After a long road to get there, big man Silvio De Sousa is leaving a mark with Aris.
Aris's De Sousa is leaving his mark
Player Spotlight
5 Mins read
Don’t be surprised if you see a smile on the face of Silvio De Sousa. The big man from Aris Midea Thessaloniki loves being able to play the game after a topsy-turvy college basketball career.
The 25-year-old De Sousa is a big reason the club reached the BKT EuroCup playoffs. He has averaged 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in his first season in the competition.
“The competition has been great, exactly what I expected: Competitive and a very high quality and level of basketball,” said de Sousa.
He is spending his second season in Europe after debuting with Chorale de Roanne Basket in France last year.
“I think even though it has been tough adjusting to the Greek league, it’s basketball and I am doing the best I can for my team,” said De Sousa, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds for Roanne last season.
The season before that the big man was playing for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He blossomed there, averaging 11.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in helping the college reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
It was a fresh start after a turbulent time at the University of Kansas. A highly sought-after recruit out of high school, De Sousa's name was dragged into an NCAA corruption case that ultimately caused him to miss the entire 2018-19 season. After he returned, De Sousa was suspended for an on-court incident in January 2020 for the rest of the collegiate season. He then elected to sit out the entire 2020-21 season.
De Sousa came to Kansas in 2017 with high expectations after having already debuted the summer before with the Angola senior national team in Olympic qualifiers at just 17 years of age. He also helped Angola win the titles at the FIBA U16 African Championship 2013 and FIBA U18 African Championship 2016 in addition to playing at the U17 Basketball World Cup 2014 and Basketball World Cup 2017.
“The biggest challenge would be having confidence in the work I put in during those two years that I missed the game. I think adjusting my mental aspect between basketball and life itself has been the hardest part of it all,” De Sousa said.
After being found not guilty in August 2021 of the early 2020 case, De Sousa sought a fresh start by transferring to Chattanooga.
“Chattanooga was a lovely place for me. Especially as a basketball player, when I think about a fresh start, Chattanooga was the best place to start from. The love, the support and the unforgettable experience and memories I have made there, no greater feeling. Loved it,” he recalled.
Last season, De Sousa went through a good learning experience as well with Roanne. With eight games left in the season, the team was in the playoff zone in eighth place but then grabbed just one win in the last eight games to finish two games behind the final playoff position.
“The biggest thing I learned from France was really just the maturity of the game, and take things more seriously when it comes to basketball and your team,” he said.
In addition to his move from France to Greece, this summer had two major highlights. First, he got married to his long-time girlfriend Morgan in Kansas.
“My wife has been my biggest supporter and inspiration for me on and off court. My maturity wouldn’t be at its peak without her,” he said.
Later in the summer, he played for Angola at the Basketball World Cup - returning to the national team for the first time since 2017.
“It was a great feeling playing for my country, Angola, the most excited I have been to play the game since I started playing because my family, mom, wife and sisters got to finally watch me play in person for the first time in the biggest stage there is. A feeling I will never forget and which I will always be grateful for,” said De Sousa, who averaged 11.6 points and 6.8 rebounds at the World Cup.
Despite being only 25 years old, De Sousa was one of the leaders of the young Angolan team. And he helped the country qualify for this summer’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
“The biggest takeaway from that experience was the experience itself, and how important it is to have a great relationship with your team in order to achieve bigger things in this game,” he said.
The summer also saw De Sousa get back home to Angola for the first time since 2018 - when he was just 20.
“It is always a great feeling and pleasure to go back home. I missed my family, I missed the food my mom makes and just the warm welcoming feeling from everything about my home country,” he recalled.
All in all, things are just going great for Silvio De Sousa.