Melvin Council has revealed that he will withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and return to school next season. The 23-year-old attracted a lot of interest before committing to Kansas last month. But Council will now return to St. Bonaventure for another season, leaving Kansas fans disappointed.
How Council Attracted Multiple Interests
Council attracted the interest of the likes of Kansas Jayhawks, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Georgia Bulldogs before committing to the Jayhawks. Council recorded an impressive average of 14.6 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 4.1 assists per game last season—his second season of college basketball.
Kansas’ Melvin Council tells me that he will withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and return to school next season.
Transfer from St. Bonaventure who averaged 14.6 PPG last year.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 21, 2025
The 6 ft 4 guard, who spent his first season of college basketball with Wagner, also recorded 2.1 steals per game in the 2024–25 season. The 23-year-old started 35 games for St. Bonaventure and played an average of 36.9 minutes per game.
Council Leaves Kansas Disappointed With His Decision To Return To School
Kansas and their fans will be left disappointed following Council’s decision to return to school next season. The team thought they had secured one of the best prospects in the 2025 NBA draft when the 23-year-old committed last month.
The Jayhawks finished last season 21-13 overall and their postseason ended in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament after they lost to Arkansas. Kansas Big 13 Conference Tournament hopes also ended in a quarterfinal defeat to Arizona. Head coach, Bill Self would have hoped that Council could play a key role in the team’s push next season but now they will have to look elsewhere.
Council had initially wanted to return to St. Bonaventure for next season. However, the 23-year-old changed his mind and entered the transfer portal, where he attracted plenty of interest from the big guns. He even narrowed his options down to four programs before finally committing to Kansas.
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Head coach of St. Bonaventure, Mark Schmidt, suggested that Council had to be sure before entering his name into the portal. However, the guard has now changed his mind again in favor of returning to school for next season.
The 23-year-old had only spent one year with St. Bonaventure before he declared for the transfer portal. This isn’t the first time that Council has entered the transfer portal. He starred for two years at Monroe College before he moved to Wagner, where he spent a year before moving to St. Bonaventure.
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