No change in De Sousa’s status, KU’s Self says: ‘We don’t know the time frame’
There’s been no change in Kansas sophomore Silvio De Sousa’s playing status heading into Thursday’s exhibition game against Washburn, coach Bill Self said Tuesday on his weekly Hawk Talk radio show.
“No, unfortunately, and there is not going to be any news I would think in the immediate future,” Self said.
De Sousa missed last Thursday’s exhibition opener against Emporia State as KU and the NCAA hold what Self has called a joint review regarding his eligibility.
“We are hopeful his eligibility review is done as hastily as possible, but we also don’t know the time frame in which it’ll occur,” Self said, noting, “It is a sad deal, but I just hope it can happen sooner rather than later. Then we’ll deal with whatever we’ve got to deal with. When there are so many different factors involved in things like this, you just don’t know when that time frame will be. Certainly I don’t know. Maybe somebody else knows but I don’t know that yet. I think everybody will cooperate to try to do it as quickly as possible.”
During a recent federal trial in New York related to corruption in college hoops, Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified that he gave De Sousa’s guardian, Fenny Falmagne, $2,500 so De Sousa could take online classes to make him eligible for competition last season at KU. Gassnola also said he originally offered $20,000 to Falmagne to help repay $60,000 given to him from a Maryland booster. Gassnola said he never paid it, though, indicating he was cautious because of the FBI’s investigation into college basketball.
Self said power forward De Sousa was in “unbelievable” spirits at practice as he awaits a ruling on his eligibility.
“Of course he’s disappointed, but he also has handled it very well. He understands he has to stay positive and certainly keep his head about it because he understands there is a process,” Self said. “He understands what needs to be done. He’s real confident, though. Certainly it’d be nice to have him out there sooner rather than later. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out. Hopefully it’ll play out relatively soon.”
Self added: “You think about it. It’s not like he came in here from Nebraska or Colorado or Texas. I mean he came from Angola. The reason he came here was to play basketball. He didn’t come to Kansas in any part because there’s somebody else here that was a home, family-type person to him that was already here. He came here to be part of the basketball stuff. Of course that entails being a student and going to school here. He’s done very well in school.
“You take that (basketball) away … you realize your parents aren’t a couple hundred miles away, but they are 3,000 or 4,000 miles away, and everything else that’s going on, of course he’s disappointed but he also has handled it very well,” Self added.
Self says Mahomes is ‘amazing’
Self was asked about Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has KC off to a 7-1 start this NFL season.
“I am (excited about him) except he cheers for Texas Tech when we play them. Didn’t he do that last year? Didn’t he come to our game? They (Red Raiders) beat us when Patrick was cheering for them,” Self said of former Tech QB Mahomes, who watched the Red Raiders shock KU 85-73 last January in Allen Fieldhouse.
“He’s amazing. Good gosh, what a talent. What a leader,” Self exclaimed. “For a young kid that has total command …. you can tell everybody respects him just because he is so humble. The way he conducts his business … that’s exciting to watch. Just stay healthy (and) you are going to have an Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady type guy here for the next 10 to 15 years. That’s incredible.”
KU to play St. John’s in future?
Self on the Big 12/Big East basketball challenge which will start in the 2019-20 season.
“We’ve already scheduled Villanova home and home. We’ll probably play St. John’s home and home so I don’t know it affects us as much since we’ll already be doing that,” Self said.
Indeed, KU will play Villanova in Lawrence this season then travel to Philadelphia next year for the first game in the challenge. KU has not yet released details on any series with St. John’s.
“I think it’s great for our league, to kind of force everybody’s hand to upgrade everyone’s schedule so that certainly will help everybody come Selection Sunday. I think that’s good,” Self said.
No decision on redshirts yet
No decision has been made on the possibility of redshirting a player or two this season.
Self has said in the past that freshman Ochai Agbaji could conceivably be a candidate to practice but not play in games this season.
“I love his athletic ability, his smile, his intellect, his savvy,” Self said of the 6-5 guard from Oak Park High School. “He has a lot of things to him that are really beyond his years, but he still needs a chance to play and play through some mistakes. I don’t know how much of an opportunity that will take place throughout a course of a year (with so many other perimeter players).
“I think he has been really, really, really good. We have not made a decision on any redshirting. I’m not saying we are going to consider that for him. But we have talked openly: ‘Let’s get through the exhibitions and see how you respond and where you are and we’ll make a decision obviously before we play Michigan State, if we choose to go that decision.’ We may not. We wouldn’t do it unless he wanted to.
“I also think he is so much like Travis (Releford) was. Travis … the best thing for him ever was to sit out a year. He was able to start two and have an unbelievable two years for us, I think Ochai could even maybe experience more success than what Travis even did and I love Travis Releford. I think this youngster has a chance. He’s just young.”
Gary Bedore
Gary Bedore covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published October 31, 2018 at 12:10 PM.