Kansas Basketball: Why Silvio De Sousa’s return is important for Jayhawks

After a one-year suspension, Silvio De Sousa will be back for Kansas Basketball. How happy should Jayhawks fans be about the news?

In a bit of a Friday news dump, the NCAA has announced that Silvio De Sousa has been reinstated for Kansas Basketball for the upcoming season, reversing a previous decision that he would be suspended for two entire seasons, including all of 2019-20.

The initial reason for his suspension was the allegations that he and his family received improper benefits to go to Kansas, part of the overall FBI Investigation into corruption. Although many players were named and listed throughout, it was just De Sousa that was punished – excessive from my point of view for two entire years. His name was entered in the 2019 NBA Draft and had this news not come until next Thursday and beyond, his hand would have been forced to leave college.

But since that doesn’t have to happen now, Jayhawks fans can rejoice about another frontcourt player making a return, joining Udoka Azubuike after withdrawing from the draft himself earlier this offseason. The former class of 2017 four-star forward averaged just 4.0 rpg his freshman season in 20 games overall but showed real promise post regular season, including three games of 10+ rebounds and 16 points on a perfect 8/8 from the field against West Virginia.

Looking ahead to next season, Kansas’ frontcourt consist of De Sousa, Azubuike, David McCormack, Mitch Lightfoot and incoming freshman Tristan Enaruna. Of this group, the first two guys have the most talent and should garner the majority of the 80 combined minutes per game. Thing is though, neither can shoot the ball and spread the floor. The lack of spacing, combined with not many great shooters from the perimeter could be a big issue for head coach Bill Self to deal with.

However, the problem with both of them on the court may be overstated. Azubuike has been injury-prone in his college career and can only play 25 mpg at the most, so De Sousa can take the minutes when the center is on the bench. And even in the 5-10 that these two could play together, that’s still a strong rebounding/defensive duo. And by the way, having efficient post players can still put plenty of pressure of opposing defenses, especially against smaller lineups.

There are still possible additions to the roster, including five-star guard RJ Hampton and top-50 forward Jalen Wilson, along with pending NBA Draft decisions regarding Quentin Grimes and Devon Dotson. The backcourt could look very different in the next week. But the frontcourt seems to be locked in, with De Sousa helping make Kansas a Final Four contender once again.