Each week during the University of Kansas’ sports seasons, the Journal-World staff will select one athlete from a KU men’s sports team and one from a women’s sports team as athletes of the week.
For the week of Dec. 8-14, the selections are Melvin Council Jr. and Sammy Cummins.
Melvin Council Jr., men’s basketball
With Kansas’ offense stagnant, and with N.C. State daring him to shoot, Council put up one of the best offensive performances in recent KU basketball history with 36 points on 13-for-27 shooting, including nine 3-pointers. The fifth-year senior guard from Rochester, New York, added seven rebounds and four assists with zero turnovers to will the Jayhawks to a 77-76 overtime victory over the Wolfpack in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Sammy Cummins, women’s swimming and diving
Cummins, a freshman from Orange County, California, entered Saturday’s meet against Rockhurst as the reigning Big 12 newcomer of the week because she had set a personal best in the 400-yard individual medley (four minutes, 24.03 seconds) to earn second place while also coming in third in the 200 fly when the Jayhawks faced Houston on Dec. 6. She wrapped up her fall semester in style at the Rockhurst meet with victories on both the 200 fly (2:00.60) and 100 fly (55.26).
