How ‘coach’ KJ Adams led Rock Chalk Roundball Classic team to win for good cause
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- KJ Adams coached the red team at the 2025 Rock Chalk Roundball Classic.
- The Yvonne Adams Legacy Fund awarded its first $25,000 gift to Kristi McAlister.
- Rock Chalk Roundball Classic fundraising surpassed $2 million in total donations.
KJ Adams pledged $2,000 to the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic in 2022.
The cause was, and is, close to his heart. His mother Yvonne was diagnosed with cancer in August 2021, before Adams began his college basketball career with the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence.
She passed away in November 2023 after a two-year battle with cancer.
Adams, now graduated and serving as the red team’s coach for the 17th annual charity basketball game, stood at center court Thursday evening to help award the first recipient of the Yvonne Adams Legacy Fund $25,000.
“It’s awesome to be here and it’s a little emotional,” Adams said at halftime. “But being here with all of these people and loving families that are going through the the same stuff that I was, it’s so good to be here and connect with them.”
The Rock Chalk Roundball Classic is an annual charity basketball game that brings former KU basketball stars together with the goal of raising money for children battling cancer. The organization shared Thursday night they had surpassed $2 million in total fundraising over the years.
The stars of the evening were the starting five plus a sixth man — local kids battling severe diagnoses who receive financial support from the Rock Chalk Classic’s fundraising.
Jaxson Kress, a 10-year-old from Webb City, Missouri, has been battling cancer for seven years. He sat courtside next to Adams when the game tipped off and later jumped into the action, bringing the entire gymnasium to its feet when he scored a basket.
“He’s awesome,” Adams said. “You can tell with the guy’s energy and the way he carries himself. He might not be having the best life right now, but you sure can’t tell with his energy.”
The game paused with five minutes to go in the second half. Kristi McAlister and her family walked onto the court to, where they were presented with a check for $25,000.
“Me and my dad went through a list of people to pick from,” Adams said. “We picked the person who shared the same similarities with my mom and was overall a good person. It was hard because there were so many good candidates.”
The fund was established by Kent and Missy McCarthy in 2024 when they made a $250,000 donation to set up the Yvonne Adams Legacy Fund in honor of Adams’ late mother. Yvonne played college basketball at Texas A&M and led the Aggies in scoring in 1989-90 and 1990-91.
It provides $25,000 to a local family with a parent who is battling cancer.
McAlister has been grappling with stage 4 cancer for multiple years. Her sister submitted an application without her knowledge.
“I’m in shock,” she said wiping away tears. “I feel very honored and very humbled to be chosen. It means a lot to me and my family.”
She doesn’t know why Adams selected her for the award, but she said she’s looking forward to learning about his mother and the similarities they share at Friday’s dinner.
While Thursday night was a game of fun coaching, Adams will officially be part of KU’s 2025-26 coaching staff, too. Adams injured his Achilles during the NCAA Tournament when Kansas lost to Arkansas.
He will take on the role of video assistant for head coach Bill Self, helping the staff with “whatever they need,” according to a video interview from earlier this month.
“A lot of it’s doing rehab and stuff like that, but I can’t wait for it,” Adams said Thursday. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a different mirror of stuff going on, so it’ll be pretty cool.”
