Billy Preston done at KU after signing with BC Ikogea of Bosnia
Kansas freshman Billy Preston has left school and signed a contract with BC Ikogea of Bosnia.
For Billy Preston, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., his career at the University of Kansas ended before it ever started. No. 11 in the final 2017 class rankings, Preston was expected to play a major role this year for Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
However, Preston was suspended for the season opener against Tennessee State for a violation of team rules. According to Self, Preston missed curfew on Thursday night and also did not attend class on Friday.
Preston, not surprisingly, was very much looking forward to making his debut against Kentucky on November 15, but an incident that occurred in Lawrence that weekend (Saturday) prevented him from seeing his first action of the regular season.
“On Saturday, Billy was involved in a single-vehicle incident on-campus,” said Self. “There were no injuries but Billy’s car sustained damage. After I learned about the incident, I reported it to our administration. The administration determined that we needed a clearer financial picture specific to the vehicle, we decided to hold him out of tonight’s game and will continue to do that until the review is complete.
“Billy was informed right before our pre-game meal,” he added. "Needless to say, he was disappointed and crushed. He was very excited to make his KU debut. We hope to have the situation resolved as soon as possible.”
Throughout the process, Self remained hopeful that a positive ruling would be reached, but those hopes were dashed on Saturday morning when news broke that Preston had signed a contact with BC Ikogea of Bosnia, the club announced.
“We are honored to have such a tremendous talent in our organization,” the team said in a release. “We were watching his situation closely and reached out to his family to show interest and ultimately reached an Agreement with the family Attorney in California on a contract for the rest of the season. We know Billy is an NBA prospect so we will do our best to continue his development to help him excel for our club and fulfill his goal which is to be an NBA star in the near future.”
While it wasn’t the result Self was hoping for, Kansas can finally move forward with its roster in place. Moving forward, there will be no more questions about Preston and his status, as that decision was made earlier today.
With Preston moving on, Silvio De Sousa, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., will be looked upon to fill the void left by Preston. De Sousa, a former five-star prospect, arrived in Lawrence on December 26 and made his debut exactly one week ago against Kansas State.
Against the Wildcats, De Sousa logged four minutes, committed one foul and one turnover. On Monday night, De Sousa, against West Virginia, played seven minutes and scored two points and pulled down three rebounds.
Moving forward, De Sousa will see his minutes greatly increase, and don’t be surprised if his productivity on both ends of the court does the same.
Self, on Saturday morning, confirmed the reports that Preston has left Kansas and signed with a professional team in Bosnia.
“I can confirm that Billy Preston is foregoing his eligibility to play at Kansas and has signed with a professional team in Bosnia," said Self. "Billy’s family has been very upfront telling us that his first choice was to stay at Kansas, but with the uncertainty of the situation they needed to look at other potential options. This opportunity in Bosnia came with a deadline for a decision, and the family reached that decision Friday afternoon.
“We are all disappointed that Billy never had the opportunity to experience college basketball competition but we certainly support him and wish him the best," he added, "Although he has been frustrated with the situation, Billy’s attitude has been tremendous and he has developed as a person and as a player. I’m sure that will continue as he prepares for his professional career.”