Kansas is still waiting on two very different eligibility calls, and neither one has a clean answer yet.
For Melvin Council Jr., the issue is his own lawsuit against the NCAA. He’s arguing that because he spent two years at the junior college level after a legal situation in which he was later acquitted, he should be granted a fourth season of Division I eligibility.
That case is separate from the North Carolina lawsuit that produced an injunction allowing more than 50 members of the 2022 recruiting class to play a fifth season of college basketball. Even though names like Dug McDaniel and Darrion Williams could benefit from that ruling, Council’s situation won’t be resolved by it.
He has to win his own case.
Council gave Kansas one of its most dependable seasons in Lawrence. He started all 35 games, averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 assists, and 5.0 rebounds, and turned himself into one of the better two-way guards in the country before going undrafted and later spending NBA Summer League with the New Orleans Pelicans.
For now, the Jayhawks are stuck in wait mode. A decision doesn’t appear close, though that could change quickly.
Mihailo Mušikić’s path looks even tougher. The NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule could be a major obstacle, and at 24 years old after six seasons playing professionally, it’s increasingly hard to see a waiver coming through.
Mušikić played in the Serbian and Adriatic Leagues before joining Kansas as a late offseason addition, and there was never any certainty about whether he’d be cleared. The Jayhawks still took the gamble and landed his commitment in July knowing it might not pay off.
The age issue is what makes his case so tricky. Because Mušikić is already 24, his eligibility clock would effectively start at 19, which leaves very little room under the current rules.
That same reading could also affect fellow Kansas big man Paul Mbiya, who is 21 and played professionally overseas before arriving in college. Under that interpretation, Mbiya could be classified as a junior instead of a sophomore.
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