In the latest installment of our summer "Nova Notebook" series we get to know freshman guard Adam Oumiddoch.
 
For the first decade of his youth, the swimming pool was where a Virginia native made his athletic mark.
 
Villanova freshman guard Adam Oumiddoch, you see, was a promising competitive swimmer in his hometown of Woodbridge. As he started racing in events near home, he began piling up a variety of ribbons and medals.
 
"My parents would take me to the local tournaments," he says now. "I would win them all. Swimming was my first love."
 
Those results brought offers from local club teams asking him to join, including one from a U15 unit that came his way when he was only 10. Yet for all the success, Oumiddoch says that one day at a practice, he decided that he had had his fill of competitive swimming.
 
"I was doing the warmups in practice for a 50-meter freestyle," he recalls. "I told my mom that I didn't want to do this anymore."
 
And that was it for swimming.
 
Oumiddoch – pronounced ooh-me-doosh - didn't immediately gravitate towards basketball. But over the next two years, he began to spend some idle hours shooting at a local court. At that point, there wasn't much to suggest the kind of rise that would lead to him becoming one of the nation's top 100 incoming recruits in 2026.
 
"It wasn't anything serious," he says now. "I would just go to get some shots up."
 
A few years later, Oumiddoch began basketball training in earnest. By the time he reached seventh grade, he had created enough interest to land a spot on a local hoops squad. Continued development brought him early college scholarship offers in the ninth grade. At the conclusion of freshman year of high school, his potential as an athletic wing weapon was such that he was offered the opportunity to represent Overtime Elite, an Atlanta based academy that at the time was a G League affiliate.
 
At age 15 Oumiddoch and his father, Mehdi Oumiddoch, moved to Atlanta.
 
"It was definitely a process," he states. "By the time I got there as a sophomore, there were a lot of older guys."
 
He formed a bond with teammate Mikel Brown, who later went on to a standout season at Louisville in 2025-26 and was chosen by the Brooklyn Nets in last June's first round of the National Basketball Association draft.
 
"We were super close," notes Oumiddoch. "We would go back to the gym after practices. It was good to be around people like him. Playing with and against guys like that at a young age prepared me to be where I'm at now. It's different than the normal high school basketball."
 
The interest from colleges impressed by the smooth shooting stroke and athleticism soon followed. After initially committing to St. John's, Oumiddoch re-opened his recruitment in February and ultimately signed at Villanova.
 
As he assessed his options after re-opening his recruitment, words spoken by his mother, Nezha 'Nancy' Oumiddoch, echoed in his thoughts.
 
"My mom always told me, 'go where your heart is,'" he says. "Villanova was that place for me."
 
In the months since, Oumiddoch has fit in nicely at Nova.
 
"I've enjoyed this," states the guard. "I have been close with the coaches since they recruited me, and I've only gotten closer to them. The vibe is great. As players, we're building chemistry with one another. The intensity in the workouts has been high. The first couple of months have been amazing and I'm excited for the start of the season."
 
At the conclusion of the second summer session in late July, Oumiddoch got the chance to re-connect with part of his family heritage. Both of his parents are originally from Morocco and the family returned there for 10 days in early August.
 
"I have family there – grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins," he states. "This was my first trip back in about 10 years. It was a great trip and experience. Hopefully, one day maybe I'll get to play with (Morocco) on the international stage."
 
These days, the 6-5, 202-pound guard is adjusting to the new reality of life as a Villanova freshman. There are daily lessons on the court and off it. As one of three freshmen on the Wildcats' roster alongside Carter Fisk and Luigi Suigo, Oumiddoch is absorbing all he can from the more seasoned members of the squad.
 
"They're told me to stay ready," he notes.
 
Oumiddoch has known fellow Virginia native Tyler Perkins for a few years now and pays close heed to "Perk's" wisdom.
 
"He's given me tips, told me things that are different from high school basketball at this level," Oumiddoch states. "I've been preparing myself and I feel like it's going well."
 
In a matter of two months exactly – on Nov. 1 – Oumiddoch and his Villanova teammates will be on the court in Rome to meet Notre Dame at the Eternal City Tip-Off.
 
"Can't wait," he adds.