Last October, Kansas announced that it was withholding 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa from competition pending an eligibility review. The decision came in the wake of a federal trial in New York City that resulted in three convictions, during which T.J. Gassnola, a consultant for Adidas and a cooperating witness for the prosecution, testified he had paid $2,500 to De Sousa’s guardian. Given the explosive nature of the allegation, the broad scope of the FBI investigation into college basketball and Kansas’ various ties to the case, many people assumed that De Sousa would never play for the Jayhawks again, and certainly not this season.



That assumption is about to be challenged. Multiple sources have confirmed to The Athletic that Kansas is preparing to formally acknowledge to the NCAA that a violation took place, declare De Sousa ineligible and ask for his immediate reinstatement. The request is expected to be submitted to the NCAA’s Academic and...