Incoming Kansas Jayhawks freshman Marcus Adams Jr. won’t be attending KU after all

Incoming freshman men’s basketball player Marcus Adams Jr. has asked out of his letter of intent to KU, the player and coach Bill Self confirmed via text messages to The Star Sunday afternoon.

Adams, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound small forward out of Narbonne High in Harbor City, California, made the announcement about his decision to leave KU earlier Sunday on Twitter.

Adams, who has been in Lawrence attending summer school and team workouts since June, averaged 28.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during the 2022-23 season at Narbonne.

“I want to thank Jayhawk Nation and coach (Bill) Self and (Kurtis) Townsend for being a great help in my development and time here,” Adams wrote on Twitter. “Your support showed me a lot. To the fans, thank you for all the help with the media and the in-person love.

“I would like to request a release from my national letter in order to find out where I truly belong,” he added. “It was a hard decision. I decided it would be best for me mentally and for my family. I will re-open my recruitment as well. Thank you and please respect my decision.”

KU’s Self told The Star: “We wish him the best and we will assist him in any way we can.”

Adams committed to KU on March 3 as a member of the recruiting Class of 2024. He announced plans to reclassify to the Class of 2023 on March 21. He signed with KU on April 17.

“We started recruiting Marcus very late in the process,” KU coach Self said after Adams signed his letter. “Coach Townsend was the point recruiter with Marcus. When we had Marcus and his family in on an official visit, we just really connected.

“He certainly fills a need. He’s a tall wing. He’s 6-foot-8 and can shoot the basketball. He had two games this year, one in which he made 11 threes and the other which he made 13 threes. He’s good with the ball in his hands and can make plays for others as well. We think he is very underrated and a youngster that can find immediate minutes with the departure of our tall wings from last year.”

Adams chose the Jayhawks over UCLA and Syracuse. He also received offers from Oregon, USC, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, Kansas State and others.

Adams had three 40-point performances last season, including a 50-point, 21-rebound game. Adams won the 2023 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award for the L.A. City Section open division.

Adams is the second player in the recruiting Class of 2023 to sign with KU only to leave the program.

Chris Johnson, a 6-4 guard out of Montverde Academy and originally from Fort Bend, Texas, has since signed with Texas. KU has incoming scholarship freshmen in guards Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell.