Allen Fieldhouse might get one more season of Melvin Council after all.
There’s real interest on both sides in making a return happen, and the possibility has been kicked around throughout July. Council applied for a waiver to gain an extra year, but sources say the NCAA denied it. That doesn’t end the conversation, though - he can still take the denial to court.
Council already benefited from an extra year last season after a court decision ruled that JUCO doesn’t count toward eligibility, followed by an NCAA blanket waiver for one season. Because he played two years of JUCO, one of those seasons still counts against his eligibility under the current setup.
For now, the door is still cracked open.
Council was on the pro path before this came up. His Summer League stint with the Pelicans ended in Vegas over the weekend, and he finished that run averaging 8 points and about 4 assists. Matt Norlander recently reported on the broader possibility of players returning to college from Summer League.
If Council doesn’t end up back at Kansas, the Jayhawks still have other moving pieces to sort through.
Javon Bardwell, KU’s 5-star wing in the 2027 class, is still weighing a reclassification to 2026. That possibility was first floated to VIP subscribers back in early April, and while it’s still in play, it sounds like there’s a ways to go before anything is finalized.
KU is also looking to use one of its two open spots on a big man. Serbian big Mihailo Musikic has already committed and signed, but his eligibility is not guaranteed, so Kansas is also lining up backup options in case that path doesn’t work out.
So there are three possible routes for two roster spots, and plenty of uncertainty around all of them.
Still, Council is the one who matters most in this picture. He’s the player who got Bill Self barking on Senior Night - twice - and there’s at least a chance he could do it again.
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