Council Signs With Arkansas MBB
FAYETTEVILLE – Ricky Council IV, the 2022 American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year, will be a member of the 2022-23 Arkansas men’s basketball program, head coach Eric Musselman announced today.
Council – a 6-6, 240-pound guard – played two seasons at Wichita State and will have three years of eligibility remaining. He played in 49 games with nine starts at Wichita and scored 458 points (9.9 avg) with 223 rebounds (4.6 avg), 65 assists, 38 steals and 17 blocked shots. He shot 43.2 percent (161-373) from the field, 33.9 percent (38-112) from 3-point and 77.6 percent (125-161) from the line.
Council was teammates with Trey Wade at Wichita State in 2020-21. The duo helped the Shockers win the AAC regular-season title and earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
Ricky Council IV
6-6, 204, G, Jr.
Durham, N.C. / Southern Durham HS / Wichita State
2021-22 (Sophomore at Wichita State):
Voted the AAC Sixth Man of the Year … Started eight of the 28 games but he ranked second on the team in scoring 12.0 points, tops among AAC reserves … He led the team in scoring 10 times, including eight of the last 12 games … Scored in double figures in 17 games, including three with 20-plus points, and had 17 games with at least five rebounds, including two double-digit efforts … Averaged 5.4 rebounds and was second on the team with 32 steals … Led the team in rebounding three times and assists twice … Made 84.9% (90-of-106) of his free throws to rank third in the AAC (63rd in the NCAA) … Made 54-of-62 at the line over his final 12 games including a 16-of-20 effort vs UCF … 16 makes ties for 3rd on the school’s single-game lest and 20 attempts is third … Made the AAC Honor Roll three times … First (Jan. 31) scored a career-high, 31-point effort in an 84-79 win over UCF … Scored 22 points inside the final 11:08 and his 16 free throws made were the most by a Shocker in 59 years … Second (Feb. 7) as he scored 20 points (7-of-7 FT) with seven rebounds and three steals in a win over SMU … Third (Feb. 21) as he recorded a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds in a two-points, overtime loss to Houston … His first career double-double came vs Tulane (Jan. 12) with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds (12 defensive) … Tallied a career-high six assists in 23, turnover-free minutes vs Norfolk State … In a win over Oklahoma State, hit five-straight shots, accounting for 12 of his team-high 17 points in the final 10 minutes to help WSU erase an eight-point deficit … Pumped in 20 points in the regular-season finale win over East Carolina.
2020-21 (Freshman at Wichita State):
Named to the AAC All-Freshman Team … Appeared in 21 of the 22 games with one start and averaged 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game … Made 12 3’s on 44 percent accuracy and was 35-of-55 at the foul line (.636) … Drew an average of 5.03 fouls-per-40-minutes … Was one of the league’s most impactful bench scorers, averaging 18.2 points-per-40-minutes (11th-best among AAC regulars) … One of just three players to average 20+ points-per-40 during AAC play, putting up 20.3 points over 13 conference contests … Earned AAC Freshman of the Week honors (Jan. 10) after scoring a season-high 23 points in 23 minutes against Cincinnati – the most points by a Shocker true freshman in nearly a dozen years … Was 8-of-11 from the field and 7-for-11 at the line with six rebounds versus the Bearcats … Scored 11 points in 17 minutes to key an upset of No. 6 Houston … Eight of those points came in the last six minutes of the first half, helping the Shockers erase a 12-point deficit … Had a breakthrough performance in the conference opener at Tulsa as he produced team-highs with 13 points and eight rebounds … Earned a spot on the Dec. 21 AAC Honor Roll by delivering another 13 points and eight boards in a weekend win over Emporia State … Made his first career start in his sixth career game against Newman and finished with eight points.
High School:
Three-star prospect, per Rivals and 247 Sports … No. 391 nationally in 247 Sports composite rankings and No. 18 in North Carolina … Third team all-state (all classes) and helped lead his team to North Carolina’s Class 3A state quarterfinals with a 22-6 record … District 6 Player of the Year … Averaged 23 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5 assists as a senior … Finished his career with more than 1,000 points … Coached by Greg Motley … Honor roll student and National Honor Society nominee who graduated among the top-10 of his class … Member of Team Felton on the Under Armor circuit in the summer of 2019 while playing for Coach Fred Cannon.
Personal:
Born Aug. 3, 2001 … Son of Rick and Ruth Council … Youngest of three boys, all named after their father … Oldest brother, Ricky Council II, played at Providence and UMBC … Ricky Council III, played junior college basketball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M … Also has an older sister, Rhianna, who played at UNCG … Credits those older siblings for making him a tougher, more physical player – especially around the basket … Sport Management major.
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.
