2026 5-Star Recruit Maximo Adams Names 11 Finalists: What It Means for Kansas Basketball

Adams is well-known in the Jayhawk fan base, as he is the younger brother of former Kansas basketball pledge Marcus Adams. Marcus never made it to Lawrence. Fans hope it’s different this time around with Maximo.

Maximo Adams is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward who plays for Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, CA. He is ranked No. 99 nationally and the No. 39 best small forward nationally according to 247Sports Composite.

The four-star recruit is continuing to impress scouts and improve his game. He dominated with Vegas Elite this summer on the Nike EYBL Circuit.

Over the course of his summer season, Adams put up 20.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game while shooting 52% from the field and 42% behind the arc.

Adams is a versatile athlete who can get to his spots anywhere on the floor. With his length, he makes the game look easy. He was one of the more impressive 2026 players this summer.

Bill Self and Co. are fighting against top programs for Adams. The 11 schools Adams is down to are Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, Washington, North Carolina, Duke, Michigan State, Purdue, Arizona State, Illinois, and USC.

It seems that Kansas is always in a fight with its new rival, Duke.

It is well known that Dame Sarr was finalizing his decision to become a Jayhawk when Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils swooped in at the last second. Duke and Kansas are currently battling for a few other 2026 recruits as well.

A school that made the cut that stands out interestingly is Arizona State. As previously mentioned, Maximo’s brother, Marcus, was at one point committed to the Kansas Jayhawks. 

Marcus quickly decommitted and made his route to Gonzaga. Soon enough after that, Marcus headed back to the Big 12 and committed to BYU.

However, that didn’t seem to do it for him as he yet again transferred to Cal-State Northridge. Coincidentally, Marcus would make his return to the Big 12 as he is now at Arizona State. 

Despite all the moves Marcus has made, he might have some power to get his brother Maximo to make his way to Tempe. Bill Self has some work to do, as Maximo is proving to be one of the best players in his class and is only improving.

Hopefully for Jayhawk fans, when the time comes, Maximo makes his college decision to lock in on Lawrence.