Jackson High School basketball standout Jeff Walter has followed the path blazed by several Indians before him, signing a letter of intent to attend Columbia College in Columbia, Mo.

Walter, a four-year starter at Jackson, is the fifth Indian in recent years to sign with the NAIA school.

The 6-foot-5 center averaged 16 points and nine rebounds his senior year. He finished his career at Jackson with 1,138 points, which ranks him among the school's top five career scorers.

"He was an outstanding player for us and got better for us each year," said Jackson coach Steve Burk. "He became a good all-around player for us this year. He improved his defense and became a better passer."

Columbia College is coached by Bob Burchard and has reached the NAIA national tournament in three of the last four years.

"It's a solid NAIA program and good school academically," said Burk.

Other Jackson players who have attended Columbia College are Kory Thoma, Mike Kiehne, Kyle Thoma and Eric Schweain. Kory Thoma was an academic all-American at Columbia College while Kiehne was an NAIA all-American who is the school's all-time leading scorer.

"They all had good careers there and have gotten degrees too," said Burk. "That combination is hard to beat."