“Y’all are an embarrassment to the program.” The gym grows silent. Fluorescent lights shine down on the players as they begin to stiffen. While sweat bullets run down their face, they start to feel the coldness in the atmosphere. The sounds of the basketballs dissipate into the background. “Y’all are soft, you’re weak,” yelled Lindsey Adams.

 In April 2021, Adams applied online to be a P.E. teacher at Davie County High School not knowing there was a head coaching position available. 

“I didn’t know until I was being interviewed and they asked me all basketball-related questions,” she said. “Prior to here, I was a daycare worker in college like at a summer camp.”

 In Adams’s youth, during AAU tournaments in Winston, she would stay at Mrs. Rooks’s sister’s house. “Mrs. Rooks, who’s like practically my second mom, is from here,” she said. “That’s the only familiarity I had with Davie County.”

“I knew it was a small town, I’m from a small town. But I didn’t realize that like my small town is still bigger than here.” Coming from the city of Morganton, with four different high schools she felt like they were divided. “To be a county of just one high school (Davie) I thought there would be more support for the athletics in this community. I didn’t feel like it’s as good as it could be.”

Adams comes from a close-knit family. The only thing separating them was the pastures their animals were in. “I was able to walk across the pastures to go to my aunt or cousin’s house.” Growing up Adams and her family raised chickens for case farms. “We have seventy-five head of cattle, and 4 chicken houses.” 

“We’re just very very close” she reiterates again. “On Saturdays, we have cookouts at our pool. We eat almost every Sunday after church.”

Before every game, the team gathers together in a close circle to say a prayer before heading out on the court.

Praying before a game has always been a part of Adam’s teams when she was a player. “I want to carry that on,” she said. “I think it’s important to have something bigger than yourself, and bigger than basketball.” This valuable prayer reminds them of just that and helps them have peace going into a game.

From first grade to eighth, Rooks was her AAU coach, but her impact on Adams’ life didn’t stop there. 

“She was tough,” said Adams. “If we missed a layup you couldn’t tell a teammate ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘It’s okay, shake it off,’ and this was when we were 6 or 7.”

 Adams doesn’t believe being young should be a restriction in anyone’s ability to reach greatness. With the majority of her team this 2023-2024 season being freshmen, this is the idea she’s trying to instill in her players.

She knew coming into this job position that it wouldn’t be easy. “I knew it would be hard being twenty-one years old, a head coach, and a high school P.E. teacher,” she said. “I feel like I had to grow up quickly”

A Look Inside the Staff

Alexius Hoppers is a new addition to the women’s coaching staff at Davie. She works full-time at William Ellis Middle School as a P.E. teacher and coach for the Ellis Jaguars.

“You can tell she was passionate and outgoing about her team,” Hoppers said. This was during the Blue Chip games in September 2023 at Rise Indoor Sports.

“Personable” is how Hoppers would describe Adams in one word. “Whether you’re an Alumni or current player, no matter who you are, she’s there.”

“When I first met Admas, I thought she was very energetic and know what she wants type of person,” said Lamar Russel, JV Women’s basketball coach.

“She’s come a really long way and done great things with the program.” He sees the enhancements Adams has made with her new practice plans, and how well she’s handling the team. For Russel, the one word he chooses to describe her is “Enthusiastic.” 

Assistant coach Debbie Evans has seen a lot of growth in Adams over her four years at Davie. Evans has 20 years of experience seeing a lot of teachers, coaches, and teams come through. “I have actually learned a lot from her,” she said. “I feel like she’s learned a lot from just experience, both in the classroom and teaching.”

“Passionate” is how Evans thinks of her in one word. There’s a rich theme of culture and family that sets this program apart from others. “That’s the base for success and growth that we’ve seen,” said Evans.

 “A lot of parents struggle to give me control of their child or to respect my decisions because I am so young and they are older than me,” Admas says. “There’s been times when they thought they knew more than me or knew what was best.” 

The same thing occurs with referees. She’s never felt disrespected as a player or woman until she became a female coach in a man’s world.

“I’ve learned over the years how to watch my wording. As a female, you can’t just react emotionally,” she said. “There are things that refs allow a man to do that they wouldn’t and don’t allow me.” 

Losing more games as a coach than she ever did as a player has taught her a lot about herself and patience. “It has taught me how to handle losses and how to take the small victories,” she said. “Learning how to take small steps at a time has transpired into my personal life as well.”

Culture is a big part of the Women’s War Eagle team. “Culture to me is like a family, there’s no division. It is what you create and it’s something you have every single day.”

It’s easy to misunderstand Adams’ competitive passion for the game, but there is a side that often goes unseen. “They see me yelling at my players on the court, but they don’t see the relationships I’ve built off the court and behind closed doors to be able to do that,” she said. “They just see everything on the surface.”