Kansas Jayhawks big man David McCormack ‘never ever complains’ when his foot is aching
If David McCormack’s right foot had been healthy, and if he’d somehow avoided a late-season bout with COVID-19, it’s conceivable the Kansas Jayhawks may have had a better showing against USC instead of suffering an 85-51 blowout loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year in Indianapolis.
At the same time … “if it weren’t for COVID and a broken foot he might not be here now. I think David was probably more realistic that he could be a guy that would maybe leave early,” KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self said of KU’s 6-foot-10, 250-pound senior big man from Norfolk, Virginia.
McCormack shelved plans to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft when it was determined he’d need surgery to repair the foot that he hurt in a first-round win over Eastern Washington. McCormack had surgery on March 31, 2021, surgery that Self says included doctors inserting screws in the foot.
Though his surgery was deemed a success and recovery was right on target — “with rehab, back in three months, he was definitely on schedule with that,” Self said — McCormack has had some pain in the foot during the 2021-22 campaign — his comeback-from-a-major injury-season.
The injury doesn’t receive much attention, because McCormack, who takes a 10.1 scoring, 6.8 rebound average into Saturday’s 5:09 p.m. national semifinal contest against Villanova at the Caesars Superdome — hasn’t let it become an issue.
“He never ever complains,” Self said. “I don’t know he’s been 100%. I don’t think it’s an excuse but I think it’s been a factor. I wish his health allowed him to play probably more free and more healthy for an entire season. I do think he’s feeling as well as he has all year long. We certainly need him to be big on Saturday.”
Though McCormack occasionally plays with pain, Self stressed this is not uncommon for players who undergo foot surgery.
“They told David right after he had surgery this is going to be something you could experience soreness periodically based on load management,” Self said. “He has experienced some of that. He has handled it well.”
By never complaining and never missing a rehab session.
When McCormack’s foot has been tender, and it has been for several games, he spends a lot of time in the trainer’s room.
“I think we’ve had a ton of guys that want it and their preparation is great and everything. I think I probably respect David’s prep more than most because guys, if we practice at 3 (p.m.), you show up at 1:30, you get taped, you go to weights, you practice, and you go home. With David, you practice at 3, weights at 2, show up at 11:30 (a.m.) to get treatment and do all the things that he’s doing probably six days a week, seven days a week. Just so he could go to practice,” Self explained.
“His prep work for opponents is probably very consistent with others, but what he has to go through to put himself in a position to play, I can’t help but respect that a ton. We’re not putting him out there doing anything the doctors say we shouldn’t be doing, none of that, but he hasn’t complained one time.”
As Self says “playing on one leg,” McCormack has had numerous big games his senior season.
He scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds while playing 18 minutes in Sunday’s Elite Eight victory over Miami. He had 18 points and 11 boards in the Big 12 Tournament final against Texas Tech and 22 points and 10 boards in a Senior Day/Big 12 title clinching home win over Texas.
He had 19 points and 11 boards in a win at West Virginia and 17 points and 15 boards in a win at Oklahoma State. He also grabbed a career-high tying 15 boards in wins at Kansas State and home versus West Virginia.
“He does a great job,” said KU senior forward Mitch Lightfoot. “He’s always getting treatment. He’s working on his own. Dave is somebody that, yes, he’s been through some stuff. And he’s never once had a bad word to say about it. Never complained about it. He just knows he has to put in this extra work to make sure he’s available for us to play these games. Hats off to him. And I think his hard work is paying off, being at the Final Four.”
KU assistant Norm Roberts, who works with the Jayhawks’ big men, says he respects the work McCormack puts in to get his foot “flexible” for games.
“He puts in countless hours with our trainer, Bill Cowgill in rehab,” Roberts said. “He’s done a great job with that. It’s because he cares. He cares not only about himself getting ready to play, but knows how important he is to the team.”
Roberts gave an example of McCormack’s work leading up to game day.
“If we have a game coming up, a few days before the game he’ll put in seven, eight hours making sure he’s ready and can play,” Roberts said. “Coach (Self) also has been careful with him too. David will put in numerous hours working on rehab. He’s a guy Bill (Cowgill) never has to go get him. He knows what time to be here. He’s a diligent person, knows how important he is to us.”
McCormack said at Big 12 preseason Media Day he definitely would have tested the NBA Draft waters last spring and summer had he not hurt his foot.
“It definitely hit hard,” McCormack said of his first serious injury in his KU career. “I had to slow down. I’ve always been a fast-paced type of person. Once it hit me (that he was out a while) I was able to deal with it, cope with it, then use it to help the new guys out. Instead of working on myself, I could help better the team, better the newcomers by spending time with them, kind of growing the team chemistry,” he added of the three months he spent on the sidelines following surgery.
McCormack this season has been a true team leader, Roberts and McCormack’s teammates say.
“He talks to them all the time, tells them what they need to do, how to get better, to improve,” Roberts said of McCormack tutoring freshmen forwards KJ Adams and Zach Clemence. “He’s been great in that way.”
McCormack not only counsels others and works on his own body, he works on his game constantly, Roberts said.
“The kid works diligently in everything, works in the classroom, works on the court, being a leader, being a good person,” Roberts said. “He comes from a great family. His mom has done an unbelievable job raising him, his aunt. His small group of people around him have done a great job helping him develop as a man.”
McCormack, who has made 49.6% of his shots and 75.6% of his free throws, has been effective at times on the offensive end. Some other times he’s missed what Self likes to call “bunnies.”
“He has a great jump hook. We want him to shoot it as much as he can,” Roberts said. “He watches film, all that stuff. He wants to improve as a player, see what mistakes he makes and get better. He’s one of the better guys to do that.”
McCormack, a player West Virginia coach Bob Huggins guarantees is “a pro,” said his goal when he takes the court is “just being the aggressor, being very physical, making sure that you make contact first. I always say physicality beats athleticism. If we eliminate athleticism, things work out in our favor. That goes the same way for offensive rebounding, getting second-chance opportunities, or defensive being able to move in transition. Just things like that are what’s going to benefit us most on the glass,” he added.
McCormack — he is majoring in communication studies and is working on a master’s in journalism — says he and KU’s fellow elder statesmen on the roster, “try to show leadership and are demanding more from ourselves as well of the newcomers. We have a great team this year. Expectations don’t change. We kind of have that mindset. The team this year, we have a standard that we hold ourselves to. This is a program of tradition and history and we hold ourselves to that standard. We won’t expect anything less.”
Self realizes McCormack basically has given all he can give.
“It’s not been an easy road for him because he’s been inconsistent,” Self said, “still he takes takes it so seriously. He cares so much. I know sometimes when you play at a high-profiled place, when things do not go well it’s not the greatest place sometimes for positivity through fans and all that stuff. I know that adults know that sometimes that’s hard for kids to deal with. He’s been very mature, handled everything great.
“This kid has been playing on one leg a lot of times, never complains, never says anything that bothers him. He’s a stud. I’m happy he’s getting to experience this his senior year,” Self added.
McCormack has started 35 games this season after starting 28 as a junior, 18 as a sophomore and 13 as a freshman.
“I thought going into the season David McCormack would be the key player for us. Now I think it’s obviously David and Remy (Martin),” Self said, “because when they play at a high level it totally changes our team probably as much as anybody else because our other performers have been consistent. David is one guy, I’ve said all along, he is the one guy that can come away with 15 and 10 and not have to be his best, because he has a natural knack of getting the ball in the basket when he catches it in tight. We need David to play well, no question. David and Mitch combined have been a good 5-man for us last month.”
McCormack is planning on playing basketball for a living prior to putting his degrees to good use.
“The guy is a first-round pick the way he rebounds and the way he runs,” WVU’s Huggins said recently. “He’s really worked on his jump shot and finishing around the rim. Of course, it’s easier to finish around the rim when you’re bigger than everybody else, too.”
Of the impending end of college days, McCormack said: “This (end of KU career) is definitely a bittersweet feeling. To get to this point you say, ‘Where has all the time gone?’ I wouldn’t have gone to any other place. This place is really special.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
