Ricky Council IV signs two-way deal with 76ers
Arkansas junior guard Ricky Council IV signed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday.
Council signed after Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr. and Jordan Walsh were all selected in the draft. Black went No. 6 overall to the Orlando Magic, Smith was taken No. 27 overall by the Charlotte Hornets and Walsh went No. 38 overall to the Boston Celtics.
A two-way deal allows developing players to be rostered on an NBA team and its G League affiliate at the same time. Each NBA team can have two players on this type of contract.
A transfer from Wichita State, Council led Arkansas in scoring in 2022-23 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, as did his 187 made field goals. He also averaged 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.