Silvio is cleared!



  • The thing not to forget about Mitch, he is a dedicated Jayhawk, to the core; and will do what is necessary to improve his contributions to winning games. I really hope he earns the opportunity to become a 5th year player, and can’t imagine why he won’t. His attitude and determination appear to be right up there with our best.



  • Best tidbit I heard from TV announcers during Stanford game was that Self was really getting after Billy Preston in practice…now just how excited should I be to hear Self is trying have him as ready as possible…?



  • @SkinnyKansas Appreciate your optimism, but you do know how the NCAA has handled many of the past players, especially past KU players. I won’t list them, but if you insist on “downers,” then you either have a really short memory, or you’re really super optimistic. I prefer to think you have more optimism in an organization that has a very poor record of handling players.

    However, I do hope your optimism is truly realistic because it will only be in KU’s favor. So, all we know is that Silvio is ‘cleared’ to join, and at best practice, until completely ‘cleared’ by the NCAA from his amateurism. So, if you think being a ‘downer’ is waiting until he is in uniform and playing in his first game, then I’m a ‘downer.’



  • @chriz I hope just a quick ‘in-formality.’ I hope it’s opened and closed. I hope they clear a young man who has worked hard to earn the right to play in college.



  • I hope everyone realizes he signed with KU. He has always been welcomed. I prefer to congratulate him on playing in his first KU game, and WIN.



  • @truehawk93 Ya for sake of Billy I hope it’s close, if not he could waste all year sitting. I bet Self thinks he gonna get cleared or he wouldn’t be on him so bad in practice. If wasn’t gonna get cleared he could hire an agent and start working towards the NBA or go overseas to play til the draft.



  • @truehawk93 I’m very optimistic bud 😉



  • @Ralster Good to see you back again!



  • @kjayhawks

    My guess is that if he is not cleared by the first day of Spring classes, January 16, he will pack his car and leave. I just don’t see him sitting the entire season.



  • @JayHawkFanToo You think he just declares for the draft then? He can do that it seems given age and when his normal class would have graduated.

    @Ralster I think if Lightfoot matures, adds a little man strength, hones some skills, there’s no reason why he couldn’t be a significant player. The skills ceiling is something that’s very hard to read. I just don’t know where that sits.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    By the start of the Spring season 18 games would have been played with only 13 left not counting post-season and if he has nor been cleared by then the chances only get smaller. Preston is already 20 and he would likely be a 1st round pick based on his HS play and potential.



  • Just personal thinking, believe pretty safe bet Billy won’t be on board for Texas so thinking maybe I’m thinking probably would be the week after Jan 6th might be his 1st game against Texas Tech , I just wish as I’m sure he does to that there could just be some closure and move on one way or the other. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • @JayHawkFanToo In the same damned car he cannot drive straight?



  • @mayjay

    At that point, does it really matter? If he gets an agent he can probably get a chauffeur.





  • @KUSTEVE Alas, IMG lost 73-71 to Oak Hill in the championship of the Chik-fil-A Classic on Saturday.

    But Devin Dotson was named MVP of the other Division tournament (they had two) as he led his team to the title: http://chick-fil-aclassic.com/2017/12/23/chargers-outlast-gray-collegiate/



  • I’m still into this season, but next season’s roster is pretty interesting. Somehow, someway, we need to make sure Doke is back.



  • Are we still in on Romeo and Zion? What’s our ceiling without one of them?



  • If silvio plays for us this half year would he be eligible to declare for draft?



  • KU, up by 1 with 12 seconds remaining on the game clock and the other team has the ball… maybe Mitch would be the perfect defender at the 3?

    I can see several scenarios involving Mitch on the court, even if we have Silvio and Billy.



  • approxinfinity said:

    If silvio plays for us this half year would he be eligible to declare for draft?

    He will be draft eligible but the plan isn’t for him to go.



  • This afternoon, Self stated Silvio won’t practice until tomorrow and likely won’t play before the first weekend in January. That means he misses UT on the road and Tx Tech at home. It’s possible KU is 1-1 by the time he sees the court, although beating UT on the road and Tech (at home) is a distinct possibility. He would be available for TCU on the road. #FREEBILLY!



  • @Gorilla72

    Yep. I really don’t mind not pushing Silvio out there too fast.

    We’ve typically played pretty competitive basketball in Austin. Doke will be tested, big time. He’ll have two quality bigs to deal with.

    We need to win in Austin with our guard play. We should dominate guard play and it shouldn’t come down to outplaying UT in the post.

    We have plenty of time to prepare for Austin and we typically start Big 12 play with a winning streak.

    I’m trying to look at this from a glass half full. If we win our games before bringing in Silvio… GREAT! We will be using our typical formula for winning the Big 12. If we lose in Austin, we will be under the gun and might even improve faster because of the motivation. No KU team wants to be the team that loses our conference streak!



  • @BShark

    I believe his graduating class has to be one year removed which will not be the case for Silvio.



  • I know this is a De Sousa thread but guys plain and simple - - it really is looking a lot more like we will never see Billy on the floor this year playing period. - -I’m sorry I’m trying I’ve really tried but I just don’t seeing it happening. - -What a waste of talent, I also just have a hard time believing this is all about a car - I just feel there has to be something else, I really don’t like coming across negative but just got to be - -got to be something - -doesn’t take this long over a fricken car sorry. - -I just don’t really see Billy ever stepping on the floor again to play a game as a KU Jayhawk - – ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • @JayHawkFanToo @BShark Here’s the rule. The question is whether graduating during the middle of an nba season counts.

    (i) The player (A) is or will be at least nineteen (19) years of age during the calendar year in which the Draft is held, and (B) with respect to a player who is not an international player (defined below), at least one (1) NBA Season has elapsed since the player’s graduation from high school (or, if the player did not graduate from high school, since the graduation of the class with which the player would have graduated had he graduated from high school)



  • No Silvio for Texas. Self says hopefully within a week, but I presume he’s just saying that to put a bit of pressure on the NCAA.



  • chriz said:

    No Silvio for Texas. Self says hopefully within a week, but I presume he’s just saying that to put a bit of pressure on the NCAA.

    ya like I put on here earlier probably the 2nd week in January more looking like the Iowa State game probably - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • Pretty hard to believe we’re going to put a championship team together in January.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    I believe the rule is pretty clear, one season is just that, one season; not one half season but ONE season from beginning to end.



  • @JayHawkFanToo Ok, attacking it a different way. Silvio’s birthday is Oct. 7. He turned 19 on October 7. He had not graduated from high school on October 7. The NBA season started on Oct. 17. That means, per the rule (arguably) that he would have been eligible for the NBA draft once the NBA season concluded. It could be argued that his normal class was when he was 18 (graduating in May of 2017). Of course, this a prospective eligibility argument. But that’s how it happens anyway because folks apply for the draft before the NBA season concludes anyway. I get that he has actually now graduated. But that’s what legal arguments are about. And I know it says “one season.” I do see that. But, again, that’s what legal arguments are about. I checked. Some NBA teams have played less than 40% of the season so far. The rule doesn’t say one “FULL” NBA season.

    My point is until we here something definitive, I’d say there’s wiggle room there.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    Technically his class will not graduate until the end of the spring. He happened to graduate early because in his native country school start at the beginning of the calendar year and ends towards the end.

    It could be argued that his normal class was when he was 18 (graduating in May of 2017).

    There is no age that I know that dictates when a student graduating class is. It is when he completes the required course work to graduate, normally a period of 4 years of HS. Many student graduate at 17 or even younger (Svi, Doke) and have to wait 2 years in college until they turn 19, even when his graduating class is one year old or older. Others graduate when they are well over 19 and the age requirement no longer applies only the one year class wait.

    Here, school runs someway parallel to the NBA season so the end of the school year is before the start of the NBA season and the end of the school years is close to the end of the NBA season so the one year wait is normally not an issue.

    If the NBA allows him to apply for the draft with less than a full season wait, we might see lots of top older prospects suddenly start graduating early and having to go to college for only half a useless season; I don’t believe schools would go for that. If KU thought he would be going to the NBA at the end of the season, I am sure they would not waste the time and effort since it would make a further mockery of the system that is almost there anyway with the OADs.



  • I’d be surprised if Silvio is good enough to OAD. He originally signed for next season, so I highly doubt he plans to bolt so soon. I believe Thon Maker went pro after playing for a prep school for a year. Did Silvio go to prep school or just a couple different high schools? If no prep-school he hasn’t graduated early enough to go to the NBA draft this season anyway.



  • @dylans

    Thon Maker went to a Canadian Prep School for a “fifth” year, so his class had technically already graduated and he was old enough and I indicated at the time that it was likely that he would jump to the NBA, which he did. Not quite the same situation with Silvio whose class will technically graduate at the end of the school year (May-June).


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