BIO: Craig Adams was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Traralgon basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Craig Adams made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

After an eighth-placed 11–13 finish saw Brisbane miss the playoffs for the first time under Brian Kerle, the Bullets entered 1990 with only Leroy Loggins, Robert Sibley and Greg Fox remaining from the previous season. Larry Sengstock, Ron Radliff and Rodger Smith (all to Gold Coast), John Dorge (to Geelong), Darren Perry (to Eastside) and Dan Clausen (to Adelaide) moved on, while Greg Giddings, Shane Edwards and Winston Crite were not retained and Danny Morseu retired.

New imports Derek Rucker and Andre Moore headlined Kerle’s rebuild, with Chris McGraw returning and Duncan Johnston, Darren Breeding, Paul Rees, Craig Adams, Steve McLeod and Chris Clarkson also joining the group. Adams arrived as part of a young Melbourne frontcourt pairing with Rees, while Loggins returned from the off-guard role he had occupied with mixed success in 1989 to his preferred small forward position. Brisbane’s average age fell from 26.5 years to 23.1.

Adams made his NBL debut against Geelong on April 7, finishing with 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks in 4:05. Rucker (41 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals) and Loggins (29 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) led Brisbane to a 115–96 victory, while Shane Heal (27 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) was Geelong’s best.

Adams (1.1 points across 18 games) remained deep in Brisbane’s frontcourt rotation throughout his rookie season, with most of his appearances coming in short stretches from the bench.

His highest-scoring game came against Newcastle at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on September 15, when Adams (8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, and 0 blocks) made 4-of-7 field goals in just over eight minutes. Moore (40 points and 8 rebounds) and Rucker (39 points, 3 rebounds, 13 assists, and 4 steals) powered Brisbane to a 153–116 victory.

Rucker (33 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.6 steals across 33 games) was named NBL Most Valuable Player, while Moore (26.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2 blocks across 34 games) and Loggins (22 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks across 34 games) gave Brisbane three elite scorers. Sibley (15.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 33 games) and Fox (8.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals across 34 games) rounded out the main rotation as Brisbane finished third at 18–8. Loggins was named the NBL’s Best Defensive Player, Rucker, Loggins and Moore were selected to the All-NBL First Team and Kerle won Coach of the Year.

Adams did not play when Brisbane opened its elimination final series with a 98–87 loss to Sydney.

Adams (0 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists) played 5:40 in Game two as Rucker (37 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Loggins (25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals) led Brisbane to a 124–96 victory, levelling the series.

Adams did not play in the deciding Game three, where Brisbane survived 107–104 to take the series 2–1 and advance to the semifinals.

Adams did not appear in either semifinal as Brisbane defeated Eastside 121–111 in Game one before winning Game two 120–119 in overtime to complete the sweep.

Adams did not play when Perth opened the Grand Final with a 112–106 victory at the Perth Entertainment Centre.

Adams played the final 20 seconds without recording a statistic as Brisbane answered with a 106–90 Game two victory. The result levelled the series in front of 13,221 fans at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, then a record Australian indoor sporting crowd.

Adams played two minutes without recording a statistic in the deciding Game three as Perth defeated Brisbane 109–86 before another 13,159 fans, giving the Wildcats their first NBL championship with a 2–1 series victory while Ricky Grace was named Grand Final MVP.

SOUTH MELBOURNE SAINTS
1991
In 1991, Adams averaged 5.6 points and 5.6 rebounds, as the Saints finished the regular season with a 9-17 record.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
1992
Adams averaged 1.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists with the Hawks who finished in eighth place with a 13-11 record.

1993
During the 1993 season, Adams averaged 3.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists and helped the Hawks finish with a record of 15-11 to end the regular season in sixth place.

1994
In 1994, Adams averaged 3.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists and was a part of a Hawks squad which finished in tenth place with a record of 13-13.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS
1995
In 1995, Adams averaged 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds, and helped guide the Falcons to a eighth place finish in the regular season with a 17-9 record.

HOBART DEVILS
1996
Craig Adams (via Newcastle) moved to Hobart as the club reverted from the Hobart Tassie Devils name to the Hobart Devils for 1996. Coming off a 4-22 season, coach Bill Tomlinson lost Andre Moore, Darren Perry and Travis Rousell but retained Jerome Scott, David Stiff, Darren Smith and Mark Nash. Financial uncertainty shaped the rebuild, with Jonathan Roberts signed as the new import and Adams, Tim Brenton and Mark Banovic among the lower-cost additions used to fill the roster.

Adams made his Devils debut against Canberra at the Derwent Entertainment Centre on April 13 and nearly produced a double-double, finishing with 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Roberts (24 points and 4 rebounds) and Brenton (21 points) provided Hobart’s leading scoring efforts, but David Close (24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) helped the Cannons win 102-89. The defeat began a six-game losing streak for Hobart.

Adams (3 points across 22 games) provided frontcourt depth during his only year with the Devils. The move to Hobart became the seventh and final season of a 173-game NBL career that had also included Brisbane, South Melbourne, Illawarra and Newcastle.

His best game also produced his season-high in scoring on April 20, when Adams (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist) made 5-of-7 shots from the field and both of his free throws in 20 minutes against Sydney. Hobart pushed the Kings to the final possession before falling 95-93 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Roberts (21.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 26 games) emerged as Hobart’s leading scorer, while Scott (17.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.4 steals across 26 games) remained another major offensive threat. Stiff (15.9 points, 9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks across 26 games) controlled the frontcourt, with Brenton (13.2 points and 3 rebounds across 25 games), Nash (8.2 points and 6 rebounds across 26 games) and Darren Smith (7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 26 games) filling out the main rotation.

A six-game losing run closed Hobart’s campaign, ending against South East Melbourne at the Derwent Entertainment Centre on September 27. Adams (4 points) played 7:40 in what proved to be his final NBL appearance, while Roberts (17 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Stiff (14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led the Devils. Tony Ronaldson (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) paced the Magic in a 101-79 victory, leaving Hobart 12th with an 8-18 record and outside the playoffs. The financial problems that had shadowed the season then brought the franchise to an end, with the NBL revoking the Devils’ licence alongside Geelong and Gold Coast after 1996. Hobart left the competition having never reached the Finals, and Tasmania would remain without an NBL team until the JackJumpers entered in 2021/22.

Craig Adams played seven seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Newcastle Falcons, Illawarra Hawks and Hobart Devils. He averaged 3.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 173 NBL games.