With Kansas set to play Syracuse on Saturday in Miami, head coach Bill Self doesn’t envision the Billy Preston situation being resolved before game time.
“I personally don’t see it happening in the next two days,” Self said Thursday. “We can be hopeful.”
Preston, a 6-10 McDonald’s All-American ranked 18th in his class by ESPN.com, has yet to play this season. He is being held out as the university’s compliance department seeks to get a “clearer financial picture” following a single-car incident involving Preston last month. The school said Preston’s car hit a curb, causing minor damage to the tires. No police report was filed.
“He’s taking it very well,” Self said. “But there is something bothering him. I mean, there’s no doubt about that. He’s not excited this is happening by any stretch, nor are we. But we know we got to deal with it. He’s handled it very maturely. He’s been a good teammate.
“I think there has been some positives from that regard. Sometimes, you know, people can say that they’re adjusting, have a great attitude, which he does, but that still doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Certainly that’s the case with him.”
Kansas is ranked No. 2 in the AP poll despite not having Preston or Arizona transfer Sam Cunliffe, who is set to debut in December, when the Jayhawks could also add 6-9 IMG Academy forward Silvio de Sousa.
Without Preston, Self has used James Sosinski, a 6-foot-7 tight end on the Jayhawks’ football team, as a practice player.
“We haven’t even completed the tryout yet,” Self said. “I’m going to let him practice the next two days. We’ll decide next week if we want to keep moving forward with it. He seems like a really nice kid.
“This is not a strategic move to add depth when you go on the road and play. That’s not it at all. We’re looking at it as a practice-type thing. If he can get to the point, (where he can) maybe a minute or two here or there, I guess that’s possible. It would be no different than putting (walk-ons) Clay (Young) in or Chris (Teahan).”
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