28 June 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT)- KU incoming freshman guard Elmarko Jackson is getting used to life in Lawrence, Kansas.
He was also in Topeka on Tuesday to help out with Washburn men’s basketball’s kid’s camp.
He says Bill Self’s ability to coach his guys hard is one reason he chose to come play at Kansas. Self’s coaching involves more than just constructive criticism.
“He’s hard on his players but he’s not doing it just to be like a mean guy, he’s trying to get the best out of his players. That’s what I committed to KU for,” Jackson said. “One thing that I didn’t get to really experience when I was a recruit was the confidence that he gives you. You can mess up in practice, miss a shot, and he’ll tell you to shoot that thing again. Having that from a legendary coach like that just gives you like a battery in your back unlike no other.”
He’s soaking up the opportunity to learn from a few guys who have played lots of college basketball.
“It helps me just adjust a lot quicker. They make the game easier and then I can just go them in between timeouts and stuff like that and ask them questions, see what I can do better,” Jackson said.
Specifically, Jackson says he’s learning lots from Dajuan Harris and Kevin McCullar.
“The way [Dajuan Harris Jr.] sees the floor is, I feel like, very underappreciated,” he said. “And then [Kevin McCullar Jr.] just does everything on the floor that you could imagine. Just learning from those two guys helps a lot for me as a freshman coming in.”