On the final day of the early signing period, Xavier beat out major conference schools Ole Miss and Miami, Fla., for the final recruit of their 2003 class.

Boubacar Coly, a native of Senegal, signed with Xavier Wednesday, ending the debate over where the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward would play.

Coly formerly played at nationally renowned Oak Hills Academy in Virginia and currently plays at Laurinburg Institute, a prep school in North Carolina. Last season he averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds for Laurinburg. Xavier was the final school he visited, and his coach, Chris Chaney said he knew then Coly would choose Xavier.

"He waited until the end because I told him `wait until you find the place you really like,'" Chaney said. "And I had a feeling Xavier would be the place."

Chaney also said it helped that Xavier has a reputation for developing big men like David West, and for accepting players from Africa like Romain Sato. Sato is good friends with Coly's teammate, Regis Koundjia, an LSU recruit who is from Central African Republic, Sato's home country.