Elmarko Jackson injury: Kansas guard expected to miss 2024-25 season after knee injury suffered in youth camp

USATSI

Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson is expected to miss the entire 2024-25 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon, KU coach Bill Self announced Thursday. The injury occurred Wednesday during a workout as the Jayhawks hosted a youth basketball camp.

“It will require surgery within the next several days and a full recovery is anticipated,” Self said. “Elmarko will be able to assume non-contact basketball duties in the next several months, but the full rehab process will take approximately 12 months.”

Jackson, a rising sophomore, appeared in all 34 games for Kansas as a true freshman, logging 17 starts and averaging 4.3 points with 1.7 assists per game. The former McDonald’s All-American was expected to be a role player in 2024-25 for a Jayhawks team that is ranked No. 1 in Gary Parrish’s Top 25 And 1.

“We are all crushed by this,” Self said. “Elmarko has had a terrific spring. He has worked so hard and improved so much. This will be a challenge that he will meet head on and he will return as good as ever.”

Kansas struggled with depth last season while finishing 23-11 with a 21-point loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. While Jackson’s injury marks a rough milestone in the Jayhawks’ offseason, Self has worked hard to bolster the program’s roster.

While star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and one-and-done wing Johnny Furphy have departed, Kansas is bringing in three perimeter players ranked in the top-50 of the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings. Those three — AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Rylan Griffen (Alabama) and Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) — will combine with a pair of top-50 signees to help the Jayhawks cope with Jackson’s absence.

The Jayhawks return veteran starters Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams Jr. and Hunter Dickinson along with projected bench contributors in Jamari McDowell and Zach Clemence.