Melvin Council Receives Injunction, Opening Door for Kansas Return
Kansas basketball received another major development Tuesday as former Jayhawk guard Melvin Council Jr. was granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, giving him a path to play college basketball during the 2026-27 season.
A New York judge granted Council’s request, making him immediately eligible to pursue another season of college basketball. The decision comes after Council spent the summer challenging the NCAA’s decision regarding his eligibility.
Council played two seasons at Monroe College before continuing his career at Wagner, St. Bonaventure and Kansas. His case centers on whether his two junior college seasons should count against his NCAA eligibility clock. The ruling does not permanently settle his eligibility, but it prevents the NCAA from taking action against a school that allows Council to compete while the legal process continues.
The development could give Kansas an opportunity to bring Council back to Lawrence. However, there are still questions surrounding whether the Jayhawks will ultimately add him to the roster.
Before Tuesday’s ruling, Kansas head coach Bill Self said the possibility of Council returning was something the program was monitoring rather than something it was planning around.
“We’re aware of Melvin’s legal efforts to pursue an additional year of Division I eligibility, similar to what a number of student-athletes across the country are doing,” Self said earlier in the process. “At this point, we’re simply monitoring the process and allowing it to play out.”
Self later described a potential Council return as “a bonus,” while emphasizing that Kansas had not built its roster around the possibility of getting him back.
That approach makes the latest ruling particularly interesting for the Jayhawks. Council was one of Kansas’ most important players during the 2025-26 season, averaging 12.7 points, 5.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He also earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors.
Council went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft and later participated in NBA Summer League with the New Orleans Pelicans. His professional opportunities created another layer to his eligibility situation, as the NCAA had previously argued that his professional activity should also prevent him from returning to college basketball.
Kansas also has to consider the Big 12’s separate rules concerning players who have professional experience. That could create another hurdle even with the injunction in place.
For now, the court ruling gives Council an opportunity that appeared uncertain only days ago. Whether that opportunity ultimately leads him back to Allen Fieldhouse remains a decision for Council and Kansas.
But with the injunction now granted, the possibility of seeing Council in a Kansas uniform again has become much more realistic.
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Jimmy Adeniran is a contributor to JayhawksROUNDTABLE. He can be reached at [email protected]
