University of North Florida Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach and former North Florida Women’s Basketball player Jayla Adams reflects on her first year since joining the coaching staff.
Adams was hired as an assistant coach and the Director of Basketball Operations in June 2025. Adams previously played for the North Florida Ospreys before graduating in 2024.
Before joining the North Florida coaching staff, Adams had worked as a graduate assistant in the North Florida Athletic Department, coached AAU and high school basketball, and ran a basketball training nonprofit aimed at youth development, according to her North Florida staff bio.
During the 2023-2024 season, Adams started in all 30 games, scored 307 total points, and averaged 32.9 minutes played per game. Adams said her need to live up to the expectations drove her to maintain a high level of play, and has continued to be a driving force in her coaching.
“Coming in, coach needed a point guard, and she was like, we don’t have a point guard at all, if it’s not you then there’s no one,” said Adams “I learned a lot about resiliency and toughness, but also taking care of myself and my mental health throughout the chaos that happens when you’re a basketball coach, especially coming in at year one.”
Outside of her basketball experience, Adams said that the kindness she learned from her mother helps her be a better coach.
“I was raised by a single mom…all I had was her, and all I ever saw my mom do was work, work, work,” said Adams. “She never showed any signs of hardship or anything, and she just grinded…she just always taught me you’ve got to be strong, you’ve got to work hard and treat people with kindness, so I think those qualities…carry me forward into who I am today.”
Adams said that one of the areas she needs to improve on is being more outspoken, describing herself as more of “a leader by example” than a leader by command, and saying that she is working to be more assertive. She is also working to improve her planning and organization skills.
“Coming into UNF last year, I came like mid-to-late June. I literally got hired, and then the girls were moving in and everything. It just happened so fast, so I felt like I was playing catch-up the whole time last year. I was very reactive, so I’m looking to be a lot more proactive this year.”
Adams said she made player development plans for each of the point guards this year as part of being more proactive, hoping to improve performance. Last season, the Ospreys underperformed, ending the season with a scoring margin of -8.3. Adams described last season as a “failure” and explained that having 11 newcomers was a challenge, but that the team now has a solid foundation with nine players returning this season and four new players joining the Ospreys.
“We got our butts kicked a couple times, but we got a couple good wins in there as well, but all of that’s gonna propel us forward,” said Adams. “That margin, it’s gonna change this year just based off of the experience and the work that we put in last season.”
Adams said that she has a positive relationship with the other coaching staff, saying that she wouldn’t choose another coaching staff if given the chance. One of Adams’ closest coworkers is Assistant Coach Gadiva Hubbard, whom she described as one of her best friends.
Another coach that Adams has a close relationship with is Head Coach Erika Lambert, whom she played under in her graduate year. She said that since becoming an assistant coach, her relationship with Lambert hasn’t changed much, and they are both still adjusting to being coworkers.
“It’s honestly kind of still a little weird to me because…I still think of her as a mom, you know? So when she’s talking to me, I’m still thinking like Coach Lambert, like this is my coach,” said Adams.
Adams said that her relationship with the team is good since she can relate to them as a former Osprey, and she is close to their ages.
Adams grew up in Daytona Beach, Fla. Adams was initially drawn to basketball when she visited her grandmother’s house in Lakeland, Fla., and was introduced to the sport by her uncle. Adams said that basketball allowed her to show off her competitive skills and express herself.
“I’m not very outgoing, so [with] basketball, I was able to show my true self and really show my emotions and my passion through basketball,” said Adams.
According to the Daytona Times, Adams helped the Spruce Creek High School Hawks earn the Class 9a girls’ basketball state title in 2018 and was named local prep player of the year.
Adams began her college career at Florida Atlantic University in 2018, appearing in 19 games. The next year, she transferred to Bethune-Cookman University, where she sat out the season per NCAA transfer rules. Adams also wasn’t able to play during the 2020-2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adams transferred to George Mason University later in 2021 and played for the George Mason Patriots in the 2021-2022 season, appearing in 28 games and making a team-leading 97 assists. She then left the team due to issues with the coaching staff.
“Some things happened just coaching-wise, and it wasn’t a fit for either of us, so they recommended that I go into the transfer portal, but going into the portal, I think there was like 2,000 girls in the portal, so I kinda got caught in there,” said Adams.
She transferred back to FAU after and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work and criminal justice in 2023. She did not play during the 2022-2023 season.
Adams said that there were times when she considered stepping away from basketball, but she was given an opportunity to play for North Florida by Lambert.
“Because Coach Erika took a chance on me, it’s helped me become a professional, and now I’ve started my career as a college basketball coach. Like I would have never thought that I would be sitting in this seat right now, honestly, and because of her I’m able to be here today, so I’ll always respect her and love her for that,” said Adams
After graduating with a master’s degree in educational leadership, Adams wanted to work towards becoming an athletic director, but did not have enough experience to get any jobs in the athletics department. Lambert reached out to her about the assistant coaching position later on while she was teaching at a Duval County middle school.
Adams said that she at least plans to continue as a coach for another three to five years, but she does have other ambitions, such as returning to Daytona Beach and opening up a youth training facility.
“Basketball is just a ministry for me. It’s a tool to bring people together and help shape their lives in the same way basketball shaped mine.”
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