NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball acquired its second signee in as many days when Galen Smith Jr. of Bay St. Louis, Miss., and Bay High School signed an athletic scholarship Thursday.
     Smith, a 6-foot-8, 212-pound forward, averaged 9.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this past season. He helped the Tigers win a district championship, reach the second round of the playoffs and finish 25-6.
     "Galen is a versatile forward who can play multiple positions. His IQ, passing and work ethic are his biggest assets, " XULA head coach Alfred Williams said. "His upside is through the roof. He will have a great career at Xavier University."
     Smith was a member of the National Honor Society at Bay High. He will be a pre-medical major at XULA, and he hopes to become a radiologist.
     On Wednesday Rayshawn Mart, a 6-3 guard from Houma, La., and H.L. Bourgeois High School, became XULA's first signee for 2017-18.
     XULA won five Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championships and qualified 10 times for the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship during the past 13 seasons. XULA's 31 seasons of 20-or-more victories are a Louisiana men's collegiate record.