Kansas is prepared to acknowledge to the NCAA that a violation took place in the recruitment process of sophomore big man Silvio De Sousa so that he can officially be ruled ineligible, with hopes that the NCAA will immediately grant a request to be reinstated, according to Seth Davis of The Athletic.
De Sousa has not played in a game this season for the seventh-ranked Jayhawks after appearing in 20 as a true freshman last season, which included a Final Four run ended at the hands of eventual national champion Villanova.
Kansas announced before the season that it was withholding De Sousa from competition pending an eligibility review after information came to light suggesting De Sousa's guardian was paid $2,500 for De Sousa to take online classes. Testimony from former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola in the college basketball federal trial also suggested De Sousa's guardian was paid $60,000 by a booster to attend Maryland.
Given the inflammatory nature of such allegations, KU simply kept De Sousa on the sidelines -- and plans to do so -- until the NCAA gives the all-clear. KU is expected to submit its request as early as this week, and it's unclear when, if ever, the NCAA may grant KU's wishes. Further, there is no set-in-stone timeline for which a request may be granted.
Getting De Sousa back this season would be a huge boost for Kansas nonetheless, regardless of it's a week or month from now. The Jayhawks are razor thin in the frontcourt after losing big man Udoka Azubuike, so much so that Ochai Agbaji was pulled out of redshirt so KU could more appropriately run small-ball lineups with Dedric Lawson at center. If De Sousa can play at all, it may allow Lawson to slot at his more natural position at power forward and give KU more suitable lineups to fit its best strengths.
For now, though, De Sousa remains ineligible for the foreseeable future.
