Third-year Kansas sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson, who tore the patellar tendon in his left knee during a Bill Self basketball camp scrimmage on June 4, 2024, participated full-go in the Jayhawks’ first official practice of the summer session.
The practice took place on Monday morning. KU’s summer session runs until July 25.
“Elmarko is healthy. He’s not 100% as far as rhythm, but he’ll make a big jump (this year),” Self, KU’s 23rd-year hoops coach, said Monday.
Self spoke later Monday at the annual Otto Schnellbacher Golf Classic, sponsored by the Topeka Jayhawk Club and contested at GreatLIFE at Shawnee Country Club in Kansas’ capital city.
Just one player on KU’s current roster of 14 (including four walk-ons) was unable to practice Monday. The walk-ons are waiting to see if they’ll be “grandfathered in” to stay with the program following an upcoming New York judge’s ruling on roster sizes.
Bryson Tiller, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound redshirt freshman from the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta, took part in a light workout on the side. Tiller had surgery on his left ankle last March.
“Bryson has been cleared to resume basketball activity, but probably won’t be 100% full speed until close to July 1,” Self said of Tiller, who arrived on KU’s campus as a member of the recruiting class of 2024 last January but was unable to practice because of a foot injury sustained in high school.
Self has big plans for Tiller this upcoming season.
“You have Bryson Tiller … he’s going to be a pro,” the coach said during his five-minute talk with participants at the Topeka golf tourney.
Tiller is one of four scholarship returnees from last season’s roster along with Jackson, Flory Bidunga and Jamari McDowell.
“They were probably the two best leaders we had last year,” Self said of Jackson and McDowell, who also redshirted a year ago. McDowell is a 6-4 sophomore guard from Houston; Jackson, 6-3, hails from Marlton, New Jersey.
“They did it (lead) in a way they didn’t even play,” Self said. “So when I say leaders, I’m talking about not just on the court, I’m talking about in the dormitory, our culture, the way that we try to live it. I think that those two probably have the best leadership qualities of all the returning guys. They’re both much improved. Jamari has made huge improvements.”
Of Bidunga, a 6-9 sophomore from Democratic Republic of Congo, Self said: “The one that probably needs to take the biggest step is Flory and I think Flory had a good spring without question. He’ll be bigger, better than ever.”
KU’s three incoming transfers — Tre White (6-7 senior, Illinois), Melvin Council Jr. (6-4 senior, St. Bonaventure) and Jayden Dawson (6-4 senior, Loyola Chicago) — have reported to campus and practiced Monday.
“The three guys we got out of the portal to me fit us perfectly,” Self said, noting he’d like to add to his recruiting class in coming days.
Self said the Jayhawks are still recruiting international players.
