Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: Marcus Adams Jr., the fifth KU starter and the transfer portal

Earlier this week, The Star spoke with former Kansas freshman Marcus Adams Jr. about leaving the team.

Adams was very candid in his responses and noted, for the most part, the reaction from Jayhawk fans online was positive. But, Adams said, there were some negative comments that caught his attention. One particularly hateful comment got shared around on social media.

“I was a bit confused when that happened,” Adams said. “I’m sorry for leaving; I just needed to make a decision that was better for myself and my family. It’s not (about) playing time. I could have got a good amount of play-time and done well my first year at KU. It was just more than that. It was the area, the city, the team, the bond and the chemistry. It wasn’t really there. It wasn’t really aligned for me. Sorry for leaving, but I appreciate all love you guys have shown me.”

Let’s talk about the relationship between fans and college sports recruiting.

I first grew up a Boston-area pro-sports fan (Boston Celtics, New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox), which has shaped my perception of players leaving.

It’s pretty consistent that players will leave your team, especially in the pro ranks, no matter how good they are. So I got used to that lack of loyalty between teams and players and was OK with it even if I would be sad about a player leaving every so often.

In recent years, the NCAA transfer portal and its rules have made player movement abundant, and I haven’t exactly loved the reaction from college sports fans.

I’m not saying fans don’t have the right to be disappointed, but some of the social media posts go too far. I’d ask any fan how much their thought process and maturity changed between ages 17-23. Imagine thousands of people following you on social media and judging your every move.

I, for one, changed my mind about things constantly and am very grateful I didn’t have thousands of people judging my actions. In Adams’ case, he is a 17-year-old kid who felt KU wasn’t the right spot for him, so he did something about it.

Maybe you feel he should have stuck it out, and it’s completely fine to feel disappointed, but there’s no reason to direct hateful comments at him online. Adams isn’t the first player to change his mind about his school and he won’t be the last. I follow this simple rule when in doubt: “Don’t tweet at recruits” — which applies to every college sports fan base.

With that, it’s time for another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A. As always, thank you for the questions!

Great question. The three candidates are Nick Timberlake, Arterio Morris and Elmarko Jackson.

I think it will be Nick Timberlake, at least at first. With Gradey Dick’s departure to the pros, Timberlake will provide much-needed spacing for the Jayhawks as he shot 41.6% from three on 6.7 attempts per game and brings years of experience with great athleticism.

I like Morris’ game, but I believe he plays the best with the ball in his hands. That’s why I don’t see him starting next to Dajuan Harris, who also needs the ball in his hands. If Morris doesn’t start, he could play heavy minutes off the bench, similar to a starter-type role.

Jackson is the most intriguing player because he’s very talented and some projections have him being selected in the NBA Draft lottery in 2024. He has an elite driving ability and the ability to play through contact. On the defensive end, Jackson can guard multiple positions.

I could see any of them starting, but Timberlake is the most complementary of Harris’ skills on the court. With his sharpshooting, I give him the early edge.

The pitch is pretty simple. If you want to get drafted, you will get the chance — it might just take a couple of years to become the focal point for KU.

In recent years, we saw Jalen Wilson (senior) and Ochai Agbaji (senior) raise their draft stock enough to get drafted because they stuck around. Christian Braun also took a big leap as a junior, and we’re not far removed from four-year KU players like Devonte’ Graham, Udoka Azubuike, Frank Mason and Svi Mykhailiuk getting their NBA shot.

I believe Adams would have had his college career play out that way if he had stuck around at KU.

My campus list would differ from the city I want to visit, so I will quickly rank both.

Campus list

1. BYU

2. Houston

3. UCF

4. Cincinnati

City list

1. Houston

2. Orlando

3. Cincinnati

4. Provo

I appreciate the optimism, but I’m currently at .003%, according to my calculations. Ask me this question in a couple of years, and I feel I’d have a much higher percentage.

Honestly, the Italian food in Spain was incredible. I had this black truffle mushroom pasta that I will think about for the rest of my life. We also had a delicious pesto pizza that was so fresh and tasty.