‘Been waiting on my opportunity to shine’: Council’s breakout game spurs WSU road win
Back in March when the Wichita State men’s basketball team landed an unheralded wing prospect from Durham, North Carolina, those inside the program felt like they had found a steal.
It didn’t matter that Ricky Council IV barely cracked the top 400 in the Class of 2020 recruiting rankings or that his other scholarship offers before committing to WSU were from Hofstra, Georgia Southern, Sienna, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Rice.
WSU was convinced Council was an uncovered gem and the 6-foot-6 freshman wing flashed that potential on Tuesday night in a breakout performance in his third collegiate game by leading the Shockers in points (13) and rebounds (8) in their 69-65 road win at Tulsa, the reigning conference co-champions, to open up American Athletic Conference play.
“I’ve just been waiting for my opportunity to shine,” Council said. “I wouldn’t say it really surprises me. I’ve been doing this my whole life. The fact that we got the win and I put up those numbers, it feels pretty great. But I’m not really surprised, more excited.”
In North Carolina, Council had a handful of his dunks go viral but his coaches believe that unfairly earned him a label as just a dunker. And because Council only played one summer on a shoe circuit, his work at Southern Durham, where he averaged 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists as a senior and led the team to the state quarterfinals, went unseen by major college coaches.
WSU was the only major Division I program who saw the potential in Council and offered. It didn’t take long after arriving on WSU’s campus late this summer for Council to prove the Shockers right in taking a chance on him.
“He has a high ceiling and he does things in practice where you’re like, ‘Wow, this kid really did that,’” WSU interim coach Isaac Brown said. “He’s a big-time athlete. He’s a guy that has a lot of confidence. He can break you down off the bounce. He can guard. He can rebound. He’s not scared of the moment.”
Playing in his first Division I road game, Council proved he was ready for the moment with a breakout, all-around performance against Tulsa. He finished 6 of 10 from the field, including his first three-pointer, grabbed three offensive rebounds and made a flashy assist in 16 minutes.
Council’s offensive contributions were valuable because they were largely made without WSU funneling the ball to him. Instead, he went and found it. The coaching staff has challenged Council to harness his supreme athleticism packed into a 6-6 frame and use it to crash the offensive glass and the freshman delivered on his promise Tuesday.
When shots go up, Council is typically behind the three-point line and he uses that to his advantage because it’s harder for defenders to box him out when he gets a running start toward the rim. And once he’s there and the ball caroms his way, more times than not Council is going to use his leaping ability to soar above the crowd and snare the rebound. That happened twice on Tuesday when Council skied for an offensive rebound, brought it down, used a power dribble to improve his position and finished a putback.
“He’s very aggressive. We love his intensity on the glass,” WSU graduate transfer Alterique Gilbert said of Council. “He’s really athletic and we want him to use more of his athleticism on the defensive end. You saw a little bit of that tonight. We’re proud of him and the steps he’s taken.”
When Tulsa roared back from a 17-point deficit to trim WSU’s lead to two points early in the second half, Council was there for the Shockers in their time of need.
He ignited WSU with an offensive rebound that turned into a two-handed slam dunk, then on the next possession Council whipped a no-look pass to Trey Wade inside for another dunk. He capped a 6-0 spurt with an improbable, step-back heave as the shot clock expired to restore WSU’s lead to 56-47 with 10:24 remaining.
Sometimes teammates forget he’s just a 19-year-old freshman.
“It’s hard to believe,” WSU junior Craig Porter said. “He’s a baby around here, but he’s getting the job done like he’s a grown man.
“I still don’t think he’s reached his full potential. He’s playing really good in our system and he’s a really good player. Over the summer, I saw it all. I was amazed. Being a freshman coming in and doing this, it’s really going to help us.”
With veteran guards like Gilbert, Tyson Etienne and Dexter Dennis, WSU doesn’t need Council to be a go-to scorer this season. While he very well could develop into that for the Shockers in the future, Council can help WSU the most this season by being a consistent contributor off the bench.
Where Council can make those consistent contributions as a freshman is with his athleticism and effort. He showed on Tuesday how much of a problem he can be for defenses when he crashes the offensive glass consistently. But Council can also affect the game for the Shockers by sprinting the floor in transition like he did late in the first half against Tulsa for an easy basket.
“He’s athletic and very quick for his size,” Gilbert said. “He can jump and rebound with the best of them and he plays really well in transition. For Ricky, he’s just got to be better defensively to take that next step. I think he can be great.”
Like all freshmen, Council is still adjusting to executing the tiny details required to play high-level Division I basketball. He’ll forget a set every now and then on offense. He’ll get caught ball-watching on defense and give up a back cut. He’ll rely on his sheer athleticism instead of properly boxing out, which leads to offensive rebounds allowed sometimes.
But WSU is more than willing to absorb those growing pains with Council on the floor because of the upside he brings. After Tuesday, that was never more clear.
“I was wondering preseason was I ready for the college game and I feel like (these first three games) some of the plays I’ve been making show that I’m ready,” Council said. “So that’s definitely a confidence-booster.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 5:31 AM.
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