The fastest soccer player in the country just might be UCLA
Bruin Danesha Adams. While watching the No. 3 Bruins play, you
immediately notice the junior from Shaker Heights, Ohio, jetting by
defenders who appear to be standing still in comparison. Adams
utilizes her blend of speed and skill to regularly score goals.
“She’s a special player,” said senior teammate
Mary Castelanelli. “From the first time I saw her play as a
freshman, I knew she had that “˜something.'” Adams
has made a habit these days of standing out on the soccer field.
The midfielder/forward recently starred for the U.S. Under-20
National Team and received the Bronze Ball at the FIFA Youth World
Championships as the third-best player in the tournament. In three
games this season, Adams has already scored three goals, moving to
second on UCLA’s all-time goals scored list. And it all came
close to not happening ““ at least not in this part of Los
Angeles, anyway. Adams was once very close to playing for USC. If
not for her brother, Adams just might be starring across town
instead of in Westwood. “My brother was always a big UCLA
fan,” Adams said. “Every sport possible, he loved UCLA.
Growing up I never really knew about colleges, I was just into my
soccer, but he knew everything about UCLA. When I told him I was
thinking about USC, he said “˜Well, did you even look at
UCLA?'” Luckily for the Bruins, Adams, who thought
about committing to the Trojans her junior year, took her
brother’s advice and decided to wait through the recruiting
process.
RECRUITING PROCESS: Adams grew up in California, playing for a
club team in Newport Beach called the FC Slammers from the age of
12. After spending her freshman year at Walnut High School, she and
her family moved to Ohio after her mother’s retirement.
Still, Adams continued to play soccer with the Slammers, traveling
back to California to play in major tournaments such as the Surf
Cup and State Cup, which are recruiting havens for college coaches.
It was at one of these tournaments that Bruin coach Jill Ellis
first saw Adams play. “I saw her and immediately I thought,
“˜I’ve got to have this kid,'” Ellis said.
“We started the recruiting process right then. “When
you look at her you think pace, but honestly what impressed me …
was (that) she scored a brilliant goal with her head. She was busy
and worked hard.” Not every coach, however, saw what Ellis
saw in Adams. Adams went unrecruited by traditional powers Santa
Clara and North Carolina, winners of a record combined 18 national
titles. The Bruins beat out the Trojans for Adams’ services
in the end, as well as Washington, Arizona State and Minnesota.
“Danesha was a kid that hadn’t played national team
ball or had not been a highly, highly recruited kid,” Ellis
said. “North Carolina and these schools weren’t after
her. What I told her was that (UCLA) was a place where she could
maximize her potential. I saw phenomenal potential in
her.”
GROWING AS A PLAYER: As easy as Adams makes playing soccer look
these days, it wasn’t always so simple. Although she was
named a Freshman All-American after her first season at UCLA, Adams
still wasn’t living up to her talent. She wasn’t in the
best condition, and tended to fade late in games. “I told
her, “˜You’ve got so much talent,'” Ellis
said. “”˜It would be a waste if I didn’t push
you.’ (Now) we’ve got this trust built up. I think
Danesha and I have a very honest relationship. She knows, as all my
players do, that I’ll call it as I see it.” So Ellis
pushed Adams to be the best she could be. It took coaxing and
pushing, but Ellis has been able to draw out the best in Adams so
that she is now clearly one of the elite players in the country.
Ellis says Adams has become a student of the game, improving
tactically, technically and mentally, which has earned her an open
invitation to join the U.S. National Team. “I definitely
think she can play at that level,” Ellis said.
“She’s still young, but her potential is to be a bright
star for the U.S. National Team.” But before that happens,
Adams still has some unfinished business at UCLA ““ namely,
winning a national title. After falling the past two years in the
championship game, Adams is hungry to lead the Bruins to a title.
“My goal is just to get better day by day,” Adams said.
“I think this year we have found some players who have the
heart and will to win. It would be a disappointment (not to win the
national title).” And if Adams does lead UCLA to the
program’s first NCAA title, the Bruins might have her brother
to thank for steering her to Westwood. Maybe the old adage should
be changed to “brother knows best.”