A closer look at new Kansas commitment Silvio De Sousa

By Matt Tait     Aug 30, 2017

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IMG Academy's Silvio De Sousa #22 shoots a free throw against Wasatch Academy during a high school basketball game at the 2017 Hoophall Classic on Sunday, January 15, 2017, in Springfield, MA. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

He announced his commitment from an airport in Germany and spent most of the past couple of days traveling from Florida back home to Angola.

But those facts perfectly illustrate the kind of tenacity possessed by Class of 2018 big man Silvio De Sousa, [who made his oral commitment to Kansas official on Wednesday in an interview with the Journal-World.][1]

At 6-foot-9, 244 pounds out of IMG Academy, by way of Angola, De Sousa will bring to Kansas the kind of power and speed that have earned him comparisons to former Kentucky forward Julius Randle and former KU All-American Thomas Robinson.

Ranked No. 18 nationally by Rivals.com, and No. 30 overall by the 247 Sports composite rankings, De Sousa chose Kansas over heavy interest from Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse and others.

Those rankings are not high enough, according to ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, who got to know De Sousa at the Steph Curry select camp in August.

“I think this kid is one of the 10 best players coming into college next year,” Fraschilla told the Journal-World. “There’s not 5 big men in the country I’d take ahead of him.”

In De Sousa, the Jayhawks are getting a player whom Fraschilla describes as “a beast.”

“He is an absolute stud,” Fraschilla said. “He’s not only high-energy, but he’s an outstanding athlete. And he is going to be a pro. There were things about (former Jayhawks) Carlton Bragg and Cliff Alexander that I worried about and questioned. And other guys who come in a little bit more raw like (Udoka Azubuike) did last year. But this kid is a stud. He has a good feel for the game. He’s, you know, Body By Jake, plays with incredible intensity and, for his size and age, he is very polished. There’s not a lot to not like,”

Wrote 247 Sports recruiting analyst Matt Scott during a recent look at the 2018 class, “Silvio is a strong and rugged power forward. He isn’t flashy, but he is a hard worker who gets a lot of easy baskets by crashing the offensive glass. He can handle the ball a bit and can finish with authority at the rim. He is a good shot blocker and he uses his impressive strength to wall up on defenders making it tough to get a good look at the basket.”

Fraschilla, who has called several Big 12 and KU games for ESPN throughout the past few years and has seen plenty of elite players in his day, both as a broadcaster and a head coach, said De Sousa one day would add his name to the list of NBA prospects to come out of KU.

“Just on his energy and athleticism he’s destined to play in the NBA,” Fraschilla said. “Bill’s gonna love this kid. And Kansas fans are gonna fall in love with his combination of freak athleticism, size, strength and then he’s got a motor that will not quit. He’s a warrior with a smile on his face.”

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2017/aug/30/sources-ku-lands-commitment-5-star-2018-power-forw/

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.