Kansas Jayhawks Basketball

The Kansas Jayhawks have filed an appeal to the NCAA regarding suspended forward Silvio De Sousa, per Matt Tait of KUsports.com. 

Kansas Athletics issued a statement on the matter, via Tait: "The University of Kansas today submitted its formal appeal on behalf of men's basketball student-athlete Silvio De Sousa, challenging the two-season penalty De Sousa received from the NCAA for alleged violations that he was unaware of and from which he did not benefit."

Kansas held De Sousa out at the beginning of the 2018-19 season after former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified that he paid $2,500 to De Sousa's guardian, Fenny Falmagne. The NCAA followed that up by ruling the sophomore ineligible through the 2019-20 season in February.

That ban came less than one month after De Sousa's attorney, Scott Tompsett, demanded the NCAA reinstate his client as the player had cooperated with the investigation and did not commit any wrongdoing himself.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self criticized the lengthy suspension in a statement back in February, per ESPN:

"In my 30-plus years of coaching college basketball, I have never witnessed such a mean-spirited and vindictive punishment against a young man who did nothing wrong. To take away his opportunity to play college basketball is shameful and a failure of the NCAA.

"Silvio is a tremendous young man who absolutely deserves to be on the court with his teammates in a Jayhawk uniform. This process took way too long to address these issues. We will support Silvio as he considers his options."

The NCAA defended the punishment, saying that student-athletes are held responsible for any improper benefits received during the recruiting process whether they are aware of the violations or not, per ESPN: "Membership guidelines state the starting point for these violations is permanent ineligibility, but the NCAA staff recognized mitigation based on the specific circumstances of this case when making its decision."

De Sousa did not play in any games this past season, which saw Kansas go 26-10 and make it to the second round of the 2019 NCAA tournament.

According to Tait, Self said on Tuesday night that he is "still holding out for hope" that De Sousa will ultimately be cleared to play for the Jayhawks again at some point.

A 4-star recruit in the class of 2017, De Sousa averaged 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game as a freshman in 2017-18. He was not able to debut until January 2018 as he waited for the NCAA to certify his amateur status. He played in 20 games in his first season on campus.

Self let it be known in a recent interview with Tait that he would encourage De Sousa to consider entering the 2019 NBA draft rather than wait for a ruling from the NCAA. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is April 22.

Kansas power forward Dedric Lawson is reportedly planning to hire an agent with the intent of forgoing his senior season with the Jayhawks to enter the 2019 NBA draft.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported the update on Saturday.

Lawson spent the first two years of his collegiate career with the Memphis Tigers before transferring to Kansas in April 2017. He sat out the 2017-18 season because of the NCAA's transfer policy.

The 21-year-old Tennessee native's first campaign with the Jayhawks was a rousing success. He averaged 19.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three, across 36 appearances.

His decision comes after his older brother, Jayhawks guard K.J. Lawson, entered the NCAA transfer portal to explore his options as a graduate transfer.

Although Dedric wasn't prepared to discuss his future after KU was eliminated from the NCAA tournament by Auburn in the second round, Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl offered high praise of the forward.

"Oh, I love Dedric," Pearl told reporters. "He's a pro. He's got an old-school game, scores inside and out. He's got to work a little bit defensively, get a little stronger, move a little bit better, but he's got a great future. I'm happy for him."

He's listed as the No. 66 overall prospect in the projected 2019 draft class by NBAdraft.net.

Lawson would benefit from adding a little more power to his 6'9'', 235-pound frame, but his well-rounded skill set and strong production at Kansas suggests he'll be ready to make a quick impact as a reserve in the NBA.

In turn, it wouldn't be a surprise to see his stock improve throughout the draft process.

Kansas Jayhawks redshirt sophomore K.J. Lawson will transfer after two years with the program, according to Stadium's Jeff Goodman. 

K.J. transferred to Kansas in April 2017 along with his brother Dedric after spending two years with the Memphis Tigers. The Lawson brothers had to sit out the 2017-18 campaign upon their arrival to Lawrence.

He earned a medical redshirt in his first year at Memphis after playing in just 10 games due to an Achilles injury. He was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year as a redshirt freshman in 2016-17 after averaging 12.3 points per game for the Tigers.

In his first year on the court for the Jayhawks, Lawson averaged 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds while playing just 9.9 minutes per game. He shot 45.3 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from three-point range.

"I mean, how can you judge someone off 4 or 7 minutes a game?" Lawson told Jack Johnson of the University Daily Kansan back in February. "You have to judge them [with] the measurements you're judging other players."

He added, per Johnson: "I am a confident guy. When I get the confidence going, I am a much better player."

Lawson had more opportunities to show what he could do over the course of the second half of the season and averaged 18.5 minutes per game in the 2019 NCAA tournament. He recorded 13 points and three rebounds while logging 23 minutes in a first-round victory over the 13th-seeded Northeastern Huskies.

No. 5 Auburn is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003 after an 89-75 upset win over No. 4 Kansas in Round 2 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The Tigers (28-9) put on a show offensively in Saturday's win in Salt Lake City, shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 13-of-30 from three-point range. Bryce Brown was a big part of the success with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.

The outside shooting once again helped Auburn get into the win column, extending their winning streak to 10 games. 

Since Auburn got throttled by Kentucky on Feb. 23, the Tigers have won 10 games in a row. During that stretch, they've scored 1.18 points per possession and hit 12.2 3s per game. Both of those would rank in the top-three nationally over the course of a full season.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 24, 2019

Dedric Lawson helped Kansas (26-10) stay competitive with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to extend the Jayhawks' unlucky season. Although another win could have made the squad effectively a home team in Kansas City next weekend; it simply wasn't in the cards for the Big 12 squad. 

 

Auburn was nearly flawless offensively, taking control early with an incredible performance out of the gate.

The team dictated the tempo and knocked down most of its three-pointers, going 9-of-17 from beyond the arc in the first half alone to go up 51-25 at intermission.

Auburn is off to a 🔥 start! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/s6C0se6P9k

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2019

Auburn came READY! 🔥

15-5 lead in the first 5 mins of play!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/yzB7hX8eHR

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2019

The Tigers were also able to do damage inside the arc when the opportunity presented itself.

Auburn with one-handed highlights on BOTH ends of the floor. pic.twitter.com/aLYPKN4PDC

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 24, 2019

Tear droppin'. Buzzer beatin'. pic.twitter.com/Mrp1wvqnZW

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 24, 2019

Kansas coach Bill Self was forced to call three timeouts in the first 11:03 of the game.

Auburn continued to pour it on while putting the Jayhawks in an unfamiliar position:

Kansas' largest-ever halftime deficit in the NCAAT was 15 (Nova last year), per the broadcast.

Auburn is beating Kansas by TWENTY-SIX.

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 24, 2019

Considering Kansas has played 155 tournament games, this is no small feat.

The Jayhawks were much better offensively in the second half, making their first seven shots after halftime while needing only eight minutes to double their scoring. They finished the half shooting 61.3 percent from the field while scoring 50 points.

Unfortunately, they just couldn't keep Auburn off the scoreboard.

The Tigers continued to knock down three-pointers while also keeping the energy level high with some big dunks:

Kansas was never able to cut the score to single digits in the entire second half with the game never really being in doubt. The Jayhawks were extremely thin toward the end of the season and it finally caught up to them while being eliminated in the second round.

Meanwhile, four players finished in double figures for Auburn, which showed just how dangerous it can be when the shots are falling.

     

What's Next?

Things will only get tougher for Auburn, which could face North Carolina in the next round if the No. 1 seed gets by No. 9 Washington on Sunday.

Dedric Lawson says he feels good, but his voice betrays him. His normally smooth Southern accent has vanished in this phone call, and instead he sounds like Patrick Mahomes shouting into a fast food speaker box. Then he clears his throat and admits in a softer voice: "Well, I do have a little cold, but my body feels good."

That Lawson can still stand is something of a miracle for Kansas. Perhaps no player in the Big 12 has carried a larger load for his team than the 6'9", 235-pound forward has for the Jayhawks. When Lawson and I first met in October, Kansas was the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. Lawson hoped and expected that the offense would flow through him, but he was thrilled to be playing for such a deep squad. The roster was jam-packed with returning contributors, high-major transfers and 4- or 5-star freshmen. In fact, in crowning Kansas No. 1, the AP wrote that there "might not be enough minutes to go around."

As the NCAA tournament approaches, that line looks closer to a curse than a prophecy. Kansas has tumbled to No. 17 in the AP poll and fell short of its 15th-straight Big 12 regular-season championship in part because it has been plagued by roster problems. Silvio De Sousa hasn't seen the floor due to an ongoing NCAA inquiry into impermissible benefits. Udoka Azubuike was lost for the season after sustaining a hand injury in a January practice. Lagerald Vick will not return to the team after leaving to deal with a personal matter in February. And the top-30 freshmen—Quentin Grimes, David McCormack and Devon Dotson—have endured so many growing pains that coach Bill Self burned 4-star freshman wing Ochai Agbaji's redshirt to give his team a lift he never thought it would need.

Through it all, Lawson has been Kansas' constant. He transferred to one of the country's premier programs with a purpose: He wanted to show that he could post the same numbers in the Power 5 that he was able to in the AAC. And he wanted to prove that his poor performance at the NBA Draft Combine in 2016 didn't matter compared to what he could do on the court. The results? Lawson has played 32.7 minutes per night and averaged a double-double. According to kenpom.com, he's among the top 15 players in the Big 12 in percentage of minutes played, usage rate, true-shooting percentage, offensive and defensive rebounding rate, block percentage, fouls drawn per 40 minutes and free-throw shooting percentage.

"Whenever we need a basket or a rebound," assistant coach Jerrance Howard said, "we lean on him. Every time his number is called, he produces. He's kept us all together. He's been our backbone."

---

Dedric Lawson's first college choice was clear from the start. He is the second born in the first family of Memphis basketball. His father and mother, Keelon and Dedra, played collegiately and coached in the city. His older brother, K.J., was a consensus top-50 recruit. Dedric was top 40. Younger brothers Chandler, a senior in high school and future Oregon Duck, and Johnathan, a freshman, are 4-star prospects. And their cousin, D.J. Jeffries, is a 4-star Memphis signee.

Back in the fall of 2013, when K.J. was a junior in high school, he committed to Josh Pastner at Memphis. The following July, in a controversial move that has become almost commonplace in college basketball, Pastner hired Keelon as an assistant coach. A couple months later, Dedric, then a junior, decided to reclassify and join his brother and father on the Tigers a year early. "There really wasn't that much to it," Dedric said. "When he committed and then my dad became a coach, I just thought, 'Well, I might as well commit, too.'"

K.J.'s freshman season was cut short by an Achilles injury, but Dedric was dominant. He averaged 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds in 32.4 minutes a night and entered the NBA draft in April. But the combine did not go according to plan. DraftExpress dubbed him "the worst athlete" at the event. His lane agility, three-quarter court sprint and shuttle run were among the slowest recorded that year, and he failed to make a single three-pointer in Chicago.

"We knew the things they were going to say," K.J. said. "We never lifted weights until the 12th grade. Things like that don't matter, but it matters to them [NBA teams]. Dedric has always been motivated, and he's always been a great talent with a great work ethic, but what happened at the combine definitely added fuel to the fire."

Dedric hadn't hired an agent, so he was free to return to school. He did so with a new level of determination. But the school had changed that summer, too. Gone was Pastner, who fled to Georgia Tech before potentially being fired. In was Tubby Smith, the old-school coach who took Keelon off the bench and relegated him to Director of Player Development. Dedric increased his output to 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds in 34.5 minutes per game, and K.J. won the AAC Newcomer of the Year Award. Even though he improved in efficiency and output, Dedric still felt the same doubts about his game. He's only putting up numbers because he's playing in the American, his critics would say. And after missing the NCAA tournament for another season, he and his brother chose to transfer.

That summer, a Snapchat video circulated showing K.J. shouting, "Fuck Tubby!" For his part, Dedric said the decision to leave wasn't easy but also that it wasn't personal. "It was fun playing at Memphis," he said. "My dad was on staff and my brother was on the team, and my mom always came to games with my little brothers. ... But there was a coaching change, and it was different. I wanted to make the tournament and try to win a national championship."

The brothers had no shortage of suitors on the transfer market, but they eventually chose between playing for Pastner again at Georgia Tech and trying something new with Bill Self at Kansas. "It really wasn't a hard pitch with them," Self said. "When you think of Dedric, you throw K.J. in there, too, because they weren't entertaining options where they both couldn't come. We weren't in on their first recruitment (in high school), and there were a lot of rumors about the mom and the dad, and questions about: 'Does the dad want a job?' There was none of that. None. They were probably—I don't want to use the word easy, but they were low-maintenance to convince them this was the best spot."

In his transfer year, Dedric transformed his body. He'd weighed as much as 248 pounds at Memphis, but he trimmed down to 230 by cutting fried foods and sugary drinks (Chick-fil-A and lemonade were the hardest to quit) and committing to a rigorous training program. He battled against big men Azubuike and Mitch Lightfoot in practice all year, but he also stayed behind in the gym to steady his three-point stroke.

And when March arrived, Lawson got a taste of what he'd come to Kansas for—the NCAA tournament. When the Jayhawks landed in San Antonio for the Final Four and were greeted by the band playing the team's fight song on the runway, Lawson vowed that he'd guide them back this season—only this time, it would be his team. "It was bittersweet going to the Final Four," he said. "Against Villanova [which beat the Jayhawks 95-79 in the national semifinals], I think I could have helped out a little bit and given us a better chance to win. This year I want to say that I did help us win. I want to help us get back to the Final Four."

---

There has been only one challenge this year that Lawson didn't feel he was fit to face—contrast bath therapy. After games, Lawson plunges into an ice bath for five minutes. Then he shivers out and dives into a hot tub for another five minutes. He repeats the brutal baptism twice more before he hops out and starts the long process toward feeling his limbs again. "Let's just say," he said, "it stings."

In the preseason, no one could have predicted that Lawson would have to withstand the kind of workload he carries now. Self's main preseason problem was figuring out how to "play small when we play big," as he described it. "And it's Dedric who allows you to do that. When you play two guys close to the basket, it can make for a crowded house with not enough driving lanes. But Dedric is bright enough and understands the game well enough that you can plug him in as your 1, 2, 3 or 4 on the perimeter, and still give Udoka space underneath."

The early results were promising. Kansas knocked off top-10 teams Michigan State and Tennessee on the road, and beat defending national champion Villanova at home. But absent Azubuike, the Jayhawks fell at Arizona State and then embarked on the always-brutal Big 12 slate. "Every team's game plan became: How do we stop Dedric," Howard said. "They wanted to be physical with him, and they wanted to push him. But mentally and physically he measured up. ... I think he means more to us than any other player means to any other team."

As injuries, inquiries and inexperience eroded the Jayhawks rotation, the coaches began pushing Lawson out to the perimeter. The move helped stop defenses from trapping him in the post, and it allowed Lawson to show off his downhill driving ability, ball-handling skills and point-guard-esque vision. "Passing may be the best thing he does," Howard said. "He's got the vision of a point guard. When you talk about him in the NBA, I think he'll have a chance to make it and play for a long time because of his skill level. He's showing that now."

Lawson will still face plenty of traps on the path to the NBA. There's no question he is an elite college player, but he lacks game-changing athleticism and a natural position at the next level. Scouts don't think he'll be quick enough to defend NBA wings, and they wonder if he'll be able to battle with 4s in the paint. Still, he'll almost certainly get a shot to prove he can produce in the NBA Summer League. When asked about his individual achievements, the normally loquacious Lawson went quiet. He did admit he was happy to remind everyone about the kind of basketball player he was this year. And he believes his seamless transition from Memphis to Kansas is further proof that he'll be able to make it as a pro, too.

"There's no doubt I proved the doubters wrong," he said. "A lot of people said that playing at Memphis is not the same as playing at a Power 5 conference. I came to a Power 5 conference and did the same thing I've always done. I'm proud of myself, and the way I played individually, but we fell short of the team goals. Now what I want most is to win out."

Kansas was statistically eliminated from the Big 12 regular-season championship chase in a loss at Oklahoma in early March. Lawson took out his frustration on the Baylor Bears in Kansas' regular-season finale, scoring 23 points on 14 shots and picking up 14 rebounds. But rather than congratulate Lawson on another stellar performance, Self told his star that he could have scored 30. Lawson looked his coach back in the eye and accepted the challenge. Even after a season of doing everything for the Jayhawks, Dedric Lawson still wants more.

The NCAA is currently investigating the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball and football programs, according to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd.

Dodd noted an NCAA enforcement official has made a trip to the Lawrence, Kansas, campus while looking into the basketball program, though head coach Bill Self has not been interviewed.

Dan Wetzel, Pat Forde and Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported in November 2018 that the federal government has given the NCAA clearance to investigate individual schools for potential violations.

Dodd reported last month Kansas officials were growing worried a formal infractions case was in the works after the NCAA ruled sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa must sit out the remainder of the 2018-19 basketball season as well as next season after his guardian received payments from a university booster and agent.

The NCAA found De Sousa's guardian had received $2,500 from an agent and booster and had agreed to accept an additional $20,000 from the same person and an Adidas employee for leading the player to Kansas during the recruiting process.

Kansas assistant basketball coach Kurtis Townsend was also caught on a wiretap recording discussing payment for prized recruit Zion Williamson, who ultimately committed to Duke.

The Jayhawks also have been linked to an FBI investigation into college athletics via Brian Bowen Sr., the father of former recruit Brian Bowen. Bowen testified, according to Wetzel, that the University of Louisville offered him $100,000 for his son to play for the Cardinals because that's what Kansas paid to land Billy Preston.

Preston never appeared in a regular-season game for the Jayhawks due to an eligibility issue.

Dodd noted that former Kansas football coach David Beaty was interviewed by the NCAA in late February as part of an investigation in regards to possible wrongdoing by an assistant coach. Beaty filed a $3 million lawsuit against the university earlier this week, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, for allegedly being fired without cause last November.

For the first time in 15 years, Kansas will not earn a share of the Big 12 regular-season title.

The Jayhawks suffered an 81-68 loss to Oklahoma on Tuesday, which will officially prevent them from earning a share of the conference's regular-season championship. The team had at least tied for first place in each of the last 14 seasons dating back to 2004-05.

https://twitter.com/mikekatzif/status/1103139731871854592

The loss dropped Kansas to 11-6 on the season in Big 12 play with one game against Baylor still to go.

Texas Tech and Kansas State are currently tied for first place with 13-4 conference records. Texas Tech will travel Iowa State for its regular-season finale on Saturday, while Kansas State will try to clinch a title at home against Oklahoma.

While Kansas couldn't keep its streak going, it was a remarkable accomplishment:

Let us stand back and behold how incredible it was that Kansas won or shared 14 straight conference titles. An incredible accomplishment in an era with such intense roster turnover. All good things must end!

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 6, 2019

https://twitter.com/JasonKingBR/status/1103141765308133376

Last time Kansas failed to win the Big 12, the AP All-American team was Josh Childress, Ryan Gomes, Jameer Nelson, Emeka Okafor and Lawrence Roberts. Luol Deng and Chris Paul won freshman of the year awards and Paul Millsap led the NCAA with 12.5 rebounds per game.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 6, 2019

February 3, 1959: The Day the Music Died

March 5, 2019: The Day the Streak Died

This is March.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 6, 2019

Head coach Bill Self took over the program in 2003-04, and he was able to tie Oklahoma for the Big 12 title in his second season. He kept it going for an incredible stretch, which also featured eight conference tournament titles, three Final Four appearances and one NCAA title.

Unfortunately, things haven't gone quite as smoothly this season.

The team lost a lot of production to the NBA last year and struggled with depth after the NCAA ruled Silvio De Sousa ineligible. The squad then suffered a major setback when senior center Udoka Azubuike suffered a season-ending hand injury in early January, while Lagerald Vick's recent leave of absence was seemingly the final straw.

Kansas can still be dangerous in the NCAA tournament thanks to Dedric Lawson and plenty of young talent, but this group couldn't quite live up to the level of past Jayhawks squads.  

The Kansas Jayhawks announced Thursday that senior guard Lagerald Vick will take a leave of absence from the team effective immediately.

"Lagerald has some personal matters that require his immediate attention and he will be taking a leave of absence from our team," head coach Bill Self said. "During this time, we will respect Lagerald's privacy. There is no timetable for his return."

"We need him here for a couple weeks," Vick's mother La La told Gary Bedore of the Kansas City Star. "I need him. There’s a lot going on. It’ll work out.”

Vick is the team's second-leading scorer with an average of 14.1 points per game and has appeared in all 23 contests to this point of the season.

As the only senior on the roster, Vick also provides the type of experience otherwise not available when he is gone.

This news also comes at a terrible time for Kansas, which has lost four of its last six games to drop to 17-6 on the season. The Jayhawks are now 6-4 in conference and their streak of 14 straight Big 12 regular-season titles is in jeopardy.

The team was already light on depth even with Vick in the lineup—only eight men played more than one minute in Tuesday's loss to Kansas State—and now the remaining rotation will have to handle an even bigger load.

Kansas' next game is set for Saturday at home against Oklahoma State.

The NCAA ruled Friday that Kansas sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa is ineligible for the remainder of the 2018-19 season and for the entire 2019-20 season.

In a statement released by the NCAA, it was found that De Sousa's guardian accepted a $2,500 payment from an agent and Kansas booster. De Sousa's guardian also agreed to accept a future payment of $20,000 from the agent and an Adidas employee for getting De Sousa to commit to Kansas.

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, Kansas head coach Bill Self ripped the NCAA's decision:

"In my 30-plus years of coaching college basketball, I have never witnessed such a mean-spirited and vindictive punishment against a young man who did nothing wrong. To take away his opportunity to play college basketball is shameful and a failure of the NCAA. Silvio is a tremendous young man who absolutely deserves to be on the court with his teammates in a Jayhawk uniform. This process took way too long to address these issues. We will support Silvio as he considers his options."

Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star provided a statement from Kansas athletic director Jeff Long saying the school plans to appeal:

KU releases statement. AD Jeff Long says school will appeal. Says he's "shocked and incensed" by NCAA decision. pic.twitter.com/0FgXnvPFKh

— Jesse Newell (@jessenewell) February 1, 2019

De Sousa has not played this season while awaiting word on his eligibility.

Both Jeff Goodman of Stadium and Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic joined Self in questioning the NCAA's decision:

I would be SHOCKED if Silvio De Sousa had any clue that his guardian was taking money. NCAA needs to get a clue on some of these decisions. Just crushing kids instead of trying to help them.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 1, 2019

https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1091476743695855618

As part of its statement, the NCAA noted student-athletes are considered responsible for the action of a third party if they involve them in their recruiting process regardless of whether they are aware of improper benefits being dispersed.

Last season as a freshman, De Sousa averaged 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game for the Jayhawks.

The Angola native performed well in key games down the stretch, including registering 16 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas' Big 12 Championship Game win over West Virginia.

De Sousa also had nine points and six rebounds against Clemson in the Sweet 16, four points and 10 rebounds against Duke in the Elite Eight and seven points and seven rebounds in a Final Four loss to Villanova.

He was expected to be a key part of the roster in 2018-19 after 247Sports ranked him as the No. 32 overall player and No. 10 power forward in the 2017 class.

De Sousa's ineligibility is a major blow to Kansas since center Udoka Azubuike is out for the remainder of the season due to injury.

The No. 11 Jayhawks have lost three of their past four games and are currently 16-5 on the season.

De Sousa can appeal the NCAA's decision to the Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee.

Two days into the New Year, Kansas welcomed Oklahoma to Allen Fieldhouse and embarked on its annual quest to capture the Big 12 title.

After 14 years, Kansas' streak has become something of a college basketball cliche. The last time a team other than the Jayhawks won the conference, Georgia Tech was in the Final Four, LeBron James was a rookie in Cleveland and Donald Trump was starring in the first season of The Apprentice. Now, the streak is older than some of the high school prospects Kansas is beginning to recruit.

But streaks, like rules, are meant to be broken. No team can dominate indefinitely. And with under three minutes left against Oklahoma, the Sooners appeared to have Kansas on the ropes. They were down by six points but on a 9-2 run during which Kansas' offense had stagnated. To generate some scoring, the Jayhawks ran an offensive set through freshman Quentin Grimes on the right wing. But as Grimes rounded the corner and drove into the lane, Oklahoma guard Aaron Calixte popped the ball loose. For a brief second, it seemed like the latest disappointment for Grimes.

The most highly touted prospect of Kansas coach Bill Self's spectacular 2018 class, the 6'5", 210-pound guard began his Kansas career with an incredible splash. He dropped 21 points on 14 shots against Michigan State in the Champions Classic, and then followed that up with 10 points and 10 assists against Vermont. But the rest of 2018 was something of a struggle. Grimes only scored in double figures two more times in 10 tries. His offensive rating coming into the Oklahoma game was a paltry 82.2, according to kenpom.com, making him the only Jayhawks starter with a mark south of 100. And this was his third turnover of the night.

Then, as quickly as he lost the ball, he forced it loose again. In the ensuing scramble, he dove to the floor, slid between the legs of an Oklahoma forward and somehow, with two Sooners crashing into him, slipped a pass to his point guard, Devon Dotson. Dotson drove in for an and-1, and the Jayhawks coasted to the win. After the game, Self called Grimes' effort "the best play he's made all year."

After losing a road game against unranked Iowa State on Jan. 5 and losing center Udoka Azubuike to a season-ending wrist injury, Kansas needs Grimes more than ever.

"I expect for him to impact every possession in some shape or form," Self says. "And that's a compliment to a guy. There are some guys who can only impact certain possessions in certain ways. And he can impact by passing, by vision, by IQ, by plugging himself in. Anything less than that is unacceptable and not pushing him to be who he is. He didn't come here to play half-assed. He came here to do something special."

Those who know him best insist that Grimes has a killer instinct that's ready to be revealed. Now the question is: Can it emerge in time for Kansas to keep its Big 12 streak alive? Could Quentin Grimes help Kansas return to the Final Four?

---

Marshall Grimes and Tonja Stelly, Quentin's father and mother, each played college basketball. Grimes played point guard at Santa Clara in California and later at Louisiana Lafayette, and Stelly played two seasons of forward at Fort Hayes State in Kansas before quitting basketball and transferring to KU. Together, they shared in the early joys of watching their toddler take to the sport they both loved. Despite their backgrounds, Grimes and Stelly agreed that Quentin shouldn't specialize in one sport too early. There was just one problem: Quentin had no interest in anything besides basketball.

#ROCKCHALK #KUCMB 😈🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/9Zq4oVOXe0

— Quentin Grimes (@qdotgrimes) November 16, 2017

Stelly asked him to try out for soccer every year of elementary school, but he wouldn't so much as step foot on the field. And his football career lasted less than a week. He tried out at the behest of one of his best friends, Mike Woods, who now plays wide receiver at Arkansas. Woods' dad was the assistant coach on a pee-wee team, and he encouraged Grimes to join.

"He made it three practices," Stelly says now. "He didn't even play a game before he was gone. Basketball has always been Quentin's love."

Marshall never coached Quentin, but he did help his son build his game in the backyard. Marshall began by showing Quentin the greats of his generation. They'd watch full games featuring Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, whose basketball primes ended years before Quentin was born in 2000. When either father or son saw a move that intrigued them, they'd walk outside into the Houston heat and practice until it was perfected.

But his favorite player was one he'd watched live: Kobe Bryant. Marshall and Quentin studied the Lakers star from head to toe, analyzing everything from his footwork to his shooting stroke.

"Everybody respects the older generation and how good they were," Quentin Grimes says, "but I don't know if they watch them like I do. I'm trying to work my way up to that Mamba Mentality. It'll take a while to get to that level, but I'll make it one day."

By middle school, Grimes had developed a local reputation, but his national status was still uncertain. A 2014-15 preseason blurb about College Park High School in the Houston Chronicle noted that as a freshman, he was "expected to play an important role, potentially developing into an impact player early in his career." He put up a respectable 8.8 points and 3.4 assists per game as a starter, but the pressures of that first season and a coaching change in his AAU program shook his faith in the game a bit. On the Sunday morning of Memorial Day weekend that year, Grimes told his parents he didn't want to play basketball that summer.

"Quentin was miserable," Stelly says. "The light had gone out. I'd never seen him like that. Basketball is his whole life. It's what he loves and he's passionate about it. As a parent, it was, 'Oh my gosh, what has happened?' We weren't quitters, and he had to fight through the battle. It was so bad I was looking into sports psychologists. I was like, 'Something is wrong, and if I can't get it pulled out of him, then I need a professional.' We decided not to play that season."

Grimes rediscovered his passion for the sport by returning to the process with his dad. And he found the fun again by playing pickup games. He balled out with former college and NBA players in the Houston area in games organized by his dad, and together, he and Marshall ran the floor at the 24 Hour Fitness by his house.

"I'm a little past my prime," Marshall jokes, "but I can still play some. And when teams needed a player, they'd start asking Quentin to play with them. At first, I thought they were doing me a favor, being nice to my boy. It took me a little too long to realize they weren't helping me out. They were trying to win games."

After one game at the end of the summer, a stranger told Marshall that Quentin was good but really needed to get stronger. Marshall looked at his son—then a 6'2", 165-pound rising high school sophomore—and wondered, Could he really be behind? Then the man asked Marshall when Quentin was leaving for college that fall. And Marshall knew his son was ahead of schedule. In his second season at College Park, Quentin posted 16.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. That next summer, he jumped to a new AAU team, Basketball University, and broke out. 

"Most 16- to 18-year-olds like to play video games, chase girls or drive their cars," says Clifton McNeely, Quentin's high school coach. "Quentin wasn't that way. He went to work not only on his skills and playing but also on developing his body. What separates the elite kids is not only the natural athleticism but also the work it takes to develop that. There's no glory in the weight room, but Quentin had a different drive. He just gave everything to basketball."

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McNeely likes to tell Quentin that the only repayment he needs when Grimes makes it to the NBA is a new microwave. And Tonja Stelly likes to tell her son that she misses him in her house but she's thankful to have her weekends back. When Quentin was in high school, Tonja would spend her Sundays chopping, searing and steaming healthy lunches and snacks for him to bring to school during the week. And so rather than eat in the cafeteria, Quentin would go into the coaches' office and heat up what his mother had cooked for him.

"It was funny," McNeely says, "because he was so polite. Every day, he'd knock before he came in. And every day, he'd say thank you when he left. Even though he knew he was welcome. The only things anyone ever got upset about was when the tennis coach, who is a Wichita State grad, found out he was going to Kansas—or when he [had] fish and stunk up the office for the rest of the day."

For Grimes, a methodical approach to meals mirrored his take on the game. When he realized he needed to improve his agility, he started working out at Dynamic Sports Training, a gym known primarily for improving the skills of baseball players. When he needed to narrow his recovery window as he played more and more minutes, he started going to a cryotherapy chamber twice a week with his mother. And when he was asked to play more often off the ball after a childhood of playing point guard, he went back to the film room with his father and picked up more moves from Bryant.

"I'm a natural scorer," Grimes says, "so I feel like if I'm a shooting guard, it makes it look better if I have a nice pass, because I'm supposed to be off ball. If I'm on ball, it's the same when I score. When I was younger, I could score, but I was kind of small, so they classified me as a point guard. But then I just kept growing and growing, so they labeled me something different. Whether I play on the ball or off the ball, it doesn't matter to me. I really feel like I'm just a guard."

It was that measured approach to building his basketball career that led him to stay at his high school all four years, despite prolific offers from prep programs. When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in August of 2017, Grimes was glad that he hadn't left, so that he could be part of the relief effort in his hometown. His parents' houses hadn't been affected, but he didn't have to go far to see the devastation the storm had caused. One afternoon, a few days after Harvey had passed, Grimes went to his room and stared at the stacks of sneakers, backpacks and clothes he'd been given on the AAU circuit. Much of it had never seen the outside of the box—much less the outside world. He and his parents packed up their SUV with thousands of dollars worth of premium basketball gear, and spent the day delivering it to relief distribution centers.

A few days later, he went to shootaround at Legends Sports Complex, a gym near his home in The Woodlands, and found it had been damaged by the hurricane, too. He asked the director there how he could help, and he told Quentin he could dig. So Quentin found a shovel and began clearing the debris. Only after an afternoon of manual labor did he head inside to do the work he'd originally intended to do on the court.

"I've had college coaches ask for years, and now I've got NBA scouts doing their background checks," McNeely says. "They always ask: 'Where's the flaw? What aren't you telling us?' The truth is, there's nothing. He's a great player and a great person."

The only thing coaches have ever wanted from Grimes is more. And his production progressed with each year at College Park. As a junior in 2016-17, he averaged 28.1 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. And as a senior, he averaged 29.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. In one game that season, McNeely pulled him late in a game without realizing that he was at 48 points. After a timeout, Grimes created a clandestine plan with teammates to check himself back in without his coach's permission. Grimes got in, got the ball, got the bucket and got right back to the bench.

Last year, he became a McDonald's All-American, a Jordan Brand Classic participant and the Gatorade Texas Player of the Year. And that was all before playing for his future coach, Bill Self, in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, where he won a gold medal and was named the tournament's MVP.

"Quentin fools people on the court sometimes still," Marshall Grimes says. "He seems like a nice kid, but when he smells blood in the water, he'll put you away."

At that competition in Canada, Grimes felt more confident than ever in his college decision. No matter how well he played in any game, Self would pull him aside to watch footage afterward and show him scoring opportunities he'd missed. And when Grimes didn't perform a fundamental—like a lob pass to the post—perfectly, Self would make him stay in position until he got it right.

"I told him later on," Self says sarcastically, "'Wouldn't you hate to play for a coach who wants you to score every time you touch it, or wants you to make a play every time you touch it? That'd be awful to play for a coach like that, wouldn't it?' And then he understood where I was coming from."

Late in the summer, Stelly worried that her son might have taken on too much. After all, his schedule was so slammed that he only had a five-day window when he would be able to get his wisdom teeth removed. But what she saw next reassured her. Everyone had always wanted more from her son, but she could see he was still glad to give it. On the day after his operation, in the one week off he had during the summer, Quentin  grabbed his car keys and headed to his old high school gym to shoot hoops.

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Quentin Grimes couldn't have asked for a better college debut than his performance at the Champions Classic, but much of the rest of the season has been a struggle. His numbers have improved in conference play after a quiet December—his effective field goal percentage is in the top 20 in the Big 12, and his two-point percentage is in the top five—but he knows that's not enough.

"People have always told me to be more aggressive," Grimes says, "but I like to go out there and figure out the game and figure out the flow. People want me to go out there and be in attack mode. My coaches have always said the same thing: 'We want you to shoot, and we want you to score.' I'm real unselfish on the court, so I had to figure that out. It took me a while to learn that. I'm going through that here with Coach Self. They brought me here to be a scorer, and they tell me every day to be more aggressive. I'm progressing."

Self still has full confidence in Grimes, too.

"Quentin is probably the most well-rounded young guard we've ever had here," he says. "When you think about guards, his handle, explosiveness, strength, range, vision, toughness—he checks a lot of boxes. But still, that doesn't mean it's going to happen for him. That doesn't guarantee anything for him, but I'd still rather have those things than not have those things. I hope he can play to the talent level I think he has."

To break through the slump, Grimes is doing what he's always done: returning to the process that made him great in the first place. A few years ago, Kansas built McCarthy Hall, an $11.2 million dorm for its basketball players. The building has a full court. And every other night, after he's gone to workouts, practices, classes and study halls, Grimes grabs the rebounding gun and begins shooting. He doesn't play music because he likes to listen to the ball rip through the net. He shoots until he's made 300 three-pointers. There in the quiet, he makes sure he's ready for the next big moment. He knows how far this process has brought him, and he knows it'll take him to the next level, too. He feels like it won't be long now.