KU basketball freshman Marcus Adams Jr. opens up on why he’s leaving the Jayhawks
Marcus Adams Jr. announced this week that he is departing the KU basketball program.
Adams said he had a gut feeling that he needed to leave Kansas. Since arriving in Lawrence in June, he said, he’s never really felt at home.
On Sunday, the incoming men’s basketball freshman requested out of his letter of intent to Kansas. By Tuesday, Adams told The Star he had entered the NCAA transfer portal.
So why the portal instead of getting out of his NLI?
Since Adams was enrolled as a student at Kansas by mid-June, he had started what the NCAA calls the “Division I five-year clock.” According to the NCAA, a player’s five-year clock starts when he or she enrolls full-time at any college.
Per the NCAA’s rulebook, the five-year clock continues even if the player spends an academic year in residence due to transferring, decides to redshirt, does not attend school or attends part-time during his or her college career.
Adams told The Star he would have to use his one-time free transfer and obtain a waiver to play during the 2023-24 season.
He also talked about why he left KU.
“I felt like KU wasn’t the right place for me,” Adams told The Star. “I see everybody in the comments and some reporters saying it was about playing time … it’s not. I felt like I would have been good there if I stayed, but I had a gut and heart feeling. I felt like it wasn’t a place for me.
“The fans and all that showed me a lot of support during my time there, but I couldn’t see myself at Kansas for ... years. There are no hard feelings. I just couldn’t see myself there.”
Perhaps the biggest reason Adams left KU? He said he felt like he never really fit in with his KU teammates.
“I felt like it was a bit odd with the team; I (didn’t) feel like it was the right fit, so I left when I had some time,” he said.
Adams’ AAU coach, Cory DeSanti, said the KU coaching staff supported Adams’ decision and that there wasn’t a lot of back and forth on the matter.
“(KU head coach Bill) Self and (assistant) coach Kurtis Townsend were great,” DeSanti said. “They communicated well and they said they would do whatever to support him.”
Adams averaged 28.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during the 2022-23 season at Narbonne High in California. Adams committed to KU in early March as part of the Jayhawks’ recruiting class of 2024 and announced his plans to reclassify to the class of 2023 on March 21.
Adams and DeSanti told The Star that many other schools have reached out to Adams since his Sunday announcement that he’d be leaving Lawrence. They say that list includes (but is not exclusive to) Gonzaga, TCU, BYU, Missouri, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, USC and Oregon.
Asked what he’s looking for in his next school, Adams suggested a setting less rural.
“Probably somewhere I fit, like a good area I would fit in,” Adams said. “I am more of a city kid. I’m not that good in the country.”
After Adams announced his departure from KU on Sunday, Kansas fans shared reactions on social media — both positive and negative.
And Adams has a message for KU’s fan base.
“Appreciate the love and all that (from KU fans),” he said. “A lot of their (reactions) were bad. (They were) attacking me and my family and tons of people close to me.
“That’s a fair reaction, but I just didn’t expect them to reach out to my family over a decision that I made. I wanted to help myself and my family as well, you know?
“I was a bit confused when that happened. 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.”
No matter where he ends up next, DeSanti indicated that he believes Adams can be a valuable contributor.
“Marcus has a lot of heart and fire,” DeSanti said. “Him coming back from injury, they never really got to see what Marcus can do. I don’t know if he’s going to go somewhere that plays KU, but he feels like (he never) got the right chance to show it.”
