Kansas Basketball Awaits Key Date in Melvin Council Jr. Court Case

The Kansas basketball program has been looking to add one more player to its roster for months. Bill Self successfully acquired Mihailo Mušikić from the overseas pool, only for his eligibility situation to become murky due to the NCAA's new age-based rules for international players.

As a result, the Jayhawks have been left scrambling for one last transfer to supplement the 2026-27 squad. Up to this point, they have had no luck, but their last hope could be Melvin Council Jr.

The former KU guard went undrafted this summer and competed with the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA Summer League. However, he is attempting to put his professional career on hold, suing the NCAA in July in an effort to gain one additional year of eligibility.

Council initially filed his lawsuit in the state of Kansas before voluntarily dismissing the case in late August and refiling it in New York. He moved the case to New York in part because the other student-athletes have successfully filed temporary restraining orders against the NCAA.

While the regular season is only a month and a half away, there's still a chance Council could win his case and temporarily become eligible. That decision could come on a pivotal date for his case.

A Key Date in Melvin Council Jr.'s Case

According to court documents, the New York judge assigned to this case ordered the NCAA to appear on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and explain why Council should not be allowed to compete during the 2026-27 season. The judge did not immediately grant Council a TRO, so this is yet another hurdle he must clear before he can officially return to college.

With that being said, it isn't a done deal that Council would return to KU if he is ruled eligible. The Big 12 recently adopted a policy that prevents its schools from allowing professional athletes to compete, and Council's time in the NBA Summer League could make him subject to that rule.

The NCAA has also argued that Council's professional basketball activities affected his eligibility, even though Council maintains that he did not sign a professional contract or receive payment for his Summer League participation.

All of this is still up in the air, and the combination of the New York judge granting Council an injunction and Kansas landing him as a transfer is a long shot. Regardless, it's one of the final avenues the program can pursue this offseason if it wants to improve a roster that still has multiple holes to address.

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