Is Friday the big day for some Silvio De Sousa news for Kansas?

By Matt Tait     Dec 12, 2017

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Team Drive''s Silvio De Sousa #22 shoots a free throw against Team Clutch in the Under Armour Elite 24 game on Saturday, August 20, 2016 in Brooklyn, NY.

If his latest comments are accurate, Friday could be a monster day in the Kansas basketball program’s pursuit of Class of 2018 signee Silvio De Sousa.

Speaking with Kyle McFadden of marylandsportsaccess.com following a recent IMG Academy victory, [De Sousa said he believed he would know the results of his latest SAT test on Friday.][1] And, as many KU fans speculated recently about a generic Tweet sent out by De Sousa that read, “Imma be there sooner than u thought,” the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Angolan is optimistic about his chances of receiving good news.

“I feel great about it,” De Sousa told McFadden of the SAT score. “At least, that’s what I think. I’m just waiting now. … I’m still trying to figure it out.”

At this point, this whole situation really has become crystal clear. If Friday is the date that De Sousa receives his score, he will know then one of two things: Either he passed and he’ll be in Lawrence in time for Big 12 Conference play this season. Or he didn’t and he’ll stay at IMG Academy for the remainder of the current season and will report to KU this summer.

De Sousa told McFadden that he wanted to come to KU for the second semester, “really, really bad,” and added that he thought he could make an immediate impact.

IMG coach Sean McAloon recently told 247 Sports that he thought it was a 50-50 proposition and that De Sousa would leave if he got the score and would stay if he didn’t.

That has been De Sousa’s goal since August, when he first told the Journal-World that he had committed to Kansas. [The minute he made the call to Bill Self and his coaching staff,][2] De Sousa had an early arrival in mind and it now appears as if he is on the brink of finding out whether that goal can become a reality or not.

There’s no question that the Jayhawks would benefit from De Sousa’s arrival. Regardless of whether he suited up completely prepared for big time college basketball, adding a player of his physical size, with the motor and skill set that De Sousa possesses, would be a huge lift for an undermanned KU front court.

Would De Sousa be a 20-plus minutes a game guy who would flirt with a double-double night in and night out? Probably not. But would he offer more, in terms of a physical presence and brute strength than what KU is currently getting from reserve forward Mitch Lightfoot? Probably.

That’s not to say Lightfoot would all of a sudden disappear. He certainly would still play an important role on this team. But instead of having to use his 6-foot-8, 215-pound frame to battle inside, Lightfoot could slide into more of a role both he and Self envisioned for him when he signed with Kansas.

So Friday’s the day. Unless, of course, it isn’t. But, at least for now, we’ve heard from the horse’s mouth that that is the date that is circled on his calendar.

So you now can circle it on your calendars, as well.

[1]: http://marylandsportsaccess.com/2017/12/img-academys-silvio-de-sousa-eyeing-enrollment-at-kansas-during-the-break/
[2]: 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.