Kansas freshman big man Silvio De Sousa cleared to play by NCAA

A Kansas basketball team in desperate need of some front-court help got some on Saturday.

The Jayhawks announced that freshman forward Silvio De Sousa, who reclassified and joined the Kansas team last month, has been deemed eligible to play by the NCAA. De Sousa will be available and in uniform when KU takes on Kansas State Saturday afternoon in Lawrence.

“I know it’s a big relief to Silvio who has been very patient throughout this process,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said in a statement released by the school.

A five-star recruit out of IMG Academy, the 6’9, 220-pound De Sousa was originally slated to join Kansas next season. Instead, he opted to reclassify last month and will provide a solid boost to a Jayhawk front-court that has been significantly thinner than KU fans are accustomed to.

Another part of the reason Kansas has struggled inside has been the absence of a player the NCAA still hasn’t made a decision on.

Billy Preston, the 6’9 crown jewel of Kansas’ recruiting class of 2017, has been held out of play this season under mysterious circumstances. He was involved in a single car accident on Nov. 11, and an hour before the team’s game against Kentucky three days later, Kansas released a statement saying that Preston would not play while the school looked into the financial situation surrounding the car he had been driving. There have been few updates on Preston’s situation since then.

For now, though, Kansas can celebrate the addition of one big man who should help the team’s march towards a record 14th straight Big 12 regular season title.