching staff and they were great.”
Planning to major in business, Folker said the biggest deciding factor was in an offensive scheme he believes will capitalize on his strengths.
“They play a four-out motion offence that can create a lot of mismatches that should favour me,” he said.