NEW ORLEANS, La. — Former Wagner men's basketball standout guard Melvin Council Jr. signed an undrafted free-agent deal with the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday following the 2026 NBA Draft.

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Council Jr. is the latest Seahawk to join an NBA organization since Alex Morales '22 signed a two-way deal with the Orlando Magic last season.

During the 2023-24 season, Council Jr. led the Seahawks to their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and the program's second NEC championship in school history.

Council Jr. averaged a team-best 14.9 points per game during his lone season as a Seahawk, including seven 20-point performances. A First Team All-NEC selection, he scored in double figures in 15 of Wagner's 16 conference games while recording four double-doubles and leading the league with 35.8 minutes per game.

Along with his scoring numbers, Council Jr. averaged 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, ranking eighth in the NEC in both categories. He also finished fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.8.

In Wagner's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory over Howard, Council Jr. led all scorers with 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting. With the performance, he became the first player in the NCAA Tournament since assists became an official statistic in 1984 to record at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists while shooting 50% or better from the field, playing every minute and committing no fouls.

Council Jr. delivered one of the season's signature moments by knocking down the game-winning basket in overtime at Saint Francis U on Feb. 15, finishing with 20 points. He later earned NEC All-Tournament Team honors after scoring 12 points in each of Wagner's final two conference tournament games.

Prior to Wagner, the Rochester, N.Y., native spent two seasons at Monroe College, where he averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game during the 2022-23 season. In two seasons with the Mustangs, he scored exactly 1,400 career points, the most in program history, and earned NJCAA Division I All-America honors.

Following his time on Grymes Hill, Council Jr. transferred to St. Bonaventure, where he started all 34 games and averaged 14.6 points per game en route to All-Atlantic 10 Third Team honors.

Following his stint with the Bonnies, Council Jr. transferred to Kansas, where he started all 35 games and averaged 12.7 points per contest. During his lone season with the Jayhawks, he earned Associated Press National Player of the Week, NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week honors after scoring 36 points against NC State while connecting on nine three-pointers.

He was also named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, earned Academic All-Big 12 honors, received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition and was selected to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.

Council Jr. will begin NBA Summer League play with the Pelicans July 9-19 in Las Vegas. Games will be held at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of UNLV.