Long journey then long wait for De Sousa

SAN ANTONIO — Silvio De Sousa didn’t know what to expect when he came to Kansas. It was the day after Christmas, and he exited his flight from Florida, stepping into the cold of Kansas City wearing shorts.

Kansas didn’t know what to expect, either, from the 6-foot-9 forward from Angola, who was playing for his high school team earlier that week.

“It’s still unbelievable. I still can’t believe that I’m here,” De Sousa said Friday. “I was just in high school a few months ago and now to be able to play in the Final Four is something that I still don’t believe.”

De Sousa took his final high school exams just before Christmas so he could graduate early from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and enroll in Kansas for the second semester.

He began practicing immediately, but wasn’t in position to make an impact on the floor. The Jayhawks had recently suffered troubling back-to-back losses to Washington and Arizona State, and Bill Self didn’t have time to integrate an overwhelmed 19-year-old who hadn’t picked up the system.

“Coming in during the middle of the season, the toughest thing is getting to know the plays and what they’re doing on the court,” De Sousa said. “Some things were really hard to adjust to. … My game is a lot better now that I know what I’m doing on the court, and what I’m supposed to do and what I shouldn’t do.”

De Sousa knew he’d pick it up, describing how he arrived to the U.S. just before starting high school without knowing one word of English.

“It took me at least eight months to have the basics,” De Sousa said. “I used to just say something just to make sure I learned. I love to make mistakes. Because if you don’t make mistakes, you won’t learn.”

De Sousa didn’t debut with Kansas until Jan. 13 and didn’t play double-digit minutes until Feb. 19. Soon after, another explosive interior presence emerged.

“He knew his number was going to be called,” Self said. “One thing we found out with Silvio, if he can stay in there for extended minutes, he gets a lot better.”

Kansas got a lot better, too, separating from a crowded Big 12 to claim its 14th straight league title.

In the Big 12 Tournament championship, he had 16 points and 10 rebounds. In the Sweet 16, he was on the floor in the decisive final minutes. In the Elite Eight win over Duke, De Sousa had 10 rebounds in 26 minutes.

“I feel a lot more comfortable now,” De Sousa said. “I knew when I made the decision that it would be hard. I just had to adjust day-by-day.”