Kansas Jayhawks land commitment from Texas basketball combo guard Jamari McDowell
Jamari McDowell, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound senior combo guard from Manvel (Texas) High who made an official campus visit to Kansas in late August, has committed to playing basketball at KU.
McDowell — the No. 42-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2023 according to 247sports.com, No. 109 by On3.com and No. 113 according to Rivals.com — recently narrowed his list of prospective colleges to Kansas, Texas A&M, Xavier and Wake Forest. He visited each of his four finalists.
Earlier McDowell also had considered Kansas State, TCU, Minnesota, Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgetown, Drake and Mississippi, among others.
McDowell averaged 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0-assists, a game in helping the Houston Defenders AAU team win the Under Armour UAA Circuit Championship. He emerged as one of the better defenders on the Under Armour circuit.
“I chose Kansas for the opportunity and stage they offer there,” McDowell said Saturday night in announcing his commitment to On3.com on Instagram live. “All of my options had a platform, resources, and really great people but KU was something different.”
McDowell described himself as a “hard-nosed, high energy” guard.
Of Kansas, McDowell told 247sports.com: “They got into the mix a little late but they’re good people. I speak with coach (Bill) Self and coach (Jeremy) Case and they say there’s opportunity to come in, play as a freshman and get big minutes. Also It’s Kansas, so they have resources and it’s a basketball school so you know they’re going to invest into the team.”
He told On3.com: “Coach Self and Coach Case seem to be really good people. It’s Kansas and they are telling me that they’re graduating four guards so that there’s room to come in and play early. I mean, it’s Kansas. They’re a blue blood. They’re telling me they like my game and think I would be a good fit in their backcourt. They see me playing the 1 and 2.”
Jamie Shaw of On3.com said this about McDowell: “Toughness is the biggest takeaway after watching Jamari McDowell. The 6-5 wing does a lot of things that affect winning. He is a good athlete, both laterally and vertically. You want to see him continue to develop the ball skills and become a more consistent three-point shooter. McDowell can defend multiple positions along the perimeter.”
McDowell gives KU two commitments from players in the Class of 2023.
KU on Aug. 2 received a verbal commitment from Chris Johnson, a 6-5, 180-pound senior point guard/shooting guard from Montverde (Florida) Academy. Johnson chose KU over a list of suitors that included Arkansas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Texas, UConn, Auburn, TCU, Houston, Tennessee, UCLA, Creighton and Georgia.
Johnson is the No. 24-ranked player in the recruiting class of 2023 according to ESPN.com, No. 32 by 247sports.com and No. 58 by Rivals.com. Johnson is originally from Missouri City, Texas.
KU has at least two scholarships to give in recruiting. Cam Martin and Kevin McCullar are seniors on the 2022-23 squad. Additional scholarships would be available if any non-seniors turn pro or enter the portal.
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