Melvin Council Jr. (born April 23, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the Kansas Jayhawks. He has also played for the Monroe Mustangs, Wagner Seahawks and St. Bonaventure Bonnies.
Early life Council was born in Rochester, New York on April 23, 2002, the son of Chalonda Dillon and Melvin Council Sr. His father played professionally in Canada, Mexico and in the United States, including a long career with the Rochester RazorSharks and was selected by the Austin Toros in the NBA D League draft. Professionally, he averaged 10.8 points per game from 2009 until 2017. Council Jr. attended University Prep Charter School in Rochester, New York, and while in high school was falsely charged with first and third degree rape, which he was exonerated. This caused him to not play Division I basketball after high school and redshirt his first season during his junior college career.
College career Council first joined Monroe College in 2020 and did not play his first year. As a redshirt sophomore, he became Monroe's all-time leading scorer after averaging 18.7 points per game. As a result, he was named to the NJCAA Division I All-America Team for a second consecutive year. Following the season, Council transferred to Wagner College. Against Howard in the First Four of the NCAA tournament, he scored a team-high 21 points, leading the Seahawks to their first ever tournament victory. Council finished the season averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, before transferring for a second time to St. Bonaventure University. He made an instant impact in his first season with the Bonnies, emerging as the team's leading scorer. After finishing the season as the team's leader in scoring and assists, he was named to the third-team All-Atlantic 10. Following the conclusion of the season, Council entered the transfer portal for a third time and declared for the 2025 NBA draft.
Council withdrew from the draft and announced his decision to transfer to University of Kansas to play for the Kansas Jayhawks. He established himself as one of the Jayhawk's starting guards, with head coach Bill Self describing Council as the team's "MVP" following the first ten games of the season. In December 2025, he was named the Associated Press National Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 36 points against NC State. After leading the team in minutes played and total assists, Council was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. In October 2026, Council received a temporary injunction and eligibility for the 2026–27 season, his seventh total season.
Career statistics
College
| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22 | style="text-align:left;"| Monroe || 32 || 32 || 34.8 || .449 || .309 || .826 || 7.4 || 3.0 || 3.4 || .5 || 23.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23 | style="text-align:left;"| Monroe || 34 || 34 || 29.8 || .495 || .266 || .642 || 5.6 || 4.1 || 2.4 || .4 || 18.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24 | style="text-align:left;"| Wagner || 33 || 27 || 35.8 || .386 || .265 || .748 || 5.7 || 3.5 || 1.4 || .6 || 14.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2024–25 | style="text-align:left;"| St. Bonaventure | 34 || 34 || 37.1 || .435 || .299 || .819 || 5.4 || 4.1 || 2.1 || .4 || 14.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2025–26 | style="text-align:left;"| Kansas | 35 || 35 || 34.8 || .392 || .308 || .775 || 5.0 || 5.1 || 1.0 || .3 || 12.7
References
External links Monroe Mustangs bio Wagner Seahawks bio St. Bonaventure Bonnies bio Kansas Jayhawks bio