Silvio is cleared!
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Wooo huge
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@BShark Put Mitch back at his natural position and his offense gets better, guaranteed.
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I still don’t think he is a player that we ever want starting but I agree.
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@BShark You mean Mitch, I assume?
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I expect Silvio will be an impact player at some time in his stay in Larryville. His impact this year will be keeping Dok a little fresher and not having to play Mitch at the 5.
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So, is it unreasonable to think that before DeSousa officially got his grades and test score, the “eligibility” stuff should have been fully readied and addressed? Maybe it was. But as I recall Self’s quotes, I never recall him mentioning this issue before, or alluding to it, until his mention of a possible “appeal” a few days ago. We should all just assume we’re dealing with a plunge into the abyss of NCAA eligibility until we actually see him playing. It’s easier that way.
@Texas-Hawk-10 @BShark Put Mitch back at his natural position and he still shouldn’t be playing this season (assuming we’re playing to win a national title). That’s really the larger point. Self, at the very best, had him slotted in as the 4th big behind Doke, Preston, and Whitman, and possibly the 5th with Coleby still in the mix.
I know we like to talk about him being out of position, but when you’re in the true 4 spot, you are called upon to score in the post – see all the 4s that came before him. In fact, that has been the primary role of 4s in Self’s offense. Can we agree that Mitch’s post-scoring game is pretty much nothing? Further, in the current offense, nothing stops the 5 from stepping away from the basket, either. Mitch is just not ready to be an offensive player with any depth or consistency.
Mitch has been fine on defense, given his lack of size. He has done an admirable job being forced into action before he’s really ready. Where would we be without his play this season? We just need better play there.
The best we can hope for is that Mitch becomes more irrelevant this season, that he is permitted to red-shirt next season, and perhaps we have a better player by his final two seasons.
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@BShark Mitch is having to play out of position, and is simply not ready for meaningful minutes. He made mistake after mistake in the Stanford game. I would like to see the team get to the point where Mitch is playing a few minutes at the end of games. He’s going to definitely get better, but he’s simply overmatched backing up Doke.
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Mitch has exerted very good effort. And yeah, it would be great if one or both of these two power forwards who are awaiting eligibility could get cleared. In the meantime we must count on Mitch for Doke’s relief. But if Mitch could earn a few minutes per game to finish this season, then grab a red shirt while his body catches up with his determination, he could post decent numbers his last two years. On one of Doke’s scores vs. Stanford, Reid Travis applied a body hit which would have sent Mitch flying into the 3rd row of seats. Doke was barely jostled aside. Play beneath the bucket becomes brutal. In retrospect, Frank Mason was a true crusader, drawing all those fouls when he roared to the rim. Current guards just aren’t built or disposed to threaten that area. Mitch has been a real trooper, bumping with the brutes. Svi is becoming more of a threat to score down low, now as the season moves forth. If we get two bruisers into the lineup our guards might find clearance to do some damage low in the paint.
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Lightfoot might be better off playing as a stretch PF rather than a close to the basket one. He is shooting 50% from the 3, best on the team; a little stat that gets overlooked.
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Good news, I’m not sure how much help he will be right off the bat. It may take a month before he figures out how Self does things but will come in handy when we have foul trouble. Mitch had best stop with the fouls and turnovers (4 fouls, 3 turnovers Thursday in 13 scoreless minutes) or he many see most his minutes disappear bye February. We already know De Sousa is bigger, faster and stronger than Mitch.
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dylans said:
I expect Silvio will be an impact player at some time in his stay in Larryville. His impact this year will be keeping Dok a little fresher and not having to play Mitch at the 5.
Yes I meant Mitch. I expect Silvio to be extremely good in year 2 and maybe 3.
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HighEliteMajor said:
So, is it unreasonable to think that before DeSousa officially got his grades and test score, the “eligibility” stuff should have been fully readied and addressed? Maybe it was. But as I recall Self’s quotes, I never recall him mentioning this issue before, or alluding to it, until his mention of a possible “appeal” a few days ago. We should all just assume we’re dealing with a plunge into the abyss of NCAA eligibility until we actually see him playing. It’s easier that way.
@Texas-Hawk-10 @BShark Put Mitch back at his natural position and he still shouldn’t be playing this season (assuming we’re playing to win a national title). That’s really the larger point. Self, at the very best, had him slotted in as the 4th big behind Doke, Preston, and Whitman, and possibly the 5th with Coleby still in the mix.
I know we like to talk about him being out of position, but when you’re in the true 4 spot, you are called upon to score in the post – see all the 4s that came before him. In fact, that has been the primary role of 4s in Self’s offense. Can we agree that Mitch’s post-scoring game is pretty much nothing? Further, in the current offense, nothing stops the 5 from stepping away from the basket, either. Mitch is just not ready to be an offensive player with any depth or consistency.
Mitch has been fine on defense, given his lack of size. He has done an admirable job being forced into action before he’s really ready. Where would we be without his play this season? We just need better play there.
The best we can hope for is that Mitch becomes more irrelevant this season, that he is permitted to red-shirt next season, and perhaps we have a better player by his final two seasons.
Literally every single player has to be cleared. Generally it happens before the start of the basketball season but of course this is a different situation due to Silvio coming at the semester break.
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JayHawkFanToo said:
Lightfoot might be better off playing as a stretch PF rather than a close to the basket one. He is shooting 50% from the 3, best on the team; a little stat that gets overlooked.
On 8 attempts.
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Better than 2 attempts, right? His 3 point shooting average last year was 66.7%.
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@HighEliteMajor DeSousa did not finish classes until Wednesday. Because his original plan wasn’t to graduate early, he’s having to try and speed up the process of going through the Eligibility Center instead of the normal timeframe for a basketball player which is finding out in the spring about their eligibility. The NCAA needed his complete transcript from IMG and Wednesday is the earliest they could’ve gotten that because that’s when IMG’s fall semester ended.
As for Lightfoot, he’ll never be a natural low post player, that’s just not what his game is. He’s a poor man’s Perry Ellis on offense and a better version of Perry on defense. He needs to be a face up player on the perimeter to showcase the offensive skills he does have. His long term value to Kansas basketball is never going to on offense though, it will always be on defense being a nuisance defender amd blocking shots.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 @BShark Did you know that a high school can submit a six-semester transcript? Thus the issues that may arise with prior places of education (such as overseas) can be addressed before the final year’s transcript is submitted. That is what I was referring to. If there are “issues”, this stuff should have already been submitted. I recall reviewing that when the Diallo deal was full tilt.
One note on Lightfoot, his blocked shots are much like Traylor’s. Most are when he would come in as a second defender. I know no one has called him a rim protector or anything like that, just point out the difference in the blocks – compared to Mickelson, or Withey, etc.
And really, we don’t know what his three point ability might develop to be. He could end up being an excellent three point shooter on high attempts. Most stretch 4s get squared up looks (much like Ellis got). I have just thought his best opportunity to be a major contributor was years 4 and 5. Good guy to have on the roster long term, and obviously a necessity this season.
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JayHawkFanToo said:
Better than 2 attempts, right? His 3 point shooting average last year was 66.7%.
Ha.
It can definitely be a part of his game going forward. If he can become a reliable jump shooter his JR/SR year that will really help him get minutes. I still think him redshirting next year would be best if he would be the 5th or 6th post player.
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KUSTEVE said:
@BShark Mitch is having to play out of position, and is simply not ready for meaningful minutes. He made mistake after mistake in the Stanford game. I would like to see the team get to the point where Mitch is playing a few minutes at the end of games. He’s going to definitely get better, but he’s simply overmatched backing up Doke.
seems to me that everyone on the team has made mistake after mistake at one point or another this season. - BUT having said that does the Name TJ Pugh ring a bell?- -I love Mitch, like someone said . - plays with a lot of determination BUT poor ol Mitch, just DOES NOT have the body build to battle against quality big’s at this point. Next year it would really be in his best interest to sit a year and give himself 100 % to Hudy. - I feel with some bulk Mitch in his final two years can be a really solid reserve for us and help the team for sure.
At this point this is just TJ Pugh II - in a Mitch Lightfoot body. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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HighEliteMajor said:
@Texas-Hawk-10 @BShark Did you know that a high school can submit a six-semester transcript? Thus the issues that may arise with prior places of education (such as overseas) can be addressed before the final year’s transcript is submitted. That is what I was referring to. If there are “issues”, this stuff should have already been submitted. I recall reviewing that when the Diallo deal was full tilt.
One note on Lightfoot, his blocked shots are much like Traylor’s. Most are when he would come in as a second defender. I know no one has called him a rim protector or anything like that, just point out the difference in the blocks – compared to Mickelson, or Withey, etc.
And really, we don’t know what his three point ability might develop to be. He could end up being an excellent three point shooter on high attempts. Most stretch 4s get squared up looks (much like Ellis got). I have just thought his best opportunity to be a major contributor was years 4 and 5. Good guy to have on the roster long term, and obviously a necessity this season.
Thankfully this isn’t like the Diallo situation. De Sousa went to a real school here. The Diallo situation was a hot mess and we knew that going in. Have not read the same kind of things about Silvio.
As for Lightfoot, I strongly agree. Great kid to have around and could really contribute to a good team year 4/5.
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@HighEliteMajor I think the appeal comment was more a reference to those test scores that have recently been obtained. The NCAA looks for test scores that are commensurate with a student’s prior academic achievement, and won’t grant eligibility if a student’s test scores are way out of line (high or low). Whether there is a minimum acceptable score is not at issue in this level of review, unlike school acceptance cut-offs.
Since our new player is also submitting to scrutiny of his foreign classes, there may be heightened scrutiny of how his test scores correlate to his transcripts. I think Self was just trying to anticipate potential roadblocks that schools have seen come up with foreign players where the NCAA does not have lots of similar students and schools against which to compare, not suggesting there were unaddressed problems.
Unlike fall enrollees, there has not been the normal amount of time for all of this to have been submitted since this possibility really only started being seriously discussed mid-semester with test scores still being awaited. There is absolutely no reason to think the staff has not done everything it could in as expeditious a fashion as possible.
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@HighEliteMajor Perfect summation. Lightfoot, to me, is a 3/4 tweener, & still developing. Outta position at the 5, agree. But at least he’s an athlete, compared to our 1 big last year.
Mitch Lightfoot attempting to 1-hand tomahawk jam on top of people told me all I need to know about him…let him develop. There’s all sorts of “6’8”, just like there’s various 6’4: Brady vs Malik vs EJ vs Langford…
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@Texas-Hawk-10 But dont you think Jr/Sr version of Lightfoot could be like those 6’8 Wisc guys of recent seasons? I keep hoping that would be his ballpark ceiling…
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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.
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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…?
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@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.’
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@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.
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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.
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@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.
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@truehawk93 I’m very optimistic bud
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@Ralster Good to see you back again!
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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.
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@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.
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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.
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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
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@JayHawkFanToo In the same damned car he cannot drive straight?
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At that point, does it really matter? If he gets an agent he can probably get a chauffeur.
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@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/
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I’m still into this season, but next season’s roster is pretty interesting. Somehow, someway, we need to make sure Doke is back.
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Are we still in on Romeo and Zion? What’s our ceiling without one of them?
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If silvio plays for us this half year would he be eligible to declare for draft?
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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!
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I believe his graduating class has to be one year removed which will not be the case for Silvio.
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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
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@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)
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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.
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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
