Melvin Council is becoming a KU basketball fan favorite. Bill Self explains why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Melvin Council had 15 points, 5 rebounds and sparked KU offense vs. Towson.
- KU defense held Towson to 49 points on 27.5% shooting, forcing low output.
- KU produced balanced scoring with four in double figures but must improve rebounding.
Melvin Council Jr. followed his epic 36-point scoring outburst Saturday night against North Carolina State with a 15-point, five-rebound, two-steal performance in a 73-49 victory over Towson on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
His breakaway slam dunk following a steal and team-leading three 3-pointers once again had the fans in Allen Fieldhouse barking in appreciation of the performance of the St. Bonaventure transfer guard, who has often referred to himself as a “dog.”
“People actually are really liking his play,” KU coach Bill Self said after his No. 17 ranked Jayhawks, courtesy of a strong defensive effort, improved to 9-3. Towson fell to 6-5.
“You play with a smile and you play with energy, people like that. And then when you are fast, it actually looks a little cooler when you play that way,” Self added.
Of course, Self says the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Council has room for improvement like all the Jayhawks players.
“I like watching him play, and he’s kind of finding himself, which I think is nice,” Self said. “I do think he plays hard and everything, but I saw him back out of a charge down there, so it’s not like it’s 100% on all the time. But he’s a really good player and I think he’s having fun with it, but certainly I don’t quite see it the same way that you guys are seeing it.
“I think he can become … I think he can graduate from a Shih Tzu to at least a bulldog here in the next couple of weeks,” Self added with a smile, going along with the “dog” line of questioning.
Council, who hit 9 3s in KU’s 77-76 overtime win over North Carolina State, was 3-of-6 from 3 versus Towson. Overall he was 6-of-13 from the field. Council, who leads KU’s fast break in the absence of Darryn Peterson, had just one turnover.
“I’m just enjoying it. It’s my last year with the guys. That’s really it … playing my best that I can,” Council said.
He had entered the N.C. State game 5-for-27 from 3 on the season. He’s 12-of-21 from beyond the arc the last two games.
“I’m going to keep shooting the ball. That’s really it,” Council said. “And I practice with coach (Joe) Dooley a lot — unseen hours. And, you know, just shoot the ball.”
Council was one of four Jayhawks to score in double figures versus the Tigers. Flory Bidunga had 18 points and 10 rebounds with three blocks. Tre White had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Bryson Tiller had 11 points and six rebounds with three blocks.
White and Bidunga, who joined Council in the interview room after the game, lavished praise on the Rochester, New York native.
“I wouldn’t say he’s a different dude,” White said, referring to Council’s attitude perhaps changing after hitting 9 3s in one game. That’s the most 3s hit in a game in the 23-year Bill Self era.
“I would say he had a high game last game. So he was definitely feeling good. But we’ve got the ultimate confidence in him. Shoot it every time. So I really don’t feel like he’s a different Mel. He’s just making them now,” White added.
Bidunga, who scored KU’s first six points of the game, said of Council: “He brings such a great energy. Every practice he pushes you to be better. I think Melvin is the fastest his person on the team. He makes me want to run faster, just keeping up with him.”
The Jayhawks held Towson to 49 points on 27.5% shooting. Towson was 3-for-24 from 3 and totaled just four assists to KU’s 15. The 49-point total was second lowest by a KU foe this season. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi scored 46.
“It was a good game for us on defense,” Council said, “but I still feel like we gave up a couple easy baskets and rebounds we could have taken away. But it was good to see some of the progress.”
Towson outrebounded KU 45-43. The Tigers had 22 offensive rebounds to KU’s 12.
“That was bad. We didn’t rebound the ball,” Self said. “Other than that I thought we played pretty well. We didn’t turn it over (nine miscues to Towson’s 11). We moved the ball better. We had a lot of open looks that we didn’t make. Our first-shot defense was really good. I thought we did some good things, but we’ve got to finish possessions, and we didn’t rebound the ball.”
KU will next meet Davidson at 7 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse. After that the Jayhawks are off until the Big 12 opener Jan. 3 at UCF.
