UTC adds basketball transfer De Sousa from Kansas
The Chattanooga Mocs men’s basketball program and head coach Lamont Paris have announced the addition of Kansas graduate transfer Silvio De Sousa, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward who last competed for the Jayhawks during the 2019-20 season.
The former five-star prospect out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. immediately brings added excitement to the already deep and talented Mocs roster in 2021-22.
“We’re really excited to add Silvio to the mix with an already experienced team,” said Paris. “This is a guy who has been around basketball a long time and is incredibly physically gifted.”
The Luanda, Angola native appeared in 38 career games for the Jayhawks, averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds, while shooting at a 59 percent clip. As a freshman during the 2017-18 season, De Sousa was a vital piece in Kansas’ deep postseason run.
The forward averaged 10.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the 2018 Big 12 Tournament including a 16-point, 10-rebound performance during an 81-70 win over West Virginia in the title game. De
Sousa then helped KU to an NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance after collecting a combined 23 boards and 20 points over the final three games, which was highlighted by a seven-point, seven-rebound game against Villanova in the national semifinals.
“He has a phenomenal combination of size, strength, explosiveness, athleticism, agility and I think with those
attributes alone, he can be a really good player at this level,” Paris added.
The 2021-22 edition of the Mocs roster is set and includes a vast amount of experience and talent. The squad returns 78.5 percent of its total scoring from a year ago, including the team-leading backcourt duo of Malachi Smith (16.8 ppg) and David Jean-Baptiste (16.1 ppg).