Following In Dad's Footsteps: Luke Adams Tackles First Head Coaching Job

HOBBS, NM (Local 2/Fox 24) - Former Big Spring and Texas Tech player Luke Adams accepted the New Mexico Junior College Head Coach position in April 2018.

The position is Adams first job as a head coach. Adams spent last season as an assistant for Seward Community College. Prior to that, he worked two seasons for South Plains.

Adams walked on to Texas Tech and played all four years of college as a Red Raider. His father, Mark Adams, is an assistant at Tech.

Mark Adams also coached at Howard College for nine seasons, so Luke is no stranger to his new conference.

"I got to see the conference probably at its best. So just the expectations of what I want us to do is I want us to get on the same level and I think is still really good and obviously win the national championship as well," Luke said.

Mark Adams was a basketball coach for most of Luke's childhood. Luke said his father inspired him to pursue a career in coaching, as well.

However, Luke deals with an issue most coaches and players do not. He was born completely deaf.

"I could talk which is the craziest thing. And I could read lips. The doctor actually told my parents to send me to a deaf school in Austin and I wasn't going to read above a second grade level and it's just horrible news for a parent to hear this," he said.

With the help of speech therapy and hearing aids, Luke improved his speaking and listening. However, he said he began to struggle hearing again at the age of 11 or 12.

It was around that time he got cochlear implants - electronic devices that improve and provide specific sounds. 

Luke can hear almost completely now. He wore a headband to keep the implants secure while he played at Texas Tech. Other than their appearance, the implants did not affect his playing.

And as long as they work properly, they will not affect his coaching, either.

Luke is spending his first summer as a head coach on the road recruiting. But he said sometime in the future, he would like to help those with hearing disabilities who do not have the means to get cochlear implants.