Recent Kansas basketball commitment Marcus Adams Jr. reclassifies into 2023 class, plans to join Jayhawks this summer

By Matt Tait     Mar 19, 2023

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Kansas University basketball recruiting

Recent Kansas basketball commitment Marcus Adams Jr. announced Sunday that he will reclassify into the 2023 class and join the Jayhawks this summer in time for the 2023-24 season.

That was presented as a possibility — perhaps even the most likely outcome — when Adams committed to Kansas earlier this month, and he told multiple recruiting services on Sunday that he was ready to make the jump.

The 6-foot-8, 205-pound wing from Narbonne High in Harbor City, California, will be one of four incoming freshmen on the Kansas roster next season, joining fellow-four-star signees Elmarko Jackson, Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell in the highly-rated 2023 recruiting class.

That class is ranked in the top 10 nationally by both Rivals.com and 247 Sports.

The best player comp for Adams that I’ve heard since his visit to KU a few weeks ago pegged him as a better-shooting Jalen Wilson.

Although he’s not yet as big as Wilson (6-8, 225), Adams has a very similar build to the one Wilson came to KU with and he likes to attack downhill and use his athleticism and physicality.

He also can fill it up from the outside. He shot well over 35% from 3-point range in 17 games during his most recent prep season, when he averaged 29 points and 7 rebounds per game. That included a game where he hit 11 3-pointers and exploded for 55 points in a win.

“I would describe my game as a three-level scorer,” Adams told On3.com after committing to Kansas. “I can shoot the ball, post, handle, drive downhill and take advantage of mismatches.”

It remains to be seen what becomes of the rest of the KU roster — who stays, who goes, who transfers and who else the Jayhawks add in the offseason.

But Adams, who was primarily recruited by KU assistant Kurtis Townsend, should have an opportunity to compete for a key role on next season’s team.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.