Kansas basketball: A quiet debut for Silvio De Sousa

Kansas basketball announced some great news early Saturday. The NCAA cleared freshman Silvio De Sousa and except for the crowd noise his debut was quiet.

Just after 9:30 Saturday morning the Kansas basketball twitter account reported some exciting news. Freshman Silvio De Sousa would be in uniform and available to play. News that the NCAA cleared the 6-foot-9 freshman rocked the social media world. I heard of several fans I know driving  to Allen Fieldhouse to watch the Sunflower Showdown who almost lost control of their vehicles upon getting the news..

Since he arrived in Lawrence on December 26, fans have screamed for him to get to play. The NCAA takes their time on these amateur status issues. It took approximately 18 days to get the good news. They’ve taken much longer to provide news on fellow teammate Billy Preston.

It was exciting to think De Sousa would make his debut against the ‘Wildcats. I thought it would be extra nice to have him or Preston or both for the Sunflower Showdown. Take that Kansas State!  On the other hand, De Sousa’s first action for the Hall of Fame coach Bill Self was bland. However, the 73-72 final score was wonderful.

The crowd reaction may have overwhelmed De Sousa

As the Jayhawks took an early lead, Kansas basketball fans wondered and waited for the coach to send the De Sousa to the scorer’s table. Since Udokah Azubuike had no foul trouble we waited. Finally, with 9:42 left in the first half, De Sousa took the court. As a matter of fact, he looked great but nervous. Anyone would be nervous in that situation. The Allen Fieldhouse crowd tried to help by providing a standing ovation.

Next: Jayhawks survive Sunflower Showdown

The round of applause didn’t help. In his four minutes on the court, De Sousa recorded one turnover and a picked up one foul. He will do more, much more. The Jayhawks earned a gritty win over the ‘Cats and De Sousa will help Azubuike and make positive contributions as the season continues.