Adel attended Xavier College in Melbourne before then heading to Victory Rock prep school near Tampa Bay, Florida. His dedication to hard work saw his continued emergence at Victory Rock, gaining the attention of the Cardinals for whom he committed to. Playing for Louisville under Pitino was a no-brainer for Adel, it was also the same team that fellow Australian Mangok Mathaing was playing for.
“He is a Hall of Fame coach,” shared Adel in choosing to play for Pitino. “If you just buy-in and listen, you will be successful. He is able to see a lot in you that you don’t necessarily see yourself.”
The idea of playing for a big-time major program with a Hall of Fame coach is one thing, but actually living that out did prove to be a challenge. However it was just the challenge that Adel craved.
“The first couple of weeks were tough, he is a tough coach,” added Adel on his first season with the Cardinals. “If you can survive training and the games, you can survive anywhere.”
“I just love his approach, his love of the game, and his will to win. That rubs off on us and everyone on the team.”
Adel was primed for a breakout freshman year with Louisville. He had torched his team mates for 35 points in an intra-team scrimmage to make his case for a starting berth. He would continue to excel and start the first two games of the season, alongside fellow wing and team star Damion Lee. That was before a mishap at training saw him injure his knee.
“I started doing really well, and ended up starting the first two games – I did okay,” shared Adel. “I was just getting used to it and then it happened. It was an unfortunate injury at practice. I landed awkwardly.”
The diagnosis was a MCL sprain, an injury that would sideline Adel for just over a month and miss 8-games. It was a tough setback given he had been given the opportunity to start in his first season. While it was a frustrating experience, Adel remained positive and tried to contribute and learn in different ways.
“I learned from the sidelines,” added Adel. “I also got involved in scouting and watched a lot of film. Thankfully I am now well and truly over it [the injury].
In speaking with Adel, it was hard not to hear the excitement in his voice about his short time at Louisville so far. Limited by injury, he was able to post 4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. While his on court performances did not live up to his own high-expectations, he confirmed that he really enjoyed the experience, the chance to improve, but also to play alongside his good friend Mathiang.
“[Last season I got a feel for the atmosphere and venues,” said Adel. “[I was] Learning the game, trying to understand Pitino’s mind. I also had the chance to play with Mangok [Mathiang]. It was like playing with my older brother.”
“We are both trying to accomplish the same thing. He was able to help me with my transition [to school and with the team]. He showed me the discipline required to be a college athlete.”
“Both of us being hurt was unfortunate. We have each other’s back. We both stayed strong and supportive of each other. Our focus was on getting healthy and better. We were always and will continue to be always there for each other.”
“For me, my ultimate goal is to win a national championship,” outlined Adel. “This situation only motivates me more for next year. However it did hurt [the ban], especially the older guys who came in last year [Lewis and Lee]. Just seeing how hurt they were. Seeing their goals and dreams ripped away from them.”
“We are a close team. We talked about it and supported each other. It was really difficult as none of us were involved [in the allegations] and we had no control over it. It was really tough. It just serves as more motivation for us remaining for next season.”
“He is a Hall of Fame coach,” shared Adel in choosing to play for Pitino. “If you just buy-in and listen, you will be successful. He is able to see a lot in you that you don’t necessarily see yourself.”
The idea of playing for a big-time major program with a Hall of Fame coach is one thing, but actually living that out did prove to be a challenge. However it was just the challenge that Adel craved.
“The first couple of weeks were tough, he is a tough coach,” added Adel on his first season with the Cardinals. “If you can survive training and the games, you can survive anywhere.”
“I just love his approach, his love of the game, and his will to win. That rubs off on us and everyone on the team.”
Adel was primed for a breakout freshman year with Louisville. He had torched his team mates for 35 points in an intra-team scrimmage to make his case for a starting berth. He would continue to excel and start the first two games of the season, alongside fellow wing and team star Damion Lee. That was before a mishap at training saw him injure his knee.
“I started doing really well, and ended up starting the first two games – I did okay,” shared Adel. “I was just getting used to it and then it happened. It was an unfortunate injury at practice. I landed awkwardly.”
The diagnosis was a MCL sprain, an injury that would sideline Adel for just over a month and miss 8-games. It was a tough setback given he had been given the opportunity to start in his first season. While it was a frustrating experience, Adel remained positive and tried to contribute and learn in different ways.
“I learned from the sidelines,” added Adel. “I also got involved in scouting and watched a lot of film. Thankfully I am now well and truly over it [the injury].
In speaking with Adel, it was hard not to hear the excitement in his voice about his short time at Louisville so far. Limited by injury, he was able to post 4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. While his on court performances did not live up to his own high-expectations, he confirmed that he really enjoyed the experience, the chance to improve, but also to play alongside his good friend Mathiang.
“[Last season I got a feel for the atmosphere and venues,” said Adel. “[I was] Learning the game, trying to understand Pitino’s mind. I also had the chance to play with Mangok [Mathiang]. It was like playing with my older brother.”
“We are both trying to accomplish the same thing. He was able to help me with my transition [to school and with the team]. He showed me the discipline required to be a college athlete.”
“Both of us being hurt was unfortunate. We have each other’s back. We both stayed strong and supportive of each other. Our focus was on getting healthy and better. We were always and will continue to be always there for each other.”
“For me, my ultimate goal is to win a national championship,” outlined Adel. “This situation only motivates me more for next year. However it did hurt [the ban], especially the older guys who came in last year [Lewis and Lee]. Just seeing how hurt they were. Seeing their goals and dreams ripped away from them.”
“We are a close team. We talked about it and supported each other. It was really difficult as none of us were involved [in the allegations] and we had no control over it. It was really tough. It just serves as more motivation for us remaining for next season.”
