PORTLAND, Ore. – University of Portland men's basketball head coach Terry Porter announced the signing of point guard Chase Adams (Chicago, Ill./Orr HS/Link Year Prep – Branson, Mo.) to a National Letter of Intent on Tuesday. Adams will join the Pilots as a freshman next season.

Adams (5-8, 140) spent the past year at Link Year Preparatory School in Branson, Mo., after a stellar high school career in Chicago. Adams averaged 16 points, 7.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game while shooting 45 percent from three-point range at Link. He helped make Link the first team from the Midwest to make the National Prep School Invitational (NPSI).

Adams led Orr High School to a 30-4 overall record and the Illinois 2A State Basketball Championship as a senior in 2018. He recorded 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals in the title game to earn co-MVP honors. For the season, he averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Orr won the competitive Public League Red North/West championship with a perfect 9-0 record as Adams was named all-league, all-state, second team all-city, which includes all divisions of Chicago area basketball. He also garnered all-tournament honors in leading Orr to the Proviso West Holiday Tournament title.

"We are excited to welcome Chase to the Pilot Basketball family," Porter said. "Chase is a true point guard that has a high basketball IQ, shoots the ball well from distance, and makes his teammates better. He loves being in the gym and has a lot of heart. Defensively, he creates a lot of problems for the ball-handler with his quickness and tenacity. He is going to be a great fit on campus and is a player that our fans will embrace."

Adams spent his first three years of high school playing at Marian Catholic. He earned All-East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) First Team honors as a sophomore and junior, while taking home honorable mention league honors as a freshman. A three-year starter, Adams helped Marian Catholic to a league title as a sophomore and averaged more than 15 points per game all three seasons.

"When Terry Porter calls, it is hard to pass up an offer from somebody that played my same position at such a high level," Adams said of his decision to commit to Portland. "I'm looking forward to bringing leadership, toughness, grit, and a Chicago-style of basketball to the Northwest."

Adams joins a pair of previously signed prep players in Cody Collinsworth and Donyae McCaskill.