Former Kansas basketball player Melvin Council Jr. is suing the NCAA for another year of eligibility. The NCAA issued new rules earlier this offseason, known as the five-in-five rule. This allows student athletes to have five years of eligibility and five years in which to use up that eligibility. The NCAA wanted to have a rule that covered everyone, and it eliminated the redshirt system.
While it overall is one of the better rules the NCAA has come up with in the last several decades, it did not help players from last season, who had used up their eligibility from before this rule. Michael Swain from 247Sports does an outstanding job of outlining Council's specific case and its history.
If Council should win his case and gain another year of eligibility, does this Kansas basketball roster have a place for him if we wanted to return?
Would Kansas basketball want Melvin Council Jr. back if he wins another year of eligibility?
The easy answer to this is, of course, the Jayhawks would want him back. Council averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He played with heart and intensity, things that made him a favorite of both the fans and the coaching staff. He knows the system, and he loved being a Kansas Jayhawk. It's a no-brainer, right?
On the surface, who wouldn't want a veteran player like Council back? But things are seldom that black and white. KU already has 14 of its allotted 15 roster spots filled. This includes former walk-on Wil Thengvall. Under the new NCAA guidelines, those 15 spots include players who used to be called walk-ons. Would Self jettison Thengvall or developmental players Grant Mordini and Atticus Richmond this late in the summer?
KU is holding that 15th spot for Mihailo Musikic, a seven-footer insurance policy in case Christian Reeves' injury lingers into the season. Kansas is awaiting word from the NCAA on whether Musikic will be eligible or not. If he is, there is no place for Council. Sure, Council would offer more immediate depth and talent than Thengval, Mordini, or Richmond, but dumping one of those players now would be optically terrible.
Plus, the backcourt is already very crowded. Tyran Stokes, Leroy Blyden Jr., Tylen Kinney, Kohl Rosario, Dennis Parker Jr., Luke Barnett, and Trent Perry are all looking for at least a sliver of playing time, and there are only 120 backcourt minutes to go around each game.
Council played 34.8 minutes per game last season for the Jayhawks, the fewest he averaged in his three seasons at the Division I level. Despite his experience and the positives he offers, there is no way he should play that many minutes if he returned.
The Jayhawks already have two young scoring point guards in Blyden and Kinney. The former is a sophomore and the latter a freshman. Adding Council would certainly cut into their playing time and, therefore, cut into their development.
Self also has a bad habit of trimming his rotation to seven or eight players, and he's big on trust. If Council was around, and if either Kinney or Blyden had a bad game or two, Self might just bench the younger player and go with who he knows. That might have long-term ramifications.
Council was a fantastic Jayhawk, and he was extremely fun to watch, but it's too late in the summer for his case to be resolved, get back on campus, and to integrate him on the roster. That doesn't even consider the fact that there might not even be a roster spot open for him. As much as everyone loved Council, it appears his time with the Jayhawks has passed.
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