Elite high school basketball guard Elmarko Jackson to make recruiting visit to KU
Elmarko Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior men’s basketball combo guard from South Kent (Connecticut) School, will make an official recruiting visit to Kansas this weekend.
Jackson,who is ranked No. 28 in the recruiting class of 2023 according to ESPN.com, No. 35 by 247sports.com and No. 63 by Rivals.com, on Wednesday cut his list of schools to seven. They are: Kansas, Texas, Virginia, Notre Dame, UCLA, Villanova and Miami.
Jackson at one time also considered Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, VCU, Maryland, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse, Tennessee, Georgetown and Wisconsin.
“He has just come off an impressive grassroots season playing for We/R1 on the Under Armour Next circuit. Jackson’s strength, athleticism, scoring and competitiveness on the defensive end allowed him to be an alpha on a team that made it to the UA Next Semifinals,” wrote Jared Exler of newenglandrecruitingreport.com. “
Russ Wood of Rivals.com wrote recently of Marlton, New Jersey native Jackson: “He is a strong physical guard with a very good first step. If he gets his defender on his hip, it’s a wrap. A good two-way player with a high IQ and an equal amount of toughness. I was impressed at how Jackson doesn’t just use ball screens to get downhill or to get his shot off. He made some good reads and good passes. He definitely played above his current ranking (playing for Delaware-based WE/R1 at an Under Armour Association AAU event in July).”
In June, Jackson won the MVP award at the Under Armour Future 60 camp held at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
A year ago, he averaged 17.9 points (on 47% shooting), 5.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game at Academy of the New Church in Pennsylvania. He’s decided to transfer for his senior season.
“I felt I developed a lot under my ANC coaches and my teammates. For me to maximize my development, I felt like South Kent was the next step for me,” Jackson told SI.com. “Coach (Raphael) Chillious (at South Kent) is a very prestigious coach, a respected coach. He could teach me a lot about the game from the point guard position regarding halfcourt and fullcourt reads, becoming a better leader and sharpening up my all around game. Then when I get to college it’s not as much of a speed bump as it would be for most other players.”
He spoke to cityofbasketballlove.com about two of his finalists.
“Kansas and Michigan were kind of like, ‘wow,’” Jackson said of scholarship offers. “Just because Kansas is a blueblood. And then my uncle (Marlin Jackson) went to Michigan for football, so it was kind of a legacy-type thing.”
Jackson said he’s looking for a school “where I could develop as a player. So I want to maximize my potential. A nice family environment where the team and the program all rallies around each other if anything goes bad and just a place where everybody’s cool with each other. There’s no bad blood between none of the players, none of the coaches.
“Academics obviously, is something big for me. And then just facilities are big for me. I’d like to maximize all my stuff there — all my physical abilities, my mental abilities, just understanding the game more.”
KU, Missouri offer high school junior Passmore
Rakease Passmore, a 6-5, 180-pound junior guard/forward from Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina, this week received scholarship offers from both Kansas and Missouri, On3.com reported Thursday.
Passmore is ranked No. 49 in the class of 2024 by 247sports.com and No. 61 by Rivals.com. He also has heard from coaches from Oregon, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, USC, Virginia, Iowa, Creighton, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Houston, North Carolina State and Clemson. He said his first two visits figure to be to Oregon and LSU.
Of KU, Passmore said to On3.com: “They won the title last year. They got guys like Bobby (Pettiford) and MJ Rice, big-time players going there. They like how I can get downhill and say I’m vocal on the court and can knock down shots.”
Of Missouri, he said: “I don’t know too much about Missouri, but I’m excited to get to know more. They said they liked my athleticism and ability to stretch the floor while playing defense hard.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Elite high school basketball guard Elmarko Jackson to make recruiting visit to KU."
