Kansas guard Jackson bringing leadership, improved skillset to season after missing year with knee injury

Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson (13) smiles as he cuts around a pick during a day of practices and press conferences at Delta Center on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Salt Lake City. Photo by Nick Krug
Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson had a lot of confidence heading into last year’s men’s basketball season after coming off a season in which he played over 18 minutes per game.
Then came the knee injury, a tear of his patella tendon in his left knee, during the KU basketball camp scrimmage in June of 2024. A year that was supposed to include a jump in his performance and role became a year of sitting on the bench.
“I felt it was pretty substantial,” Jackson said of his growth going into his sophomore season before the injury. “Having a year under my belt to understand what was wanted of me and where my shots was going to come from and how to also get other people involved. It sucked, but it is what it is — you can’t change it.”
Jackson spent the season rehabbing the injury, building his confidence in his knee and getting ready to play for the 2025-26 season. Now, with just a few days away from the start of the regular season, he’s ready to be a leader for the team on and off the court.
“I feel really good,” said Jackson, now four months removed from being fully cleared from the injury. “When you’re not playing, it’s not fun, so being able to get back out and do what I love feels good.”
Jackson has spent a lot of time working on his game, but before he could do that, he had to work on his body. Not only did he need to get healthy, but it takes time to rebuild the trust in the body after an injury like that. Learning to jump off his left leg took time, but the redshirt sophomore said it’s fine now.
“The toughest part was getting the range of motion back with my knee,” Jackson said. “I’m already not the most flexible person, so cranking on my knee wasn’t that fun.
“It was obviously a little more shaky at first, just putting trust in my knee. But the more we play, the more I get adjusted and know what I can do.”
What he can do for the Jayhawks is play as a combo guard, both getting himself shots and creating for others. Since joining the team, Jackson said his decision-making has consistently improved, and he’s been working with coaches on having different reads and plays to make sure the Jayhawks have something to go to in their half-court offense.
For his own game, Jackson made about 300 to 500 shots a day during the offseason. To continue improving his shooting, he worked through some mechanical things, like snapping his wrist more with each shot and not having the ball touch his forehead when he’s in his shot. As a freshman, Jackson shot 40.6% from the field and 26.7% on 3-pointers. Improvement as a shooter can help open up the floor for him and others to create shots for the team.
But for Jackson, what he’s expected to bring to the team goes beyond an understanding of how to play within the Jayhawks’ system. He’s a leader of the team who has maintained high expectations and standards even with a lack of continuity on the court. Jackson and a few other returners have stressed the importance of building a culture where “guys want to come in the gym and get extra work in and go hard everyday and compete in practice.”
It’s a new-look team from what Jackson has been a part of the past few years at Kansas, but he’s making sure the team keeps the standard the same, which is to compete at the highest level in college basketball.
“First and foremost is winning the Big 12 championship and then building off of that and seeing what we can carry into the postseason,” Jackson said. “I feel like we’re getting overlooked, but it’s a good change of pace for us. We’re still the hunted, but now we’re starting this season as the hunters. I feel like we have a bunch of guys that are hungry and willing to put in the work.”