Don’t look just yet, but there appears to be one heck of a personality-driven relationship developing between Kansas point guard Melvin Council Jr. and freshman phenom Tyran Stokes.
And it was on full display during their 15 minutes with the media on Thursday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse during KU’s annual Media Day.
Seated at the podium about 10 feet apart for the Group 2 breakout sessions, Council and Stokes fielded question after question, individually, about their games, their paths to Kansas, the outlook for this team and season and more.
Toward the end, the topic of dogs came up in both circles. And with both players being proud Frenchie owners — Melvin’s a 1-year-old fluffy Frenchie named Ace and Stokes’ a 2-year-old medium gray Frenchie that accompanied him on his official visit to KU — the rest of their sessions carried a bit of a crossover theme.
When Council was asked which of the five KU freshmen he had built the biggest bond with so far, he smiled and mentioned point guard Taylen Kinney, who they call “TK.”
Makes sense. They’re both lead guards. They’ll be asked to do similar things on the floor. And Council has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to pass on to Kinney and Kinney, in no uncertain terms, is full of humility and ready to embrace all of it.
On the back end of his words about Kinney, while saying that he’s still working on building trust with Stokes, Council peeked over at the freshman forward and asked him if he trusted him yet.
“I’m trying to get T-Stokes to open up his shell for me. T-Stokes is still quiet to me. I don’t think he trusts me right now,” Council said before adding, “You trust me?”
“Do I trust you? With what,” Stokes asked, intrigued by the inquiry.
“With life,” Council said.
“Ahhhhhhhh….” Stokes said, laughing.
“See,” Council said. “He don’t trust me right now.”
He then took his middle and pointer finger on his left hand and put them next to each other, explaining, “Me and T-Stokes, we’re like this.”
Council then interlocked them as if to make a wish, and said, “I’m trying to get like this.”
Both of them laughed, as did the collection of media members around them, in a sort of acknowledgement that, while they may not quite be Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson just yet, there is the foundation for a meaningful relationship in both basketball and the world around it.
And if that develops the way it appears it might — perhaps in a similar way as Stokes and Kinney, who have known each other since middle school — these two may have some serious highlights and memorable moments in their immediate future.
But don’t take my word for it. Just listen to Council at the end of this exchange.
“Best player in the country right here,” Council said, giving Stokes a brief shoulder massage as he walked behind him on his way out of the room. “Player of the year!”
Said Stokes, with all sincerity and humility: “Hope so.”
Kansas, which was picked to finish third in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll — behind Arizona and Houston — will open its exhibition season on Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse, where Pitt State will play the Jayhawks in a new-look Late Night in the Phog event.
Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+, with several classic Late Night events being sprinkled in throughout the game and at halftime.
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
