Akron, Ohio ? Michael Beasley, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound high school junior from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., apparently is headed to Kansas State to play basketball in two seasons.

Ranked No. 3 in the country by Rivals.com, behind Cincinnati North College Hill’s O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker, Beasley told the Enquirer he is going to play for KSU coach Bob Huggins.

Beasley’s DC Assault summer basketball team defeated Mayo’s D-I Greyhounds Friday night in the teams’ opening game of the King James Classic. Afterward, Beasley said he plans to attend college at Kansas State, which is recruiting Mayo and Walker as well.

“I told coach Huggins about two weeks ago I’d be going there,” Beasley said.

Then Beasley said he’d like to see Mayo and Walker follow him to Kansas State.

“We’d probably be the best college team out there,” Beasley said. “It’d be one of the best recruiting classes ever.”

But Beasley said if Mayo or Walker decide on a different college, Beasley still intends to go to Kansas State.

“I’m 95 percent sure I’m going to Kansas State,” Beasley said. “If O.J. doesn’t follow me there, there’s a good chance I’m not going to follow him wherever he goes.”

Meanwhile, Mayo, the No. 1 basketball prospect in the Class of 2007, said Sunday he will return to the North College Hill basketball team for his senior year, seemingly ending the speculation that he might transfer to another school.

Mayo told Fox Sports Net that he will return to NCH. Mayo gave the word during a postgame interview at the King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, where the 6-foot-4 Mayo scored 23 points to lead his D-I Greyhounds past Triple Threat 86-65 in a nationally televised AAU tournament championship game.

When asked about next year, Mayo said, “I plan on going to North College Hill and three-peating our championship. We’ve got a great program there, and I think we should finish it out right.”

Mayo has led NCH to two straight Ohio Division III championships and has won consecutive Mr. Basketball awards. Mayo caused a stir two weeks ago when he visited national high school powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (Va.), with hopes of a possible transfer there. But then last week, Oak Hill told Mayo it would not accept him after learning Mayo had been suspended for a second time at NCH.

NCH school administrators will not discuss Mayo’s status, citing laws regarding students’ privacy. But, Mayo’s NCH teammate Bill Walker said last week that Mayo had been suspended for 10 days after a recent fight at school. That came just a few weeks after Mayo had been suspended for the state high school semifinals for, in Mayo’s words, missing some classes.

Mayo and Walker also were asked on TV about their college plans. Neither player would name any schools they are considering.

“We’re in the process of elimination,” Mayo said.

Said Walker, “After the summer’s over, we’ll put out a list and we’ll go from there.”

Mayo suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s championship game but TV reports said he would be OK. Walker suffered leg cramps after playing multiple games.