NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Tuesday that Corey Dunning, a 6-foot-8 forward/center from Lafayette, La., and Lafayette High School, is the first men's basketball signee for the 2020-21 season.
     Dunning this season helped the Mighty Lions earn a share of their second consecutive district championship and reach the second round of the LHSAA Class 5A state playoffs. He was first-team all-district and the runner-up in voting for district MVP. Dunning produced eight point-rebound-block triple-doubles his final two seasons and had another game with career bests of 26 points and 20 rebounds.
     "Corey Dunning is a special talent," XULA head coach Alfred Williams said. "We're not only getting a good ballplayer but also a great young man who will awesomely represent the Xavier community and our basketball program."
     Dunning said he has a composite score of 26 on the ACT. He will decide between biology/pre-medical and business management as his XULA major.
     XULA is ranked 15th nationally and 27-6 this season after winning Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships — the latter earning the Gold Rush an automatic bid to next week's NAIA Division I National Championship tournament in Kansas City, Mo. XULA will learn Wednesday of its first-round opponent and its new coaches poll position.