24-04-2025
KU Jayhawks land transfer Melvin Council Jr., a senior-to-be from St. Bonaventure
Melvin Council Jr., a 6-foot-4, 185-pound combo guard from St. Bonaventure who entered the NCAA transfer portal on March 28, has decided to play his senior year of college basketball at Kansas.
Council — he announced his decision Wednesday on his Instagram account — chose KU over other finalists Mississippi State, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
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'Both schools are good and stuff,' he said of KU and Mississippi State. 'I had to narrow it down to one. That being said, Kansas University, baby, Jayhawks baby,' he said with a smile on Instagram live.
Later, he told The Star in a phone conversation: 'Kansas is a blueblood and it's an honor to be able to play for a school with so much history. What I will do is bring toughness, leadership. I want to win. Coach (Bill) Self said he wants me to be myself, be the team leader I am. I am hungry. He expects that out of me.'
Council made a recruiting visit to KU on Monday and Tuesday. He recently was named third-team all-Atlantic 10 after averaging 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his junior season with the Bonnies (22-12).
He led the A-10 in steals with 72 and scored in double figures in every A-10 game (as well as the season's final 22 games overall). He averaged 37 minutes and was on the floor for 92.5% of all possible minutes.
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The Rochester, New York native hit 199 of 457 shots for 43.5% in the 2024-25 season. He was 40-of-134 from 3-point range (29.9%) and 59-of-72 from the free-throw line (81.9%). He had 139 assists to 59 turnovers and scored in double figures 29 times. He scored 24 points versus Fordham and 20 against Duquesne and went 4-of-7 from 3-point range in a game against Niagara.
Council, who had two Zoom calls with KU last week, was a first-team NJCAA All America selection as a sophomore at Monroe College, where he averaged 18.7 points per game in 2022-23. He averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2023-24 at Wagner College.
A graduate of University Prep in Rochester, New York, he helped his high school team claim a Section V, Class AA title in 2020, averaging 25.0 points per game.
'We're very excited to announce Melvin Council Jr. has signed,' KU coach Bill Self said in a team news release. 'He's a 6-4, long, rangy guard that can play with the ball and without the ball. Melvin will remind our fans physically and athletically of Tyshawn Taylor.
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'He's a superior athlete who can score the ball and has the potential to be one of the more elite defenders that we've had in recent memory. He's been very well drilled and well coached at Monroe (College), Wagner (College) and St. Bonaventure. We could not be more excited to have him in the fold.'
Council's former coach at St. Bonaventure, Mark Schmidt, praised the guard in the following statement, posted previously on the school's athletic department website.
'Melvin is a long, athletic scoring guard who can put the ball in the basket at all three levels,' Schmidt said. 'His explosiveness in the open court will create problems for the opposing defense. Melvin is also a tremendous rebounder for his position.'
Spencer Bates, a sports reporter for the Olean (N.Y.) Star, had written: 'I truly hope Melvin Council Jr. makes a return to St. Bonaventure. A natural born leader with a heart of gold, it was clear that he cared deeply about the program and its fans. I will wish him luck wherever he winds up next year, but hopefully it's back in the Reilly Center (at St. Bonaventure).'
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So far, KU has corralled three players from the transfer portal: Council, who has one year of eligibility remaining; Jayden Dawson, a 6-4 senior-to-be from Loyola-Chicago; and Tre White, a 6-7 senior-to-be from Illinois.
Several KU players with eligibility remaining have entered the transfer portal. They include David 'Diggy' Coit, who is headed to Maryland; Zach Clemence, to Texas A&M and AJ Storr, to Mississippi. Rakease Passmore and Rylan Griffen have not yet announced their transfer destinations.
