Q/A with Grandview High School Coach Dean Adams

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BY JEFF LETOFSKY
PBR COLORADO SENIOR WRITER

Dean Adams knows only one way to coach — with intensity.

Maybe that has something to do with his football mentality.

The Grandview High School head baseball coach just completed his 10th season with the Wolves and is still searching for that elusive state championship. But he's on the cusp.

He did win a state championship as the defensive coordinator for the Grandview football team in 2007. He would surely love to get a taste of that with the baseball team.

"I just finished my 15th year at Grandview, 10th as the head coach," said Adams, who grew up in the baseball hotbed of Aurora and has used that experience to build a successful program.

"We have some good banners in a short amount of time," said Adams, who was the head baseball coach at Aurora Hinkley for seven years before coming over to Grandview. "I think we're considered one of the top programs in the state year in and year out. Coming over here was like dying and going to heaven. Going from 45 kids to 85 kids (out for practice) and the talent level ... My big goal coming over here as the head coach was to win a state championship.

"I want kids who graduate from our program so when they look back at it when they are 25, 30, 35, 40, they can say: ‘I had fun.’ We try and do things where we have fun."

A number of players have gone through Grandview's program on their way to professional baseball including Kevin Gausman (Baltimore Orioles), Greg Bird (New York Yankees) and Jared Schlehuber (Kansas City Royals).

Adams doesn't necessarily take credit for the success of those players.

"One thing I've always tried to do is say ‘It's ours, not mine’ when talking about the program here," Adams said. "We've had a lot of good kids come out of here. It's a feather in the cap for our program. It's nice for the head coach or any coach for that matter to say I hope I had a part in making them the men that they are. And it's the same for most of our coaches."But this program is not about me."

One of the things Adams has seen firsthand is the increased college and professional recruiting into the state of Colorado.

"It's come a long way," he said. "Everyone is starting to fall in love with Colorado kids. There's a ton of baseball players in this state and people are finding that out."

Grandview is one of those places and Adams is responsible for that, although he'd never admit it.