Villanueva decision looming

Standout recruit likely will choose NBA draft

McDonald’s All-American Charlie Villanueva admits he’s “leaning toward” putting his name in the 2003 NBA draft.

But Villanueva, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound high school senior forward from Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., said Saturday he hadn’t made it official and, as planned, would announce his final decision Monday.

“I have not declared (for draft). I should have my decision, like I’m planning on, Monday,” Villanueva told analyst Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com.

Villanueva, who visited KU last week, in all likelihood officially will declare for the June 25 draft Monday, the last day high school players and college underclassmen can do so.

Villanueva’s AAU coach — Gary Charles of the Long Island Panthers — told Mike Sullivan of rivalshoops.com that Sullivan’s No. 3-rated national player has decided to test the NBA waters.

Villanueva likely will not sign with an agent. If, after attending various NBA camps, Villanueva is told he’ll be a first-round pick, he’d most certainly turn pro.

If not guaranteed first-round money, he likely would drop out of the draft by June 19 and still be eligible to play a year or two at Kansas, UCLA or Connecticut, his finalists.

Insiders believe Kansas is Villanueva’s heavy college favorite. He orally committed to new KU coach Bill Self’s University of Illinois team last November and has not made official visits to UCLA or UConn.

NBAdraft.net lists Villanueva as a second-round choice in the draft. Insidehoops.com lists Villanueva as a first-round possibility, but more likely an early to mid-second round pick.

KU seniors Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich remain definite first-round picks according to both NBAdraft.net and insidehoops.com. Hinrich is listed as the No. 16 pick (Boston Celtics) and Collison No. 18 pick (New Orleans) by NBAdraft.net.

Insidehoops.com has Hinrich replacing John Stockton in Utah at No. 19 overall and Collison going to Milwaukee at No. 14.

¢

More on Bahe: Incoming KU walk-on Nick Bahe, a 6-3 guard from Lincoln Southeast High in Nebraska, is the school’s career scoring leader with 963 points. The career 88 percent free-throw shooter averaged 14.5 points a game his senior season for coach Jeff Smith’s state runner-up.

Bahe was recruited the past year and a half by the previous KU coaching staff, headed by Roy Williams and Joe Holladay, who have moved on to North Carolina.

“Coach Holladay, who had done most of my recruiting, mentioned to coach Smith the possibility of me walking on at North Carolina,” Bahe told the Lincoln Journal Star. “But he (Smith) said he thought the best situation for me was walking on at Kansas.

“Coach (Ben) Miller, who is an assistant that will be staying at Kansas, arranged a time for me and my parents and coach Smith to see coach Self,” Bahe said. “Coach Smith is friends with coach Self from when both of them were assistants in the Big Eight. Coach Smith said he thought I would like coach Self and get along just fine with him.”

Bahe met with Self Thursday in Lawrence and officially accepted a walk-on spot at KU.

Miller, by the way, Friday had no comment when asked about his future at KU. Self told the Journal-World last week he definitely wanted Miller, a Williams aide for 10 years, to remain on staff with an announcement perhaps forthcoming soon.

Miller counseled KU’s players during a six-day period in which the Jayhawks had no coach and has helped in various duties since Self took over as KU coach.