Five Years Later: John Adams

Five Years Later: Jordan Hamilton | Holden Greiner | Gabe Knutson

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications

Lehigh's historic 2012 win over Duke still means so much to many different people. For John Adams, whose father passed away in February, the game is especially meaningful.

"It means a lot to me knowing I helped us get that win, not only for the university, but also for my father and my entire family," he said. "A lot of families were so proud of each individual son who contributed to that team, even Coach (Brett) Reed and his father, along with all the coaches and their fathers. Everyone has such a sense of pride. We can all look back together, feel that same moment and all recognize what we did for the university, and for our families."

Adams has always been a people person. Five years after he was part of that team, Adams' current job as senior analyst for strategy at Digitas LBi consists of understanding people.

It was Adams' role of understanding people that allowed him to excel as a teammate, first and foremost, for the 2011-12 Mountain Hawks.

"Going into my senior year, one thing the seniors really wanted to provide for our team was camaraderie and gelling across the classes," he said. "We wanted everyone to be comfortable around us, being that house where everybody could hang out. While being very focused on our objective of winning and being the best we could be, we took a very playful, laid-back approach to really understanding each other and putting each other first."

Adams and his fellow seniors helped foster a positive culture where everyone played an integral role in the team's success. Most importantly, everyone understood each person's value to the team.

"We put the power in each one of our teammates' hands," said Adams. "Let's all be selfless, take our natural talents and reach the goal of being the best team possible. Just setting that tone of putting our own personal agendas aside really allowed everyone to realize they could be on board with the team philosophy of one family."
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While at Lehigh, Adams was initially in the Business School before moving into the College of Arts and Sciences and specifically, psychology. Understanding people has continued to be a theme in Adams' life after graduating in 2012.

"When I graduated, I knew I had a deep passion and interest for understanding and dissecting peoples' habits," he said.

Adams was led to position at Ralph Lauren in New York City, and now works at DigitasLBi, a global marketing agency, as a senior analyst.

"I'm doing a lot of behavioral work on understanding the audience," he said. "I strategize on behalf of American Express to essentially find the best return on investment for their digital marketing efforts. I strategize where to run media inventory across digital marketing, which includes cell phones and desktops, finding different personalization strategies to really make a customized experience for our potential prospects.

"I focus on really understanding who the consumer is and trying to provide them the most customized experience for them based on their behaviors and traits," Adams continued.

Not too long ago, Adams was a native of Cupertino, California and couldn't have imagined living on the East Coast, never mind working full time in New York City since graduation.

Adams' complete college experience, on and off the court, helped him prepare for life after Lehigh.

"Basketball single-handedly prepared me, helping me understand that it takes commitment to get where you want to be," he said. "A team on the basketball court is very much like a team in the work space. You need everybody on the same page and you need everybody to buy in to achieve results."

Not only did Adams learn many tangible skills from his major, but he also learned valuable life skills from the basketball court.

"Everyone on a basketball team has a specific role and there's a certain skill set that gets the job done," he said. "In the business world, there are different units within a team; you have to rely on them and have them all buy in to achieve the ultimate goal. If you want to get something done, everybody needs to utilize their strengths to get there."

Getting buy-in is exactly what Adams and his fellow seniors did. They focused on fostering a positive environment by understanding each other.

"Certain players on a team naturally need certain things to happen for them," said Adams. "For example, certain people need more touches, so understanding that if someone needs to get more engaged in the game or practice, let's do it for the greater good. It may mean I don't get a couple shots here, but as long as they get going, it's going to help everyone else. It's important to understand the differences amongst players."

A very tangible example came with Adams and fellow power forward Holden Greiner. Greiner started the first 25 games of 2011-12 before Adams entered the starting lineup late in the regular season and remained a starter through the postseason.

It was a classic example of doing what's best for the team.
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"With a lot of people, there could have been some negativity, animosity and resentment if someone loses a spot like that, but that wasn't an issue with our team," said Greiner. "That's another reason why we were so special. Everyone was focused on what was best for the team no matter what."

The 2011-12 Mountain Hawks were focused on the greater goal of team success.

"We weren't competing for playing time and we weren't competing for starting positions. We were competing to be the best player we could be," said Adams. "Understanding people their priorities, and what gets them going, really allowed the team to reach its goals."

By reaching its goals, the Mountain Hawks found themselves on the national stage, shocking Duke and the world in front of a nationally-televised audience.

"Looking back, seeing the highlights and having the world recognize our efforts, it's something to be proud of," said Adams. "It's amazing we were able to put Lehigh on the map in regards to basketball. It's a great academic institution, it's world-renowned, but then for people to recognize that Lehigh has a great basketball team, it's something special."

The Mountain Hawks competed on that night in March of 2012 and did something that not many people outside the locker room thought possible. If the Mountain Hawks went into that game expecting to lose, they would have lost. Having the right mentality is important, on and off the court.

"Lehigh prides itself on having the best of the best in the world, competing in the classroom and having everybody elevate their games," he said. "Lehigh really challenged us to be the best we could. Being surrounded by very knowledgeable professors and students allowed me to extend my knowledge base. Being at Lehigh definitely gave me the opportunity to grow outside my comfort zone."

That win, that season and Adams' career as a whole was marked by personal growth.

"Coming from California, I was very comfortable there," he said. "Deciding to go all the way out to Pennsylvania was a big leap for me. Coming outside of my shell and letting my guard down to new people, new facilities and a new place, really let me grow and develop into the person I am today.

"Lehigh was very nurturing in the way they let me grow," Adams continued. "Lehigh guided me when I needed to, but let me walk when I needed to. I don't think many universities would have afforded that ability."

Five years after Lehigh's historic win, Adams looks back to the victory fondly. He appreciates the win more and more by the day, and what it took to get there.

"We're going to be in the memories of many people for the rest of their lives," said Adams. "We're going to be in the memory books at Lehigh for the rest of eternity. That's something I hang my hat on."

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