The current state of college basketball is difficult to describe and unlike anything fans have ever seen before. There certainly haven't been many instances of schools unexpectedly adding multiple starters from the previous campaign less than a month before the regular season begins, but that's exactly what Kansas did this offseason.
The returns of Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. have put the Jayhawks in an excellent spot to compete in the Big 12 this year. However, given the unusual circumstances surrounding their eligibility, neither received a start in his first game back wearing a Jayhawk uniform.
White and Council both came off the bench this past Friday in the preseason opener against Pittsburg State, but one of them clearly looked further along than the other. White appeared much more polished and mature than he did last season, finishing with a game-high 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting and adding eight rebounds in just 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, Council saw a little more action with 22 minutes but had four points, three assists, and shot an ugly 2-for-7 from the floor. Council's impact is never really indicated in the box score because of what he provides as a playmaker and defender, but head coach Bill Self also acknowledged that Council didn't look particularly good in the opener. The Hall of Famer believes there's a reason why White is further ahead in his progress.
"He shot it great, and I don't know how he looked to you guys, but he looks like he's a couple years older out there," Self said. "I think he looked great. Now, Melvin didn't, but Melvin hasn't been playing. Melvin's been in the gym shooting on his own and that stuff. So, that's why I wanted to play him more, just so he could get a feel for playing, because he hasn't had the opportunity to be with the Heat or whatever and getting all those reps."
White competed in the NBA Summer League after going undrafted in June, putting up 17.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game across four appearances with the Miami Heat. He played against plenty of future and current NBA talent throughout the summer.
His performance was enough for Miami to keep him around the organization after the summer league, and there was even chatter he'd receive a two-way or G League contract. White continued to train with members of the Heat before joining the Indiana court lawsuit in September in an effort to gain additional eligibility.
That experience gave White a much different offseason than Council, who also played in the summer league for the New Orleans Pelicans but didn't have the same amount of time around a professional club afterward. Self explained that Council spent much of that period working out on his own, shooting in the gym and getting individual work in rather than partaking in organized team drills.
Following a season in which both players started all 35 games for the Jayhawks, it should take them a relatively short time to get reacclimated to Coach Self's system. Still, White's first outing suggested that he could reclaim his starting spot much sooner than Council, especially with the plethora of backcourt talent like Leroy Blyden Jr. and Taylen Kinney fighting for minutes.
There's even the arrival of former Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn to consider should Council's progress lag behind. He officially joined the team over the weekend and will play for the Jayhawks this year, barring any issues with his eligibility.
When the Jayhawks suit up against Louisville in Allen Fieldhouse tomorrow, it should become much clearer where each of these three late additions stand heading into the regular season.
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