Jayhawks remain ‘hopeful’ Billy Preston will rejoin the KU lineup

By Matt Tait     Nov 30, 2017

Nick Krug
Kansas forward Billy Preston (23) puts up a shot during warmups prior to tipoff against Fort Hays State, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The no-news in the Billy Preston saga took on a slightly different sound on Thursday afternoon.

During his regularly scheduled news conference, KU coach Bill Self was asked if there was “any movement” in the freshman forward’s status. After initially responding with the routine answer of “no,” Self took time to clarify the answer.

“I haven’t talked to anybody today,” Self said. “Visited about it yesterday. When you say there’s no movement, that would probably be a false thing to say. There’s no movement on a conclusion. There’s certainly movement on trying to do everything to get a quicker conclusion.”

As for whether he remained optimistic that the 6-foot-10, 240-pound matchup nightmare for opponents could still return to the Kansas lineup at some point this season, Self said the program remained hopeful but added, “I, personally, don’t see it happening in the next two days.”

Second-ranked Kansas (6-0) plays Syracuse (6-0) in Miami at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Preston, the McDonald’s All-American who has yet to play a regular season game with the Jayhawks, sat out the season opener after missing curfew and class and has been held out of the past five games while KU officials seek to sort out a compliance issue involving a vehicle he was driving during a single-car, no-injury accident on Nov. 11.

Although Preston’s absence has left the Jayhawks devoid of depth, Self said the uncertainty surrounding Preston’s status has started to wear on his young player.

“He’s taking it very well,” Self said of Preston. “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’ve got to deal with it. He’s handled it very maturely. He’s been a good teammate. I think there have 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.”

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.