‘I love that man’: Why Kansas pledge Marcus Adams can’t wait to be coached by Bill Self
Four-star Kansas Jayhawks pledge Marcus Adams Jr. slept through coach Bill Self’s news conference on Wednesday.
It’s spring break in California for Adams, after all.
Nevertheless, the Jayhawk-to-be had plenty of thoughts afterward about the KU men’s basketball coach’s first meeting with the media since being sidelined by a health issue last month.
Self underwent a heart-catheterization procedure in early March, on Wednesday referring to the situation as a “health scare.” Added Self, “The last several weeks, I’ve been able to reflect on a lot of things. One thing I can tell you without question, I missed my job. I love my job and I want to do my job for a long time.
Adams told The Star that he’s kept in contact with Self throughout the longtime Jayhawks coach’s health issues. Adams said he even received a call from Self after Wednesday’s news conference.
“He was telling me he would keep coaching and was telling me was excited for me,” Adams said. “It was a pretty cool vibe.”
Adams spoke with The Star about his talk with Self and more in a Twitter Spaces Q&A Wednesday afternoon.
A 6-foot-8, 205-pound junior small forward at Narbonne (Calif.) High School, Adams nearly picked UCLA over Kansas in March. But KU’s coaching staff made a last-minute push on Adams’ decision day and convinced him to come to Kansas instead.
Then, after No. 1-seeded KU lost 72-71 to No. 8 Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32., Adams reclassified. The No. 36-rated player in the Class of 2024 (per 247Sports) will join the Kansas program this June.
Naturally, Adams was excited when Self said he planned to keep coaching at KU for years to come.
“That’s great news,” Adams said. “I am excited — I love that man.
“(He’s) a great person, great coach. He’s got a lot of wisdom. He’s been there for a while. He has a winning mentality (and) he has a great history of winning. I just want to be a part of that. I’m excited for him to keep coaching.”
Did Adams ever think of decommitting from KU amid rumors that Self might not coach next season? Not exactly.
“I was a little worried, but I still would have continued to stay (at Kansas),” Adams said. “Everything went well and he’s still here, so you know that’s good.”
