Kansas University Basketball Recruiting

Kansas added another piece to its rapidly growing 2024 freshman class when Rakease Passmore, a 6-foot-5 small forward who plays for Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina, announced his commitment to the program Wednesday evening.

Passmore, who is originally from Palatka, Florida, made the call on a 247Sports livestream, selecting KU over final candidates LSU and Oklahoma. He had visited KU last weekend, attending Late Night in the Phog along with previous 2024 commitments Flory Bidunga and Labaron Philon, according to JayhawkSlant.com.

Getting Passmore to Lawrence that weekend was a small coup for the Kansas staff, as he canceled his prospective visit to Arkansas to come to Late Night instead, a move that indicated the strength of his interest in joining the Jayhawks.

“They win a lot; I like to win … (Bill Self)’s one of the greatest coaches in college,” Passmore said. “I think I fit in.”

KU is getting a consensus four-star prospect, ranked No. 48 in the nation by 247Sports and No. 49 by Rivals.

Passmore is a high-flying wing whose highlight tapes are replete with transition-dunks, alley-oop finishes and strong drives to the hoop. On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote that Passmore has massive upside and, along with his explosiveness, is a strong shooter.

“The release is high and consistent,” Shaw wrote. “He needs to develop creating off the bounce and building consistency, getting the ball into his shot pocket off the live dribble. Passmore has a high-level work ethic, which is evident by his rapid improvement over a short amount of time.”

Passmore told Sports Illustrated in August 2022 that his mother insisted he give up football to focus on basketball after he sustained a concussion.

“I think my background as a quarterback helps my vision,” Passmore told SI. “I see things that other guys don’t see sometimes. It helps me as a playmaker. That opens up everything for me on the offensive end.”

Passmore has played with fellow KU commit Philon, a point guard, on the AAU circuit.