Bill Self had big praise for KU’s Melvin Council — despite one ‘questionable’ area
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bill Self praised Melvin Council’s speed and playmaking despite early struggles.
- Council finished with 15 points, six assists, two blocks and one turnover.
- KU showed defensive moments but lost execution late and dropped to 3-2.
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self saw Melvin Council Jr. bounce back from a forgettable first half to finish with a solid, if not spectacular, final 20 minutes in No. 24 Kansas’ 78-66 loss to No. 5 Duke on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic.
The 6-foot-4 senior transfer from St. Bonaventure missed 7 of 8 shots — including his only 3-point try — scoring three points with two rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot (in 18 first-half minutes) as KU trailed 41-33 at the break.
In the final half, however, Council scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting (1-of-3 from 3) with four assists and a blocked shot. He played the full 20 minutes in the second half at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
It added up to 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting with six assists against just one turnover, plus two blocks in 38 minutes. His 3-pointer with 4:59 left (he’s 1-for-13 on the season from beyond the arc) helped slice a 10-point second-half deficit to three points.
Council often led the fast break and initiated offense with freshman point guard Darryn Peterson out for a third straight game because of a hamstring strain.
“I think Melvin’s shot selection sometimes can be a little questionable, but I thought he played great,” Self said after the game. “One thing about him, he plays downhill. He’s got to get where he can drive to pass and not just drive to shoot. But good gosh, he did some good things. His speed is undeniable, and he finished at the rim (for) several good finishes.
“He’s close to being a real good guard. He’s just got to tie some things together and be able to think about time, score and momentum sometimes a little bit, but I think Melvin is doing well.”
Self in inspecting the stat sheet noted Council “had six assists and one turnover and 15 points. And of the nine shots he missed, probably six of them were awful shots. But he’s so aggressive all the time, which we want (him) to be, but he’s got to be able to drive in there and pass it some, too. But you know, Melvin’s trying his heart out.”
Council blocked an inside shot of Cameron Boozer (18 points on 7-of-17 shooting, 10 boards, five assists) seconds after KU cut the deficit to 3. However, Boozer converted off his own rebound and Duke led 69-64 at 4:39. After an Isaiah Evans’ 3 gave Duke an eight-point lead at 3:49, Council missed a 3.
It turned out the Jayhawks would be outscored 11-2 in the final 4:59, cashing zero baskets after Council’s 3 cut it to 3.
“It’s not disappointing. I’m not going to say that at all, because we tried hard. We did some good things, but we didn’t play very smart at all. I mean, gosh almighty … shot selection and what coverage we’re in on ball screens. I mean, we didn’t trust it,” Self said in his postgame radio interview.
“I actually thought we could have really guarded them. And we did several times, but then just it was too easy for them too many times. And then when you have to get stops, it puts so much pressure that you can’t screw up. And we had some bad possessions late, but our execution is so bad, offensively, so bad.”
That could change, Self continued, when Peterson returns.
“But our guys, we just don’t execute and run it,” Self continued. “And the moment was pretty big for a lot of guys — for Melvin, Bryson (Tiller, six points, six rebounds), Kohl (Rosario, four points, 0-5 from 3), Jayden (Dawson, five points, 1-5 from 3). ... They haven’t been in that moment for the most part. They did some good things and we’ll get better from that, but when the moment got really big and we had to execute, I that’s when it kind of got away from us.”
Council, who is a native of Rochester, New York, told ESPN before the game he was enthused about the Champions Classic appearance.
“(There’s a) lot of goosebumps, nerves, but I’m ready for it,” Council said. “I’m glad I get to play here, my last college year, in Madison Square Garden. I’m ready.”
KU, which is off to a 3-2 start (Duke improved to 5-0), will next meet Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. Central on Monday in Las Vegas. Peterson will be reevaluated later in the week with his status for the game unknown at this time.
“We’re a better team than how we played tonight,” Self said. “But we probably showed to ourselves: Even without Darryn we can compete.”
