NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana acquired its first newcomer for the 2019-20 men's basketball season when Terrence "TJ" Jones of Opelousas, La., and Lafayette Christian Academy signed an athletic scholarship Wednesday.
     Jones is a 5-foot-8 point guard who helped the Knights win LHSAA Division IV state championships each of the past two seasons. Jones was second-team all-district as a sophomore and junior.
     In the 2018 state semifinals against Southern Lab, Jones scored seven consecutive points during a 24-4 run that rallied LCA from a 15-point deficit. A Jones 3-pointer put the Knights ahead to stay.
     Jones has yet to select his XULA major.
     "I liked the environment, the atmosphere and the team," Jones said of his reasons for choosing XULA. "People walking around campus are happy. Everyone on the team gets along good and pushes each other in practice."
     XULA is 4-2 this season and ranked 23rd in the NAIA. The Gold Rush were 24-9 last season, earned a share of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship and received an at-large bid to the NAIA Division I National Championship tournament.