Rich Adams is a retired American basketball player. He played four years with the University of Illinois varsity in the NCAA, averaged 5.1 points as a freshman in coach Gene Bartow's only season with the fighting Illinois. The next year, Adams boosted his scoring clip to 15.9 as new coach Lou Henson steered the varsity to a 14–13 mark, a dramatic leap from the 8–19 record the previous year. His daughter is the Team USA Volleyball team middle Rachael Adams.