The walk-on has scored 22 points in 16 minutes or 1.3 points per minute played during his first season at Kansas.

“When he gets in the game, all of a sudden he gets points quickly,” KU basketball coach Roy Williams said. “Twenty-two points in 15-16 minutes played is pretty good.”

The junior forward from Hutchinson Community College has scored in all eight games he’s played in and made 10 of 12 shots from the field.

His stats haven’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“His points per minute are unbelievable,” forward Nick Collison said. “He is scoring about a bucket every minute he’s out there. He’s probably asking for more minutes. Then he’d score 40 a game.”

Zerbe, who turned down scholarship offers from Stephen F. Austin, Wichita State and Centenary, would be playing more minutes if he’d chosen a smaller school.

“He’d probably be starting right now at Wichita State,” HCC coach Tim Duryea said.

But you won’t hear any complaints from Zerbe. The Andover High graduate is thrilled to be part of Jayhawk basketball even if it’s a small part.

Walk-ons generally see most of their playing time late in games when outcomes have already been decided. Those minutes could be tougher to come by now that KU (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) has started conference play.

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Zerbe knows his main role is as a practice player, helping post players Collison, Eric Chenowith and Drew Gooden prepare for games.

“If I don’t get as many minutes, that’s fine,” said Zerbe, who’s averaging 2.8 points per game. “But I’m going to keep working hard to help those guys get better. The better they play, the better my chances of getting in there are.”

Zerbe wasn’t so sure about his chances at Kansas after his first practices as a Jayhawk. The 6-foot-5 junior struggled against KU’s giants.

“It’s been real tough,” Zerbe said of the transition from junior college. “We have three of the best big men in the country. For the first month of practices I was asking myself, ‘What am I doing here?’ The guys are bigger, stronger, faster and jump higher. After awhile I started knocking down some shots and gained some confidence.”

Knocking down shots is Zerbe’s specialty. He averaged 12.6 points a game on 56 percent shooting last year in HCC’s balanced offense. He caught the attention of KU assistant Joe Holladay when he scored 55 points in two games at the Region 6 Tournament in Salina.

“He’s one of those kids that has a knack for scoring,” Duryea said. “He does two things better than any other player I’ve ever been around. One, he uses his body to get position. He has incredible lower body strength. Two, he’s ambidextrous. He can score with either hand around the basket.

“He’s really got a gift for scoring. He’s got that mentality. He doesn’t care who he’s playing against, he’s going to score.”

But Zerbe’s height is a limitation. Duryea said the junior is closer to 6-foot-4 than the 6-5 he’s listed at.

“If he was 6-8, he’d be as good a post player as you’d ever hope to have because he has great skills,” Duryea said. “He’d have to have some thick-soled shoes to be 6-5.”

Zerbe’s ability to shoot with either hand helps make up for his height or lack of it.

“I started using my left hand more in high school,” Zerbe said. “Last year at Hutchinson, it seemed like I was getting most of my baskets on the left side. Whichever way they guard me, I go the other way and try to put it in.”

At 6-5, Zerbe seems built for small forward, but he’s played both forward positions for KU. He played the three spot against Boise State and scored six points in three minutes.

He also has range. Zerbe sank 13 of 30 three-point shots last season at Hutchinson, but he admits he doesn’t like playing on the perimeter.

“I don’t feel comfortable out there,” he said. “I’ve always played down low. That’s where I’m comfortable.”

Well, not always.

Zerbe averaged 21 points a game as a sophomore power forward at Andover, helping the Trojans reach the Class 5A state tournament. But with a wealth of post players, Zerbe was moved to small forward the next year.

“My coach told me that if I wanted to play major college basketball I was going to have to play the three,” he said.

Zerbe struggled in the new role, his scoring average dipped to 10 points per game and Andover didn’t make it to state.

Zerbe moved back to power forward as a senior. His scoring average climbed to 17 points a game, and the Trojans made it back to the state tournament. The all-state selection finished his career as Andover’s all-time leading scorer with 1,327 points.

“Being a walk-on, you’re not expected to score,” he said. “I’ve always been a scorer, and when I get in I expect to score.”

How often he’ll get in for KU is questionable. There are three all-conference caliber players in front of him in addition to veteran reserve Jeff Carey.

Zerbe said his defense will have to improve before he can expect to become more of a factor.

“I’ve never been a real good defensive player,” he said. “I don’t have great quickness laterally, and I’m not the best jumper. I can bang against (taller players), but they can get shots off against me.”

Still, Zerbe has no regrets about his college choice.

“I get along with everybody on the team,” he said. “The guys are real supportive. Playing for coach Williams is great.”