Nebraska prep likely to walk on

Lincoln Southeast guard Bahe 'loves' KU's program, coach

? It looks like Kansas University will have four walk-ons on the men’s basketball team next season.

Nick Bahe, a 6-foot-3, two-time all-state guard from state runner-up Lincoln (Neb.) Southeast High, will meet with KU coach Roy Williams after the season to see if there’s room for him on the roster, Bahe’s mom, Raette, said Thursday.

“He loves KU’s program, coach (Roy) Williams and KU’s style of play,” Raette Bahe said of Nick, who averaged 14.5 points this past season and is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 963 points. “I’d say he is leaning toward Kansas. As soon as the season is over, he will come to Lawrence and talk it over with coach Williams.”

Earlier this week, Southeast coach Jeff Smith had told the Omaha World-Herald that Bahe, who has received scholarship offers from Ohio, Bowling Green, Marist and Cal Poly, definitely had decided on KU, where he’d join Brett Olson, Christian Moody and Steven Vinson as walk-ons.

“He’s fallen in love with KU,” Smith told the paper. “There’s no guarantees, but he’s a confident young man and will do whatever it takes to give it a legitimate shot.”

Bahe hit 87.2 percent of his free throws this season, icing a school-record 58 consecutive charities his sophomore season. He missed eight games this year because of a separated left shoulder he incurred during football season, when he was a standout quarterback.

“He has a zest for life,” Smith told the Lincoln Journal. “He puts so much heart and enthusiasm and effort into it, it draws everyone else into it. It’s not a basketball quality, it’s a leadership quality. He is someone the kids know they should follow.”

Bahe also has received an offer from Creighton to walk on his freshman season, then be placed on scholarship the next three years. He also may meet with Nebraska coach Barry Collier in coming days to see what the Huskers may have to offer.