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De Sousa could potentially be available for Kansas to start Big 12 play

Texas Southern v Kansas

LAWRENCE, KS - NOVEMBER 21: Bill Self head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks smiles as he watches his team play against the Texas Southern Tigers at Allen Fieldhouse on November 21, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

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The timeline for the addition of Silvio De Sousa to the Kansas roster is starting to become more evident.

On Tuesday, Bill Self told the Kansas City Star that “we’ll know about Silvio for sure by” Dec. 26th, and there is a chance that he could end up being ready to play for the Jayhawks by Dec. 29th, when they kick off Big 12 play against Texas and Mo Bamba.

De Sousa has another test to take before he can graduate from IMG Academy in Florida, and he’ll have to make it through the NCAA’s clearinghouse before he can step onto the court, but Self said on Monday that he is “feels real good” about the chances of De Sousa getting cleared.

De Sousa’s addition would be massive for the Jayhawks, who currently have one true post player on their roster in Udoka Azubuike. It’s a difficult transition for a high school senior to enroll in college and immediately have an impact, but the Jayhawks don’t really need De Sousa to do anything beyond be big and strong. They need another body - and five more fouls - to soak up the 10-15 minutes a game that Azubuike doesn’t play. They need some insurance should he get into foul trouble, and that insurance would, in turn, allow Azubuike to play more aggressively.

Rebound, defend, play hard, use up fouls. That’s all Kansas really need De Sousa to do, and the 19-year old should be able to do just that.

The question of whether or not Billy Preston is going to get cleared is much more difficult to figure out. Kansas has said nothing definitive, and I’m not sure that we will get a definitive answer before getting a release from Kansas one way or another.