Background
Adel was born in what is now South Sudan. As a youth, he, his mother and five siblings fled war-torn Sudan and moved to Uganda to set up a move to Australia.
Adel was born in what is now South Sudan. As a youth, he, his mother and five siblings fled war-torn Sudan and moved to Uganda to set up a move to Australia.
Adel attended high school at both Keilor Downs College and Xavier College.
He arrived in Melbourne in 2004 and lived in the suburbs of Fitzroy and Sunshine. Basketball only came into Adel"s life when his friends introduced him to it as a 14-year-old. From there, he began playing locally for the Sunshine Longhorns, and in 2012, he joined the Waverley Falcons" Big V team
Growing up, Adel also played soccer and ran track.
In August 2013, he moved to the United States after landing a rare $20,000 basketball scholarship to Victory Rock Preparatory in Bradenton, Florida. As a junior at Victory Rock Preparatory in 2013-2014, Adel averaged 22 points and eight rebounds per game in helping the Blue Devils to a 24–8 record.
In November 2014, Adel signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for the University of Louisville. Adel considered offers from Connecticut, Florida, Mississippi and Virginia Technical before choosing to sign with the Cardinals.
As a senior at Victory Rock Preparatory in 2014-2015, Adel averaged 19.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in helping the Blue Devils to a 27–9 record.
He subsequently earned all-state selection by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC). In May 2015, Adel enrolled in classes and moved to the University of Louisville for the first session of summer school. He later joined the Louisville Cardinals for the 2015-2016 season, and was made a starter for the team to begin his freshman campaign.
However, on 20 November, the day before the team"s third game, Adel landed awkwardly in practice and was subsequently ruled out for three to six weeks with an Master of Comparative Laws sprain in his left knee.
He returned to full practise on 21 December, and made his return to the court the following night against UMKC. On 30 January 2016, he recorded season-highs in points (12), rebounds (five) and minutes played (21) against Virginia. Adel is long and athletic.
Offensively, Adel"s ability to finish at the rim and knock down the three-point shot is what stands out. He has good range on his jumper, but is also capable of going off the bounce and taking it into traffic.
While not a great ball-handler or playmaker, he is solid on the defensive end and has the tools to improve at that end of the floor.