My heart literally breaks, Connie Adams has passed. She was like nobody you ever met, that one in a million that sparked a generation of world-changers.
Some would say, isn’t she Hassan and Adijat Adams’ mom? Yes, but she was that 2nd mom to 1,000’s of people who turned out to be the most amazing over achievers.
It was because of her determination, Connie’s love for people, that so many dope people would go on to be SoCal’s most epic ball players, trainers, coaches in hoop.
Want real talk? Her love for this hoop game transcended physical and mental barriers. When Connie loved someone, she challenged them, she got at you because she was ALL FOR YOU. Connie, as I wipe away tears, she walked the walk, worked at a facility that served at-risk and abused women. She got them to believe in themselves. 100.
She treated each person like her own son Hassan who was that Westchester phenom of the early 2000’s, a human highlight film at Arizona. Hassan could jump, jump like Vince Carter.
A big moment I remember was when Hassan, nicknamed Hot Sauce, made the McDonald’s AA game and all the other kids in attendance could feel Connie’s energy. They would come up to hug Ms Connie, because to hug Connie was to feel supreme joy and warmth.
Why did I call her “Mama Connie?” Because she had the biggest smile and you’d walk through broken glass, a mile of broken glass to not disappoint her. She challenged you and called you on your BS.
She’d say, “Erik, you’re cutting up”, or “So and so is terrible and not right for kids.” Connie was righteous, outspoken in an uplifting way, never unclassy, and was beautiful, self confident inside and out.
Connie was the most real lady you’d ever meet.
When Connie would show up at Men’s Drew, guys on court didn’t have all the attention, all eyez were on Connie. Her personality drew you in like Tupac, sitting next to Connie was way more fun than sitting next to Ice Cube.
While talking to her she’d make you laugh and cry for hours on end.
She loved to share the lovely drawings and highlight vids of her awesome daughter Adijat. Incredible artwork. Adijat was an art major in college, as my daughter is. I’d share my own kid’s artwork with Connie.
One day I wanted to quit writing. Connie said, “Don’t you do it Erik, kids need you.” Course I’d never let her down, she was the Queen. Her talking hoops was like Aretha Franklin singing songs, it gave you the chills.
She gave others missions to accomplish that would change lives. Connie and I were a team because she helped inspire me to give kids advice, especially on how to be the next great star, like her kids were. Each dope upcoming star I’d meet and write their story, I’d show em how Hot Sauce got down and say that’s a goal to aspire to, lil bro or sis.
Yes, Hassan was my fav player ever in LA. Even though he’s been in the Philippines training, haven’t seen Sauce in 15 years, he still my fav. I always told Connie that and she’d laugh and say you crazy Erik, still have love for you.
I’d hang with Hassan and Chris Paul at Nike camp; last year I ran into Chris and he said Sauce is that guy, loved his moms too.
Trainer of our generation? Keion Kindred. He’s Hassan’s brother, Adijat’s big bro. K is a master of the technique of unlocking a player’s mind, seeing into their heart. I imagine he learned it from hanging at the Adams house in his youth.
At the news of Connie’s passing, Keion’s heart broke, a hole in his chest that can never be filled.
What is a dope definition of a what makes a dear, dear friend? Your friends are your family that you might not have been born with but you choose to make them your family.
I did a story on Trev Ariza just a few days after he was drafted into the NBA in the 2nd round. I’m writing how this guy’s so good he will one day be a vital piece on an NBA chip caliber team someday soon!
Connie? We both saw into Trev’s desire, his future. Connie was like, Trev is a good boy, he will be better than everyone gives him credit for. I didn’t see Trev for 15 years after that story but hugged him last year saying, “Trev, hope you been good, you know we both share the same moms in Connie Adams, right?”
Trev nods his head. Connie that same moms for our brother Bobby Brown, long time NBA player. I know he was encouraged to make it because Connie would give him pep talks.
C-Adams unlocked many more minds of kids, that to be a pro, just needed a lil more belief, a big dose of honesty. She was more real than anyone I ever met. One buck.
She unlocked my mind to love the womens game. I was only doing 5-10% content on females in 2017 but I told her I’d try to step it up and do more women stories.
She’d say, “You better Erik, you came from a woman, show up for them because no one else is lately. Only a few people care about women’s sports.”
She’d say, “Let God lead your pen, let Him come to you in your dreams and He will show you the women to be passionate about writing great stories.”
Since that talk in 17’, my content isn’t 10% women, it’s 90% women.
Who else did Connie unlock? The utter epitome of Nipsey Hussle 2.0 that is the great Pooh Jeter. Connie encouraged Pooh to make the L, told him he could rise above all preconceived ideas because he alone controlled his own destiny.
She told Pooh that being only 5-11 was no ceiling and Pooh, him being shorter than the average NBA cat made him want it more. His height was his blessing, his heart became a blessing to us all as Connie would say, and she’d say go on do your LACED thing Pooh. Real talk!
I believe Connie lit Pooh’s fire to be a mentor, to love the womens game like Keion Kindred and Olin Simplis do. They are the breathtaking Mt Rushmore of excellent men that care for the womens game, those guys give it all up to women.
Connie lit us ALL up with her grace. She’d hold your arm tight as she’d talk to you and say, “You must be about this, believe, don’t back down from your dream, believe.” and she’d grip your arm so tight, till you felt it coming alive in your bones.
One day Ms Connie called me and said, “Erik, you care about women?” “Yes ma’am, you know I do.” She told me congrats for doing a story on the men’s Drew in 2005, and in 17’ she said Dino Smiley is cool and all, but where is the love for the women’s Drew?”
Connie educated me about the biggest supporter of women’s hoops she knew, loved, admired, and was blessed to know, the Ware family. Period.
She gave me Tenesha Ware’s contact, offered to set me up and talk to the Ware family, who is as well respected in LA as was Raymond Lewis, the best street ball legend ever.
Ware fam? They are the heart and soul of the city hoop scene, its past, its present. Casper Ware Sr., like his sons, like his daughter, was a cold piece of work as a player, and advocates to playing, coaching, and organizing the game the right way!
Connie told me, “Erik, the women are given rags to wear on their backs in the Drew. Tenesha works so so hard and gets so little little support. She offers her soul to promote women’s Drew through her Twitter. Nike has given a glossy website to the men’s side, can woman count on you to write about them, you be at women’s Drew with me?”
I started to go to the women’s Drew and Connie introduced me to all the legends there of women who worked the concession stand, middle aged 40 somethings, acting like lil kids around the young new stars of the women’s Drew.
Why would these women volunteer to operate the Drew concession stand for free? To feel a part of something bigger than themselves, to give back to hoop. No stop button is what the women’s Drew is. Connie loved the Drew, she breathed it as you and I breathe air into our lungs.
https://californiapreps.rivals.com/news/women-s-drew-league-life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-respect
Connie? The Drew was her, she was the Drew. George P, the announcer at Drew, she’d say that man works hard for kids. “You work as hard as him Erik?” I’d say, “I’ll try harder Ms Connie”, you never wanted to disappoint that woman. Ever! Fist up, salute, salute like my guy P-Jeter says!
E-Woods’ greatest achievement in hoops? I rarely ever share this in public but let the world know I advocated women of the Drew to get equal uniforms as men. For 17 years or so, they had unequal jerseys and the unequal attire bugged Connie to death.
She challenged me to help fix that and it happened. I can’t say how it went down but a real one I know put in the right call. Kind dude that has a MA interpersonal studies helped me big time. If you’re all in for women, you’ll find a way by any means necessary to make the magic happen.
Connie gave me another inspiration, an idea to change the world. She had me believing we could advocate to get a woman in the NBA. Yes, it can be done. A cadre of us will attempt in the next 5 years to make that a reality via training, marketing, readjusting the perception of the value of females in the men’s game.
Connie would remind me, “Get women to grind Erik, to see what’s possible when they invest in themselves. Remind women to play chess in hoops, not checkers, don’t be a pawn. They can make $50,000 a month overseas in pro leagues.”
Connie would remind me to tell the girls to be the Queen of their own destiny, put in that last move to take the King, call checkmate in your own life. That’s Connie!
Connie would tell me of Hassan’s dad, from Africa, how she fell passionately, deeply in love with him. However, a long life together wasn’t meant to be, but she kept up with relatives in Africa, kept everyone together.
The world has lost the most EPIC advocate for hoops. I’ll miss her voice, her smiles, hearing how she would swim at the YMCA or Olympic pool near where Keion and Chris Young help run Air West.
Connie was an open book, she helped so many 1,000’s of young men and women write their own book. Like Brandon Bowman, who she’d call “Bow Bow.”
She’d help me write my stories, give me a lil quote for guys like Bow Bow. “I loved his dunks the most, him playing for Georgetown”, I’d get quotes for the ever fye Noelle Quinn and many others killin in the Drew. She’d always say, “I got you Erik, I always got you.”
I tried so many times, dozens of times I tried to let Connie allow me do a story on her. I’d say, “Share that wisdom my girl”, and she’d say, “Call me back next month, maybe I’ll change my mind.”
I ask you the reader, who has been that one blessed voice in your life? Think about it. For me, Ms Connie all the way!
The voice of your reason, support? That’s my Connie, our Connie, she was the blueprint of success for untold kids, legions of others she influenced.
Connie trusted me, let me go down to Rancho Gym to help find a team for Adijat at age 9, but never let me hype her up in a story. She knew E-Woods was king of hype, The Queen, she wasn’t having any of it.
But I got you Connie, know you looking down on us all.
I got you in this story because without you, having helped so many kids, kids be falling off and broke up without your wisdom.
I got you Connie, I finally wrote your story through my tears this day, soon after you passed. One shot, no rewrite, no revisions, all these letters just fell out of me, E-Woods. I submit to you all this in less than an hour.
I wrote this story because I waited all my life to write about my 2nd moms, it’ll be an eternity before I see her again on earth. I can hear her speak to me now, “You up for all this Erik? You not going to quit in finishing my story now, are you Erik?”
No I got this Connie, I got you Connie, we riding and dying this hoop dream. You planted a seed in an army of kids.
We promised each other, Connie and I, when either of us would go before the other, we’d just say a simple prayer, remind the world to say a simple prayer for the other friend.
So please say a prayer for my friend Connie Adams, best woman I ever met. Connie was the ultimate friend to B-ball because she discovered it wasn’t just hoop, it’s love we all truly share. It powers us to give when we think we have none left.
So even if you never met Connie, say a prayer for my 2nd moms, many of our 2nd moms.
I’ll leave you with this. Every time someone tries to give me a compliment on writing, someone dope in the game of hoop, person I love like Elbert Kinnebrew, or my girl Sherri P, or George Q, I think inside my head, I can’t take this, I haven’t earned this compliment.
These kind words belong to Ms Connie, because Connie never gave up on me. She was always the best of us, made us strive to meet our highest angels.
The Queen, may she Rest In Peace, she gave us all so much. Me, E-Woods, I’ll never be able to repay her that which lit my fye, eternally grateful. 100.
