Kansas Basketball fans anxious to see Billy Preston

The Kansas basketball team is on a roll. The No. 2 ranked Jayhawks are 7-0 and highly-touted freshman Billy Preston is still waiting to make his regular season

debut.

The Kansas basketball team looked impressive in Saturday’s win over undefeated Syracuse in the Hoophall Invitational in Miami.  Star freshman Billy Preston missed the trip.  As a matter of fact, he has missed everything through the first 7 games. On the other hand, the Jayhawks are doing fine without him.

This issue surrounding a financial situation that involves Preston’s car, car tires or more is taking forever. He missed the season opener because he missed curfew and later skipped class. He missed the Champions Classic win over Kentucky due to the car.  Saturday’s win over previously unbeaten Syracuse is the first Kansas basketball game Preston did not attend.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Self explained why Preston didn’t make the trip to south Florida, as described by Kansas City Star columnist Gary Bedore. Preston’s mom decided to visit Lawrence. The Jayhawks didn’t need a cheerleader. Billy needed to spend some time with mom. That certainly made sense but also raises some questions.

First of all, Billy’s mom knows the Kansas basketball schedule.  Some have speculated that her trip to Lawrence was at an odd time. Billy and the Jayhawks were scheduled for a trip to Miami. Why spend the money for a trip if Billy isn’t in Lawrence?

That’s a good question. On the other hand, just imagine how Billy feels right now. He’s a teenager, far from home and not able to play the game he loves. Most teenage boys who are disappointed and a little depressed might need to visit with their mom.  I’m glad she came to spend time with him.

Lot of speculation but few answers

Others have speculated that Billy’s mom arrived in Lawrence to answer questions about Billy’s car. That seems fair. However, this is the digital age. Compliance officials could answer most questions on that car in 24-hours or less.  It’s been over two weeks.

Next: Team effort lead to 7-0 start for Jayhawks

The longer we wait for some answer from KU or the NCAA compliance staff, the speculation on what happened or is going to happen grows. If Billy needs to make some significant decisions on his future, it’s good that his mom is nearby.  We all hope she gets to see him make his Jayhawk basketball debut while she is in town.