Foot surgery keeps David McCormack’s focus on senior season at KU, not the NBA Draft

Power forward David McCormack says that, like Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball teammates Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson and Remy Martin, he would have declared for the 2021 NBA Draft had he not suffered an untimely foot injury at the end of his junior season.

“Of course,” McCormack, KU’s 6-foot-10, 250-pound senior-to-be from Norfolk, Virginia, said Tuesday, asked if it would have been a “no-brainer” to test the NBA waters after a 2020-21 season in which he averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. He hit 51.5% percent of his shots and 79.6% of his free throws for the 21-9 Jayhawks.

After undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot March 31 — and being told he’d be out of action about 12 weeks — McCormack figured it’d be best to forget about the pros for now.

“(It was a matter of) just talking with coach (Bill) Self, seeing what he thinks and feels and then sitting down talking with my family, seeing what would be the best options for me as far as speaking with (NBA) teams or just dealing with the injury itself,” McCormack said. He had a boot on his foot while working as a counselor Tuesday at Brett Ballard’s Washburn basketball camp in Topeka.

“You take care of it (foot), make sure you take care of your body and health first. That comes before anything,” McCormack added.

He has been in Lawrence all but two weeks since the end of the 2020-21 season, rehabbing the foot he initially hurt with a couple weeks left in the regular season.

KU coach Self indicated McCormack played through pain while scoring 22 points and grabbing nine boards in a first-round NCAA tournament win over Eastern Washington then “was not himself” while scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds while playing 22 minutes in a Round of 32 blowout loss to USC.

“Everything is going great,” McCormack said of rehab. “I’m just working day by day, getting better each week, Everything is a process. You just make sure to stay positive.”

He said he’s been told he’ll be back on the court, “soon, hopefully at least. We don’t have a set date. Talking to professionals and trainers, they’ve said it will be a quick recovery time by the way my body’s dealing with it and healing.”

He said it’s been challenging to adjust to “the longest break I’ve had in years. I’ve done a better job of recovering as far as sleep and taking care of my body and speaking with the young (KU) guys as far as taking care of their bodies and the mental side as well.”

It’s the first serious injury McCormack has had to deal with at KU.

“It definitely hit hard,” McCormack said, referring to learning he’d need surgery. “I had to slow down. I’ve always been a fast-paced type of person. Once it hit me (that he was out a while) I was able to deal with it, cope with it, then use it to help the new guys out. Instead of working on myself, I could better the team, better the newcomers by spending time with them, kind of growing the team chemistry,” he added.

KU has added 10 new players (eight scholarship players, two walk-ons) since the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

“It’s definitely been hectic with all the new guys. I’ve never been on a team where there’s been so many new people,” McCormack said.

“I think we have a great group of guys. Everybody comes into the Kansas system, they are kind of rattled (at first) trying to understand everything going on. They learn quickly. They adjust to the playing style shown them. Each person’s talent is going to benefit the system,” he added.

McCormack said he’s been trying to assist both the perimeter players and inside players.

“Guards are trying to learn how to play with a big man within our system. I tell them the type of passes bigs need for pick and roll, post feeds. I tell the bigs how we play in our system, things like that, helping them any way I can,” McCormack said.

Most of the KU players on the 2021-22 roster arrived a couple days before for the start of summer school classes on June 8 and will be in town through the end of July. Three players who have not yet reported are Agbaji, Wilson and newcomer transfer Martin who have put their names in the 2021 NBA Draft pool They must remove their names by July 7 if they wish to retain collegiate eligibility.

“I check in with them to see how they are doing,” McCormack said of last year’s KU teammates Agbaji and Wilson.

McCormack said he talks with them “not just about basketball, (but) how their psyche is: ‘Are you feeling good? Are you OK?’ The season ended abruptly. Everybody kind of went their own ways for a break.”

As to whether the three will return to KU, McCormack said: “That’s hard to say. I actually haven’t spoken to Remy recently, after his commitment (to KU on May 17). I think he is enjoying the process now. Jalen and Ochai are seeing what kind of feedback they get to make the right decision for them.”

KU could have several future pro prospects on the floor this season if those three return. McCormack is hoping for a pro career starting in 2022-23, though technically he could return for another year if he wished because of the NCAA rule granting all players an extra year of eligibility in response to the pandemic.

“There’s definitely going to be some expansion to my game for sure whether it be spacing the floor, defending, just being an all-around athlete, a leader, a floor general,” he said of his goals this coming season.

Sophomore point guard Dajuan Harris, who worked the Washburn camp with McCormack and Christian Braun on Tuesday, said the McCormack-led Jayhawks could go a long way.

“I feel he’ll have a big year this year. If he has a great year we’re going to be really good,” Harris said. I feel he can score whenever he wants to, for real. Just give it to him. (Also) he’s a great teammate, cheers everybody on, really a great teammate,” he added.