Over the last three games, Kansas has gotten a spark from an unexpected source - senior guard Melvin Council Jr. The transfer has caught fire from deep, and it’s not just a hot streak - it’s reshaping how the Jayhawks attack on offense.
Council is averaging 21.3 points per game during this three-game stretch, and he’s doing it with a level of outside shooting that, frankly, hasn’t been part of his game until now. He’s knocked down 13 of his last 23 attempts from beyond the arc - a blistering 56.5% clip - and it’s not just the volume, it’s the timing and confidence behind those shots that are making a difference.
To understand how surprising this run has been, you have to look at the full picture of Council’s college journey. He started with two years in junior college, then spent a season at Wagner before transferring to St.
Bonaventure, and now, in his final year of eligibility, he’s suiting up for Kansas. At each of those stops, the three-point shot was not a strength.
At Wagner, he shot just 26.5% from deep. At St.
Bonaventure, he was slightly better at 29.9%. And through his first 10 games at Kansas?
A rough 18.5% - just 5 makes on 27 attempts.
That’s why this recent surge feels so significant. Council didn’t just flip a switch - he rewired the circuit.
Sure, it’s a small sample size. Three games don’t make a season.
And yes, one of those outings - the 36-point explosion against NC State - skews the numbers a bit. He went 9-for-15 from three in that one alone.
But even if you strip that away and look at his last two games since, he’s still 4-for-8 from deep. That’s efficient, and more importantly, it’s within the flow of the offense.
He’s not forcing shots, he’s taking what the defense gives him - and making them pay.
Earlier in the season, Council’s three-point attempts were more hope than expectation. Even when he was open, there was a collective breath-hold from the bench and the fanbase.
The mechanics looked fine, but the results weren’t there. Misses weren’t just misses - they were clunkers.
He was stacking bricks like he was building a foundation.
But now? The same form, the same release - and suddenly, it’s all net.
He looks like a completely different shooter. Smooth.
Confident. Lethal.
There’s no single answer for what changed. Maybe it’s just confidence.
Maybe it’s the result of hours in the gym. Maybe it’s a subtle adjustment - a tweak to his footwork, his timing, his follow-through - that turned good-looking misses into made buckets.
Whatever it is, it’s working.
The question now is sustainability. No one expects Council to keep shooting 56% from three - that’s Steph Curry in a video game territory.
But can he stay around 40%? That’s a number that would make him a legitimate threat and force defenses to rethink their priorities.
If he can maintain that kind of efficiency, it opens things up in a big way for Kansas, especially with the potential return of Darryn Peterson. A reliable Council from deep means defenders can’t collapse on Peterson as easily. It stretches the floor, creates driving lanes, and gives the Jayhawks another weapon in their offensive arsenal.
Council’s game has always been about energy - he plays with intensity, hustle, and a visible joy that’s hard not to root for. But now, he’s adding a new layer to that game - the kind of perimeter shooting that changes how defenses have to guard Kansas.
If this version of Melvin Council Jr. sticks around for conference play, the Jayhawks just became a whole lot tougher to handle.