One of KU Jayhawks’ incoming transfers included on NBA Draft early entry list
Former St. Bonaventure guard Melvin Council Jr., who signed a financial aid agreement to play his senior season at Kansas on April 16, has filed as an early entry candidate for the 2025 NBA Draft, the league announced Tuesday.
Council, a 6-foot-4 native of Rochester, New York, was the only KU player (out of 106 total entrants) to apply for admission into the draft, which will be held June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
If Council wishes to remain eligible to play at KU during the 2025-26 season, he must remove his name from the draft pool by Wednesday, May 28.
There is a chance Council could be invited to the NBA G League Combine or the official draft combine for pro prospects. The G League Combine will be held May 9-11 in Chicago. The Draft Combine is set from May 11-18. Both combines are invitation-only. Council also could take part in workouts for individual NBA teams if he so desires.
Council, whose name does not appear on ESPN’s mock draft at this time, did not answer a text message from The Star requesting a comment on his being included on the list of early entry draft hopefuls.
A NABC All-District and All-Atlantic 10 third team selection in 2024-25, Council averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game during his senior season at St. Bonaventure. He led the A-10 in steals with 72 and scored in double figures in 29 games, including all A-10 league contests. Council had four games of 20 or more points, including a season-high 24 points at Fordham on Jan. 4, 2025.
Of Council, KU coach Bill Self said on April 16: He’s a 6-4, long, rangy guard that can play with the ball and without the ball. Melvin will remind our fans physically and athletically of Tyshawn Taylor. He’s a superior athlete who can score and has the potential to be one of the more elite defenders that we’ve had in recent memory. He’s been very well drilled and well coached at Monroe (College), Wagner (College) and Saint Bonaventure. We could not be more excited to have him in the fold.”
College seniors who have used up their eligibility are not required to submit their names for the draft pool.
A pair of early entry candidates — Darrion Williams of Texas Tech and RJ Luis of St. John’s who recently submitted their names to the NCAA transfer portal — have KU on their lists of transfer possibilities.
Wichita State’s Quincy Ballard, who has committed to play his final season of college basketball at Mississippi State, is one of the 106 to officially enter the draft pool.
Big 12 Conference notables on the early entry list released by the NBA: Jaden Bradley and Carter Bryant, Arizona; Egor Demin, BYU; VJ Edgecombe, Baylor; Joson Sanon, Arizona State and Milos Uzan, Houston.
Also, 27 international players applied for the draft.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the 106 players mark the lowest number of early entrants since 2015, down from a peak of 363 in 2021. No Missouri or Kansas State players were on the list of 106.
“Incredible boon for college basketball to retain so much talent. With hundreds of college basketball players now making over $1 million per season (far more than a two-way contract, valued around $600,000, but non-guaranteed), it makes sense that so many players are forgoing the NBA draft. Will NCAA salaries end up stabilizing? We’ll see,” Givony wrote Tuesday.
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 10:07 AM with the headline "One of KU Jayhawks’ incoming transfers included on NBA Draft early entry list."
