Report: Former KU basketball player Billy Preston no longer playing overseas

By Benton Smith     Mar 4, 2018

Kansas freshman forward Billy Preston throws down a one-handed dunk in an exhibition game against Pittsburg State on Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Six weeks after leaving the University of Kansas basketball program in an attempt to jumpstart his professional career, Billy Preston’s stint overseas already is through.

According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Preston left Bosnia after playing in only three Adriatic League games for Igokea.

Per Givony’s report, Preston, a 6-foot-10 forward who never played in a regular-season game for KU while the school looked into his eligibility, decided to leave Bosnia due to a shoulder injury.

Preston’s mother, Nicole Player, told ESPN he is not likely to return to the foreign team.

“If not, he will just continue to work out and prepare for the draft process,” Player said. “They only have two more games left in ABA league and four in the Bosnian League. I don’t see the point (in returning), but who knows.”

His Bosnian team, Igokea, released a statement on its website announcing Preston’s injury and decision to return to the U.S. for treatment.

According to Givony, Preston played all of 47 minutes in three appearances for the team. The former McDonald’s All-American scored 21 points on 21 field goal attempts and totaled 12 rebounds in his brief time playing for Igokea.

Preston decided to leave Kansas in late January, after an ongoing investigation into a car he drove went unresolved.

A 20-year-old prospect from Houston, who starred at Oak Hill Academy before enrolling at Kansas, Preston is currently ranked 77th in ESPN’s top 100 draft rankings for 2018. The two-round rookie draft in June includes just 60 picks.

Givony described Preston’s options at this point as “limited,” because he can not join the NBA’s G League “and will likely have to hope for an invite to the NBA combine in May to try and resurrect his draft stock.”

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99952Report: Former KU basketball player Billy Preston no longer playing overseas