Kansas Basketball: What boost does Silvio De Sousa provide?
Big man Silvio De Sousa expects to be eligible for the second half of the Kansas Jayhawks season.
The Kansas Jayhawks entered the season with national title aspirations, as they do every year. They should be receiving a boost to that effort soon, with Silvio De Sousa set to become eligible for the first time soon.
The big man initially served as part of the Class of 2018. He chose to reclassify for this season, however, setting in motion a series of roadblocks De Sousa has been forced to overcome.
Just this week, he finished his academic coursework at IMG Academy, one of the final obstacles remaining.
“We are now working through the NCAA’s amateurism process and hope to have him certified as soon as possible for game competition,” coach Bill Self claimed (h/t ESPN). “He is eligible to practice immediately and will report on the 26th.”
Depending on how long the NCAA takes to certify De Sousa, he could be on the court within the week.
Silvio De Sousa is gift from heaven for Jayhawks. Better than his rankings, great kid & massive athleticism & strength. @KUHoops offense not hard to pick up. But hard to walk in off street.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) December 19, 2017
What does De Sousa actually bring to the team, though? For starters, talent. He was widely hailed as one of the top prospects in the Class of 2018. 247 Sports listed him as the No. 29 prospect in that class, including Top 10 at power forward.
He brings plenty of size. De Sousa stands at 6-foot-9, 230 pounds. The Angola native provides an immediate post presence for a Jayhawks team in need of one due to the continued absence of Billy Preston.
Nigerian sophomore center Udoka Azubuike has performed well inside, scoring 15.5 points per game and grabbing eight rebounds per contest. No one else on the active roster stands taller than 6-feet-8 tall, though.
The Jayhawks are averaging just 9.8 offensive rebounds per game, the worst mark in the Big 12. De Sousa should help the team pull down more of those misses.
Very few teams receive an impact player halfway through their season, right on time to take on conference foes.
Nevertheless, Kansas will be happy to have Silvio De Sousa in the fold as they attempt to win their record 14th straight Big 12 title.