BY JOE LAVINE
Three colleges received strong additions to their soccer programs on Friday by locking up the commitments of three Grady soccer stars. Asa Wolfe signed to North Greenville University, Tim Adcock signed to the University of West Alabama, and Whit Maupin signed to Greensboro College. All three athletes have played soccer for 13 years, and they all look forward to advancing their sporting careers in college.
Adcock is thrilled to have the chance to play soccer at the University of West Alabama.
“I feel great,” he said. “I’m playing Division II soccer, and I think it’s going to be a good opportunity for me.”
Sometimes it is tough for athletes to adjust from a high school level to a collegiate level, but Adcock is confident he will be able to make the transition.
“I’ve played at a high level before and I’ve seen Divison I play,” Adcock said. “It didn’t look like it was that much — just a little bit rougher and the guys were in great shape. That’s it.”
Maupin says he is very excited about playing at Greensboro, but unlike Adcock, he is nervous about the adjustment.
“I think the biggest problem will have to be playing faster and meeting and meshing well with the guys,” Maupin said. “I think I’ll get a hang of it pretty quickly.”
Varsity boys head coach Thomas Waller doesn’t think any of the three will have too much of a problem adjusting but stressed that they will still have to adjust.
Both Coach Waller and Coach David Olorunfemi have been instrumental in preparing the three athletes for the next level.
“[The coaches] just teach you what you need to work on in the game and you just go to practice, work on it and improve,” Adcock said.
Maupin said that Coach Olorunfemi’s words always had an impact on him.
“Olo, every time he spoke, even though it was funny, he was dead serious,” Maupin said. “You gotta respect him for his input.”
Coach Olorunfemi, Coach Waller and the three athletes got to know each other well during their time together at Grady. Coach Waller had the opportunity to coach each one for at least a year and came to appreciate each athlete’s skill set.
“I was only to coach Asa for one year because of a major injury he had, but one thing that he did excel at was being versatile and being open to any type of trait,” Waller said. “I moved him to the striker this year, and he led the team in scoring, so that’s an attribute to his work rate.”
Waller was also complimentary of Maupin’s demeanor and his ability to be a leader as the varsity captain for the past two years.
“He’s silent but deadly,” Waller said. “He doesn’t really talk much; he just shows up and kicks butt.”
“Whit just leads by example, always.”
When asked about Adcock, Waller was quick to describe what stood out in the two years he coached him.
“Great goals, man. I [have] coached him for two years now,” Waller said. “In a game against Decatur last year with seven seconds left he hits a shot from 30 yards out that goes top left hand corner. This year we’re losing 1-0 to Woodward Academy in the region tournament in the semifinals, and Tim steps up and hits a free kick from 20 yards out in the top right-hand corner. It’s goals like that, man; they’re just magical.”
Adcock and his athletic companions have taken beyond just scoring goals. They have also set goals that they wish to accomplish during their collegiate soccer careers. Adcock’s says that he aims to win the Division II championship for the University of West Alabama. Maupin has similar goals.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to start a few games this year,” he said. “They went to the regional championship last year and didn’t win it so hopefully we can go back there and win it this year.”
Coach Waller is confident that his players will accomplish their goals and have a successful collegiate career.
“It won’t take that long for them to get where they want to be because they want to be the best they can be,” Waller said.
