KU Jayhawks super-senior forward Cam Martin suffers separated shoulder injury
Kansas super-senior forward Cam Martin, who redshirted last season after transferring to KU from Missouri Southern State University, will have to wait longer than planned to contribute in games for the Jayhawks.
Martin worked Wednesday’s Ladies Night Out name, image and likeness event at Allen Fieldhouse with his right arm in a harness — he separated his shoulder while practicing Tuesday.
Martin, a 6-foot-9 ,230-pound native of Yukon, Oklahoma, said he’d be re-evaluated in a couple weeks.
“I am pretty down. (But) I got the best news possible today from the doctor. I start treatment next week,” Martin said. “The doctor said hopefully the first conference game (meaning a potential Dec. 31 return vs. Oklahoma State) is what we’re going to shoot for.
“He said it’s one of those situations you can’t put a timetable (on it). Everybody reacts differently; It could be three to four weeks, could be six to eight. I hope my body reacts to it well and hopefully am ready to go soon.”
Martin said he was hurt when he fell on his shoulder after trying to block a shot by freshman forward Ernest Udeh with both hands during some 1-on-1 time. He said the injury does not require surgery — a good thing, because that would likely force him to miss the whole season.
“The doctor said there wasn’t a right or wrong answer about surgery,” he said. “We’ll wait and see how I’m doing. It’s kind of a waiting game for a couple weeks.”
Martin said he “fell over Ernest; I tried catching myself. My shoulder … I thought I dislocated it. It ended up being separated. I landed on the shoulder. (There was) a lot of pain. It was tough to sleep (Tuesday night).”
KU coach Bill Self had said at Tuesday’s Media Day that none of the Jayhawks’ five scholarship big men had yet emerged as starter. Martin’s absence to start the season leaves four scholarship bigs (Udeh, KJ Adams, Zach Clemence and Zuby Ejoifor), plus walk-on Dillon Wilhite.
“You wait so long to play … things were going really well,” Martin said. “(We’re) getting so close to the season. Things happened so fast, (were) taken away so fast.”
Sophomore bAdams said the Jayhawks would try to support Martin as he rehabs from the injury.
“We hang around Cam all the time,” Adams said. “He actually is going through a struggle right now just with his mindset. Being around Cam, (we’re) never letting him have a moment by himself to think about it.”
KU will meet Pittsburg State a week from Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse in the team’s lone exhibition game. The Jayhawks will open the regular season against Omaha on Nov. 7 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Wilson, McCullar lead drills at Ladies Night Out
About 400 women attended the 12th Ladies Night Out event, each paying $200. This is the first year it’s an NIL activity, with proceeds going to the student-athletes and cancer research.
KU seniors Jalen Wilson and Kevin McCullar led defensive sliding drills and shooting drills. The women in attendance toured KU’s locker room and training rooms and had Q&A sessions with the players and Self.
“It’s a cool night. I’ve not seen this many ladies in a gym before. I wish my mom could have come. But it would have been tough getting here and back,” said Adams, a 6-7, 225-pound sophomore from Austin, Texas.
Freshman Udeh sings song
One of the attendees in a Q&A session asked the Jayhawks which player was the best singer on the squad.
Udeh, a 6-11, 250-pound forward from Orlando, Florida, grabbed the microphone and actually sang parts of, “This little light of mine.”
Later, another participant asked the Jayhawk players to identify the team’s best dancer.
Udeh again stepped to the front and performed dance moves for the group.
Self coaching ‘unbelievable group’
Self told the ladies in attendance he enjoyed coaching the 2022-23 Jayhawks.
“It’s an unbelievable group of guys. They work hard, for the most part,” Self said. “They don’t understand me yet. Well, Juan (Harris), Jalen (Wilson) and Jank (Michael Jankovich) get me — the 13 others do not.”
One of the Jayhawks was missing Wednesday. Walk-on Charlie McCarthy recently suffered a concussion, one of the Jayhawks told the attendees during the Q&A.
This and that ...
Freshman guard Gradey Dick’s mother, Carmen, attended Ladies Night Out. A former player at Iowa State, the former Carmen Jaspers swished a jumper during a shooting drill. … Self told the women in attendance Wednesday that KJ Adams could “squat more (weight) than anybody on the team.” ... Self said redshirt freshman guard Kyle Cuffe “arguably is the best athlete on our team, he and KJ.” … Of junior guard Joseph Yesufu, Self said: “If he ever takes bad shots, it’s my fault. I tell him to shoot all the time.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 10:14 PM.
