Kansas’ next transfer pickup could be St. Bonaventure guard. He’s visiting soon
Melvin Council Jr., a 6-foot-4, 185-pound pound senior combo guard from St. Bonaventure, has taken part in two Zoom calls with members of the Kansas men’s basketball coaching staff this week and will visit KU’s campus in the near future, Council confirmed to The Star in a text message Tuesday afternoon.
He did not provide exact dates for his upcoming recruiting visit.
Council on March 11 was named third-team all-Atlantic 10 after averaging 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Bonnies (22-12).
Council — he led the A-10 in steals with 72 — scored in double figures in every A-10 game and in the final 22 games of the season. He averaged 37 minutes a game and actually was on the floor 92.5% of all possible minutes for the Bonnies.
Council, a native of Rochester, New York, hit 199 of 457 shots for 43.5%. He was 40-of-134 from 3 for 29.9% and 59-of-72 from the free throw line for 81.9%. Council, who had 139 assists to 59 turnovers, scored in double-figures 29 times this past season. He scored 24 points versus Fordham and 20 against Duquesne. Council was 4-of-7 from 3 versus Niagara.
He entered the transfer portal on March 28 and has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining.
Council was a first-team NJCAA All-America selection as a sophomore at Monroe College, where he averaged 18.7 points a 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 squad to a Section V, Class AA title in 2020 with 25 points per game.
“Melvin is a long, athletic scoring guard who can put the ball in the basket at all three levels. His explosiveness in the open court will create problems for the opposing defense,” St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said on the school’s website before the 2024-25 season. “Melvin is also a tremendous rebounder for his position.”
Spencer Bates, a sports reporter for the Olean Star wrote: “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.”
So far, KU has corralled two players from the transfer portal: Jayden Dawson, a 6-4 senior from Loyola-Chicago and Tre White, a 6-7 senior from Illinois.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 5:05 PM.
