Ricky Council IV declares for 2023 NBA Draft
Arkansas junior guard Ricky Council IV announced Tuesday that he is entering his name in the 2023 NBA Draft after spending one season in Fayetteville.
"Transferring and coming to Arkansas was a very hard decision but I want to thank Coach Muss, Coach Argenal, Coach Smart, and the rest of the support staff for making that transition as easy as possible," Council said in a tweet. "Playing here this year has taught me so much on and off the court and I can truly say I just haven't grown as a basketball player but also as the person I'm becoming today."
A transfer from Wichita State, Council led Arkansas in scoring this season with an average of 16.1 points per game. He improved on that number in the postseason, averaging a team-best 18.7 points per game for the Razorbacks.
Council earned Coaches and AP Second Team All-SEC honors after he ranked fifth in the league in scoring this year. He scored in double figures in 31 of 36 games for Arkansas this season, and he scored at least 20 points on 11 occasions.
The native of Durham, North Carolina, shot 43.3% from the field, 27.0% from three and 79.4% from the free throw line this season. Council's free throw shooting in the postseason was clutch for the Razorbacks, as he went 29-of-32 at the charity stripe in Arkansas' three NCAA Tournament games.
Council's 174 made free throws led the Razorbacks this year, as did his 187 made field goals. He also averaged 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
A high-flying walking highlight reel, Council will stay in the minds of Razorbacks fans for a long time when the conversation of "best dunker in Arkansas history" comes up.
Some recent mock drafts have featured Council, including Bleacher Report having him going No. 34 overall to the Charlotte Hornets, NBC Sports mocking him No. 30 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers and NBADraft.net having him going No. 39 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in its consensus mock draft.
Council is the fourth Razorback to announce a decision for his future, joining Nick Smith Jr. (draft), Trevon Brazile (returning) and Davonte Davis (draft, maintaining eligibility).