Kansas Jayhawks make East Coast combo guard recruit’s list of 11 schools

Elmarko Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior men’s basketball combo guard from South Kent (Connecticut) School, has narrowed his list of prospective colleges to 11. They are: Kansas, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Louisville, Notre Dame, VCU, UCLA, Villanova, Miami and Michigan.

He made the announcement this week on Twitter.

Jackson — he is ranked No. 65 in the recruiting Class of 2023 according to ESPN.com, No. 88 by 247sports.com and 141 by Rivals.com — has eliminated Kansas State, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse, Tennessee, Georgetown, Wisconsin and others from his list of contenders.

Russ Wood of Rivals.com wrote recently of Marlton, New Jersey native Jackson: “He is a strong physical guard with a very good first step. If he gets his defender on his hip, it’s a wrap. A good two-way player with a high IQ and an equal amount of toughness. I was impressed at how Jackson doesn’t just use ball screens to get downhill or to get his shot off. He made some good reads and good passes. He definitely played above his current ranking (playing for Delaware-based WE/R1 at an Under Armour Association AAU event in July).”

In June, Jackson won the MVP award at the Under Armour Future 60 camp held at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

A year ago, he averaged 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists on 47% shooting at Academy of the New Church in Pennsylvania. He’s decided to transfer his senior season.

“I felt I developed a lot under my ANC coaches and my teammates. For me to maximize my development, I felt like South Kent was the next step for me,” Jackson told SI.com. “Coach (Raphael) Chillious (at South Kent) is a very prestigious coach, a respected coach. He could teach me a lot about the game from the point guard position regarding halfcourt and fullcourt reads, becoming a better leader and sharpening up my all around game. Then when I get to college it’s not as much of a speed bump as it would be for most other players.”