KUMBB 2023 Commitments News - McDowell and Jackson! + LATE NIGHT!

In the last 26 days Bill Self has had two recruits commit to play for the Jayhawks starting in Fall 2023.

Jamari McDowell, a 6-3/180 4* SG from Manvel (not Marvel), Texas committed to KANSAS on September 24 2022 (while Anna and I -- and her sister and sister's hubby who traveled to Orlando with us back in mid-September a couple of weeks before Hurricane Ian-- were suffering from COVID-19 {picked up most likely at Universal Studios Parks, hence my lack of timely reporting of the event}). Looks to be a solid addition to the team!

Back on that Saturday JayhawkSlant's Shay Wildeboor wrote "Obviously, it's a big night for Bill Self and his staff, as McDowell is the second player from the 2023 class to commit to Kansas.

McDowell made a name for himself this spring and summer playing for the Houston Defenders. The one thing that stands out about McDowell in terms of his is his ability to score the ball and do so in a variety of ways. He's the type of player that can score from all three levels and can also get his teammates involved in the game on the offensive side of the court. This is the type of player that really has a chance to be a good player during his time at Kansas.

Now, moving forward, what does this mean for the rest of KU's 2023 recruiting class? Well, I think that Elmarko Jackson is still at the top of the priority list for Bill Self and his staff."

Rivals National Basketball Recruiting Director Rob Cassidy wrote the following about McDowell: "One of the breakout players of the spring and summer, McDowell’s game is about taking defenders off the dribble and knocking down open jumpers in catch-and-shoot situations. He’s a high-energy defender and plays the game with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He has a high motor, a willing defender even if he doesn’t have the length to be truly elite on that end of the floor."

Which brings us to today and KU top target Rivals #63 4* 6-3/180 PG Elmarko Jackson committing to KANSAS!
Rob Cassidy wrote:

"WHAT KANSAS IS GETTING

Jackson has truly elite tools. His combination of strength and speed is unmatched by any point guard in this class and he gets to his spots with ease because of it. When you talk about tough, hard-nosed guards, Jackson is the poster child, as the 6-foot-3, 188-pound floor general is a bully that finishes through contact with ease and finds himself at the free-throw line often. His powerful upper-body also allows him to score in the post and defend multiple positions. Like a lot of young prospects, his biggest remaining battle is with offensive consistency because he’s prone to the occasional off game that sees him vanish from the scoring column due to a lack of an elite jumper and the confidence issues that sometimes come with a bad start. That said, Jackson is great when he’s on, and he defends, distributes and rebounds well enough to impact games even on his worst scoring days. The senior guard has done a lot of work to limit turnovers in the last year, and the improvement in that aspect of his game is obvious. He can become a truly elite Big 12 guard as he becomes a more confident shooter, as his raw tools, basketball IQ and upward trajectory suggest he’s yet to come close to reaching his ceiling."

So GREAT NEWS all around today. Jayhawks fans!

With combo guard Chris Johnson already committed (2022-08-02), KU's 2023 class to date includes 3 commitments, all guards. Signs are that Self & Co and going for at least one more, likely a big, with the current fan favorite possibly being Rivals #13 5*
7-1/210 C Dennis Evans of Riverside, CA. However, JayhawkSlant's Hot Board also lists Rivals #34 **** 6-6/180 SF Kaden Cooper as still looking for a potential collegiate home at KU as well. See the pinned 2023 Recruiting thread for a look at who else is still out there with an OFFER from KANSAS.

Those readers paying attention will note that there are only 2 rock solid certain departures from this current squad after the upcoming season, so Self & Co are clearly counting on having at least 2 additional guys leave early after this upcoming season is over.

But hey, first things first -- Friday is LATE NIGHT IN THE PHOG and there is a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP banner to hang, people!

Let's all CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES again on Friday Night, Jayhawks fans!
Download the new KANSAS JAYHAWKS app in order to catch the events on line. (Be sure to delete any old KUAthletics apps first so this one will work ok!)
kuathletics.com: Details for 38th Annual Late Night in the Phog Include the Kansas Athletics App Serving as Streaming Home

ROCK CHALK!
JAYHAWK!
KU!
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

A quick follow up note.

This morning Shay Wildeboor writes that Self & Co have stopped recruiting 7-1 big man Dennis Evans. Shay believes they are happy with their current bigs. He expects them to sign the three guards in November, and to look for another big in the portal after the season.