BYU Waiting For NCAA Waiver On Kansas Transfer Marcus Adams Jr.
Oct 5, 2023, 10:11 AM | Updated: 10:49 am
Marcus Adams Jr. stands on the sideline during BYU basketball practice at the Marriott Center Annex Court in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball has put the status of Kansas transfer Marcus Adams Jr. in the hands of the NCAA.
Adams, a heralded recruit in the 2024 class, transferred from Kansas and briefly committed to Gonzaga before ending up at BYU. That busy summer resulted in two undergraduate transfers. Plus, the move from Gonzaga to BYU took place after the transfer portal deadline.
So that means the availability of Adams playing this year is in the hands of the NCAA.
“It’s in process right as we speak,” said BYU assistant coach Nick Robinson. “In terms of Marcus’ waiver, that’s really up to the NCAA.”
BYU basketball continues to wait for NCAA decision on Marcus Adams Jr.
BYU basketball and the NCAA aren’t a great combination. Just look at what happened to Yoeli Childs over “paperwork” in the summer of 2019, Nick Emery going to Harry Potter world at the end of the Dave Rose era, and BYU’s history in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Also, it doesn’t help BYU’s cause that the NCAA seems to be getting stricter with these waivers.
Look at how the NCAA handled the ruling for North Carolina football player Tez Walker. A rule not in place when Walker entered the portal ultimately dinged his eligibility for this year. That led North Carolina football coach Mack Brown to take the NCAA to task with a strong statement.
Then on Thursday, Walker gets granted a waiver.
What all of that tells us, these NCAA waivers are always a crapshoot.
If Adams isn’t given a waiver, he would debut in the 2024-25 season. That was initially when he would join a college basketball program as a high school prospect in the 2024 class. Instead, he decided to reclassify from the 2024 class to 2023 and sign with the Kansas Jayhawks out of Narbonne High in California.
Regardless, BYU coaches see a lot of potential in the 6-foot-8 forward.
BYU assistant on Adams: “He’s got a chance to be a really good player”
BYU is still waiting to get Adams playing on the court. Assistant coach Cody Fueger told KSL Sports that Adams, who has a boot on his right foot, should return in “a week or two.”
Fueger was someone that Adams credited as a big reason for him signing with BYU out of the Transfer Portal in September.
“First off, our players were incredible on [Marcus’] visit, spending time with him and showing him exactly who we are as a program and our team culture,” Fueger said to KSL Sports. “Coach Pope, you know, he’s unbelievable with these recruits and all of our players, so Marcus fell in love right away. … Marcus is a really great kid; he’s young, he’s got to mature a little bit more. But he’s got a chance to be a really good player.”
During Adams final season at Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California, he averaged 28.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
