photo by: Richard Gwin

Nick Bradford and Ryan Robertson horse around before the The Legends of the Phog game on Saturday Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Former Kansas University guard Nick Bradford has been hired as head boys basketball coach at Mexico (Mo.) High School.

The 6-foot-7, 37-year-old Bradford, who played at KU for Roy Williams from 1997 to 2000, currently is coach of the Missouri Phenom girls AAU team, based in Blue Springs, Mo. He has been an assistant men’s coach at Missouri Southern State in Joplin, Mo., and Labette County Community College in Parsons. He has also coached for many years in Kansas City’s Run GMC AAU program.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Bradford told the Journal-World on Wednesday. “This was my first year since I was a little kid not being part of a school team or pro team playing or coaching. I’m ready to get back in the everyday basketball grind.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” added Bradford, who spent the last year training athletes while working as a substitute teacher in his hometown of Fayetteville, Ark. He returned to the KC area to start coaching the Phenom again this spring.

Bradford joked that “Mexico is 10, 15 miles east of Columbia — (Missouri) Tiger country. But the AD is kind of a big Kansas guy,” he added with a laugh referring to Jeff Anderson, who last week was named athletic director of the year by the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Assn.

Bradford and his wife, Brittani, will be moving to Mexico with their two sons, Quenci, age 9, and Isaiah, 5.

Thornton considers four: Former Duke point guard Derryck Thornton has narrowed his list of schools to four — KU, USC, Miami and Washington.

The 6-foot-2 freshman, who announced plans to transfer after averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 assists per game this past season, told Scout.com: “Kansas has a terrific tradition and (coach) Bill Self runs a great program. I have a great relationship with (assistant) Kurtis Townsend. They win the Big 12 every year and I know they’re going to be in the national championship hunt.”

Holden cuts KU: Kory Holden, a 6-2 sophomore point guard who recently announced plans to leave Delaware University, has cut his list to Baylor, Virginia Tech and South Carolina. He had KU and Seton Hall on his original list of possible transfer destinations.

Parents catch a break: The NCAA has passed Proposal 2015-52, which, according to ESPN.com “will allow institutions to pay the actual round-trip costs for a prospective student-athlete’s parents or legal guardians to accompany the prospect on his official visit and will be implemented August 1, 2016.”

In the past, schools were allowed to pay only for the prospect’s travel and accommodations. Now, not only will flights for the parents and guardians be paid, but also meals and hotel rooms. This rule will be in effect for prospects in the upcoming Class of 2017.