KU’s Self supports De Sousa in wake of brawl: ‘He is ours. I am proud that he is’
Silvio De Sousa’s 12-game suspension for his role in a melee at the end of Tuesday’s Kansas-Kansas State game has hit the junior forward hard.
“Silvio is crushed by it,” KU coach Bill Self said of the current emotional state of the 6-foot-9 Angola native, who can practice but cannot play in games until the KU-Texas Tech contest — the Big 12 regular-season finale — on March 7 in Lubbock, Texas.
De Sousa and sophomore forward David McCormack, who received a two-game suspension for his actions during the fracas, will not suit up and will not sit on the bench during Saturday’s 3 p.m. home game between the Jayhawks (15-3) and Tennessee (12-6). Suffice it to say they’ll be mentioned during ESPN’s broadcast of the Big 12/SEC Challenge game, but the discussion will not center on their abilities as players, just for what happened versus K-State.
“He is a young man who made an awful emotional decision,” Self said of De Sousa, who stood over K-State’s DaJuan Gordon after blocking his shot with one second to play, then threw punches and grabbed a stool momentarily after he was charged by K-State players.
“Fortunately he was able to kind of get his composure back before it escalated,” Self stated. Self said tape showed De Sousa dropped the stool on his own, a second before KU assistant Jerrance Howard went to grasp the stool.
“Still we take responsibility for the role in which we played in what transpired Tuesday. We are not going to hide from it or make excuses regardless of what transpired. This was something that had to do with embarrassment, pride, ego. It certainly has no place in the game. Our players understood that beforehand. We (coaches) stress that, I guarantee you, as much as anybody does. We’ll learn from it, talk about it,” Self said. “Somehow Silvio will use this in a way to help him moving forward and help others moving forward in how to deal with emotion when that feeling does come across you.”
Self grew emotional when asked if he considered removing De Sousa from the team in the wake of grabbing the stool.
“Since he’s been here I believe he’s conducted himself in a way people know this is not his character. People know this is not who he is as a man but certainly does not excuse what transpired,” Self said.
“I feel for him. I can be mad at him. I can say things to him in the privacy of a room but I know this … if my son or daughter makes a bad, bad emotional decision or mistake, I’m not going to quit loving them. He is ours. I am proud that he is.”
Self conceded that for De Sousa, “It’s something he’ll deal with this a long time. Some people have put it out there he’ll deal with (it) the rest of his life, which that could be the image (of holding the stool) that you see with him. I don’t believe that to be true, but I think it will be a lasting image for our program and for him for a long time.
“I know it’s not something we’re proud of. All we can do is try to be the best we can moving forward. That’s what we’re going to attempt to be. He will certainly lead the way in us doing that.”
Self noted that his decision to keep De Sousa on the team was not influenced by anybody. Some have expressed the opinion De Sousa should never compete for the Jayhawks again.
“I’ll say what people think has nothing to do with my decision. What the media thinks should happen has nothing to do with what we’ll do,” Self said. “I’m going to do what’s right based on our basketball team, our program, our university, not what’s best for Silvio, not what’s best for me. I’m going to do what’s best for us.
“I hope what’s best for Silvio and myself also falls in line (with that). Nobody is going to pressure me doing something unless I feel it’s right for Kansas basketball. Everybody deserves an opinion. Everybody has an opinion. I could have an opinion about you and what you are wearing,” he added, speaking to one media member.
Self said he agreed with the Big 12-mandated suspension, including the league’s decision to sit McCormack two games.
“I thought it was justified because there was a point in time based on my opinion he went from being a peacemaker to showing aggression,” Self said of McCormack, a sophomore forward. “Even though nothing happened with the aggression, the appearance is from my standpoint he was part of it. I think that was a fair assessment of that situation.
“I’m disappointed for David. ... He was in a situation where he thought he was protecting his teammate. His involvement was of an aggressive nature there at the end, running up on him (a K-State player who had fallen to ground). He’ll learn from it too.”
The Wildcats’ James Love received an eight-game suspension and Antonio Gordon a three-game penalty
“I think everybody ... the league office had many angles on what transpired more than the public does,” Self said. “They reacted in a way that was 100% in accordance with the way they should. The fact somebody says deserves more, deserves less, that’s somebody’s opinion. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but the Big 12 office in conjunction with the University of Kansas were in agreement with what the Big 12 said.”
Self noted that “our team will be shorthanded (Self said he’d go with four guards Saturday, but was unsure if Isaiah Moss would start). To me that’s not the big picture. This is bigger than being shorthanded two games. This is how are you going to react to somehow make a negative situation at least less negative?
“I’m not sure you can make it positive. You can make it less negative by your reaction in how you handle yourself moving forward. David and Silvio will be perfect in doing that in their own regard. But how we play two games … that doesn’t register with me now. We are going to play with one big most of the time anyway. The one thing I would say, let’s hope Doke (Azubuike, the only remaining big) doesn’t get in foul trouble.”
Self reported on Friday that video coordinator/former KU guard Jeremy Case was injured in the melee.
“He broke his right arm. In trying to break it up, he lunged, lost his balance flipped over and landed on his arm. It was a noncontact type deal,” Self said. “He was in there trying to break it up. He has a sling on for four weeks.”
As far as any fans getting injured in the handicapped section where the fight broke out, Self said: “I did talk to one lady that was in the background that … I don’t know if she was pushed down or was sitting down. I do believe Silvio bumped into her when he kind of was moving backward or (was) pushed.
“At that point in time in talking to her she did not relay to me anything as far as injury. We did encourage her to get checked because in a situation like that where there’s some type of whiplash or she said she thought her back would be sore or whatever we totally encouraged her to make sure she got checked out. I hope she has but I haven’t talked to her since.”
