Mee to hit links along with hoops for Carroll

Jim Mee has never been a one-sport athlete.

The son of sports-minded parents who doubled as coaches much of his childhood, the Libby High School standout will take both his basketball and golf skills to Carroll College.

The Fighting Saints signed Mee to play hoops clear back in March. Just recently, he got the call that they also wanted him on the links - and they found money to make sure he tees off.

“I was going there to play basketball but then I started looking at playing golf, too,” Mee said. “The golf coach contacted me - and I was going to play anyway - but then they decided I was going to get a little bit of a scholarship to play golf. It all worked out.”

Mee, a 6-foot-4 guard/small forward who just turned 19, is going to redshirt his first basketball season. Carroll returns a senior-heavy roster and Mee wants to focus on getting into the groove of college life and finding a comfort level with the program.

“They only lost one kid from last year, so I'm going to redshirt and then go play when they lose like eight guys next year,” said Mee, who is receiving a larger scholarship in hoops to attend the Helena school. “It's really nice having five years to get ‘er done.”

Mee achieved all-state honors in both basketball and golf. His senior year with the Loggers, Mee averaged 21.6 points per game and led the Northwestern A League in both rebounds and free-throw percentage. In golf, he placed at State all four years of high school, including a second-place finish his junior year and third-place finish last season.

At Carroll, golf is a fall sport, which is a little out of the ordinary. Although Mee said that timing has its ups and downs, he does see a positive.

“It's kind of nice to play all summer long and then go into the season,” said Mee, whose best round on the course is a 63.

The men's golf program at Carroll is still somewhat new with its ninth season of competition coming up.