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Many thought that Arkansas was finished in the portal this offseason after landing four heralded transfers in a 12-day span. More than a month later, though, the Razorbacks have added yet another transfer.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council IV announced his commitment to Arkansas on Friday, not long after a visit to Fayetteville with his mother and brother. He chose the Razorbacks over fellow finalists Kansas, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and Iowa State.
The addition of the reigning AAC Sixth Man of the Year gives Arkansas a five-man transfer haul, as he joins Trevon Brazile from Missouri, Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Rhode Island and Jalen Graham from Arizona State.
Council spent two years at Wichita State, where he primarily came off the bench. In particular, he started just seven of the 28 games in which he appeared this season, but averaged 26.6 minutes — the fourth-most on the team.
Listed at 6-foot-6, 204 pounds, the Durham, N.C., native possesses the size and versatility that Musselman likes and is a shot creator and scorer that should help the Razorbacks’ inexperienced backcourt next season.
As a sophomore, Council averaged 12.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals. His shooting percentages were down this past season on a higher volume of attempts, but he did manage to shoot 44.4 percent on 1.3 attempts from beyond the arc per game as a true freshman.
Over his two years with the Shockers, he shot 43.2 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from 3-point range and 77.6 percent from the free throw line.
Council immediately comes in as a contributor to the backcourt who also won’t pose a threat to the three McDonald’s All-Americans anticipated to start for the Razorbacks next winter.
He will provide a couple of years’ experience, have more than just one year of eligibility and can function as a scoring threat off the bench while maintaining the roster’s elite size and length throughout the lineup.
Coupled with Jaxson Robinson's decision to enter the portal Thursday, Arkansas now has 14 spots filled on the roster if Jaylin Williams returns. If he doesn't, it would get down to the 13-man scholarship limit.
Click here to view HawgBeat's roster tracker for the 2022-23 season.
