LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self said Monday his team is doing fine health-wise this summer, and that includes Elmarko Jackson and Bryson Tiller.
Jackson, a redshirt sophomore guard, missed last season after suffering a torn patellar tendon. Tiller, a freshman forward who enrolled early during the 2024-25 campaign but didn’t play, outlined earlier this year that he had surgery to address a fracture in his foot. But Self detailed both are back and 100% right now.
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“Athletically, (Jackson)’s where he was before he got hurt,” Self said. “Timing-wise, he’s still a ways away. If you can imagine, not doing something for a year and going out and then trying to — it’s like, there’s a checklist in his mind right now. ‘Well, if I come off this way, these are my reads.’ And check. And so, he’s too slow. But when he’s able to play instead of think, you’ll see him being as explosive as he was when he first got here.”
Self added: “(Tiller)’s done great. His timing’s off. He went a year without playing, too. Athletically, he will get better as he gets his legs underneath him. But he is a skilled guy. He’s a good player.”
Both Jackson and Tiller were high-profile recruits coming into college, and each one has the potential to be a factor in Kansas’ rotation this upcoming season. Jackson’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds and can be an asset in the backcourt, while Tiller’s listed at 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds and can be the same in the front court. Jackson, given he’s been a part of the program since the 2023-24 season and this 2025-26 team has a new-look roster, could also grow into more of a leadership role.
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The Jayhawks are looking to bounce back after a 2024-25 season in which they exited the Big 12 Conference tournament in the quarterfinals and the NCAA tournament in the round of 64. Although there were a number of departures following the end of last season, Self and his staff have added a group of high-profile freshmen that includes star guard Darryn Peterson. There were also some veteran additions through the transfer portal, including a senior guard from Illinois in Tre White.
This upcoming season Kansas has a pair of exhibition games in October, one at Louisville and another at home against Fort Hays State. The regular season opens on Nov. 3 at home against Green Bay. Not long after that, on Nov. 7 on the road against North Carolina, comes the first of many marquee matchups in non-conference play for the Jayhawks.
March 21, 2024; Salt Lake City, UT; Kansas basketball guard Elmarko Jackson (13) drives against Samford during a NCAA tournament game.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Elmarko Jackson, Bryson Tiller prepare for Kansas basketball season
