In this Hearings newsletter:

1. Why Marcus Adams is Leaving KU

2. What’s next for the Jayhawks?

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

Details on Marcus Adams’ Exit from KU

I’ve been Hearing about Marcus Adams struggling in his transition to Lawrence since he arrived. I’d even been told he might not make it to the season a few weeks ago…

That rumor turned into reality on Sunday when the four-star forward announced his intent to leave Kansas. The news isn’t a surprise to my sources close to the program — and KU may ultimately be better off resolving this now than during the season.

Here are some of the details I’ve been Hearing:

• Early on, I’d caught chatter of Adams being homesick and struggling with the team. I think the homesick aspect of this is legitimate.

  • I want to be fair to Adams. I’ve heard more from KU’s side of things, which will obviously skew negative. He’s a freshman moving from California to Lawrence before other students arrive. Some kids are going to struggle in this situation.

  • I didn’t expect Adams to play this year. The early exit should have no impact on KU’s rotation.

• While Adams missed home, he also had a difficult time practicing with the team. The game was moving too fast around him, and he wasn’t performing well as a result. Both the staff and players had grown concerned.

• I’m not sure if Adams’ attitude helped with the talent concerns. The jump was large compared to the competition he’d been playing against, making for a bad combination early in his time with the team.

  • We know Self is tough on players, primarily before he builds trust in them. This doesn’t always make the transition easy.

• I’ve Heard the players ultimately expressed their concerns to the coaching staff, which may have been the point of no return.

• KU wasn’t a fit for Adams — and Adams wasn’t a fit for KU. We’ve seen this before from players, and we’ll see it again.

• The Jayhawks have their eyes on another player, which may not be a coincidence here 👀 (more on that below).

Remember, today is the LAST DAY to get your friends and fam to sign up for the KU Football season ticket giveaway.

What’s Next for KU?

• Earlier this week, I wrote KU was working on an unnamed international player to join the team in 2023. I’ve now Heard the international player to watch is Johnny Furphy, a 6’9” wing out of Australia.

• Furphy was a breakout player at the NBA Academy games and caught the attention of UNC, Duke, and others. But those schools can’t offer 2023 playing time like Kansas can.

• I’m watching this recruitment very closely. If KU gets its way, Furphy will be on the team soon.

• Can we talk about how fun it would be for KU to have a 6’9” Australian named Johnny Furphy?! This would be electric.

I’m not the biggest highlights guy, but these dunks from Furphy are legitimately explosive 👇👇