Arkansas guard Ricky Council IV declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Arkansas‘ leading scorer for the 2022-23 season, Ricky Council IV, has made a decision on his future with the Hogs. He announced on Tuesday via Twitter that he’s entering the NBA Draft, signing the post, “C4 out,” suggesting that he does not plan to keep open his option of coming back.

You can see his post and read his Thank You message right here:

Thank you Arkansas❤️ pic.twitter.com/6LJ6zs7gc1

— Ricky Council IV (@Rickythe4th) April 4, 2023

Council was part of another loaded transfer class for the Razorbacks in the 2022 offseason. But before ending up in Fayetteville, he was a Wichita State shocker for his first two years of school, which were also the first two years for Isaac Brown, who stepped in as head coach after Gregg Marshall was fired. In year one as just an interim, Council’s freshman season, Brown took Wichita to the NCAA Tournament, won the AAC regular season crown and was unanimously named the conference’s Coach of the Year.

After that unbelievable turnaround job by Brown, Wichita State inked him to a massive five-year extension. However, just two years later, WSU will pay a $4 million buyout so they can fire him after this past season, just his third and only his second since making the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Quick trigger from Shockers brass and a pretty tough pill to swallow for Coach Brown when the school’s athletics website still refers to him as “one of college basketball’s best feel-good stories.”

Had Ricky Council stayed in Wichita and blossomed like he did at Arkansas, perhaps Isaac Brown and the Shockers would have been the ones celebrating a Sweet 16 appearance. Of course, Council did not do that and ultimately wound up at Arkansas, where he popped to become the team’s leading scorer at a smidge over 16 points per game. He had a knack for canning mid-range jumpers and possessed the elite athleticism that Eric Musselman always likes to have with his wings.

Heck of a player with a very bright future if he can develop that outside shot a bit more.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.