LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior Melvin Council Jr. was voted as Big 12 Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week by a panel of media who cover the league, the conference announced Monday.
With these honors, Council anchored this week’s Big 12 Starting Five and is joined with Arizona’s Brayden Burries, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin and West Virginia’s Honor Huff.
In Kansas’ 77-76 overtime win at NC State on Saturday, Council scored a career-high 36 points while making nine 3-pointers, the most for a Big 12 player in a single-game since the 2022-23 season and the second most threes made in KU history. The transfer from St. Bonaventure scored the Jayhawks’ final 13 points in regulation, and 18 of the team’s final 25 points. The guard from Rochester, New Jersey, added seven rebounds, four assists and a steal, while not committing a turnover in the KU win.
These are Council’s first career Big 12 weekly awards and the fourth time a Jayhawk has been named this season. KU’s Darryn Peterson (11/10) and Flory Bidunga (11/17, 12/1) were named to the Big 12 Starting Five earlier this season.
No. 17 Kansas (8-3) will host Towson (6-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Tip from Allen Fieldhouse will be at 8 p.m. (Central) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Big 12 Starting Five (Dec. 15):
Brayden Burries, Arizona
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Melvin Council Jr., Kansas (player and newcomer)
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Honor Huff, West Virginia
