Boubacar Coly played out the recruiting process to the max this fall, but with the signing period drawing to a close on Wednesday, he pulled the trigger on a collegiate decision.

A 6-8, 220 pound power/combo forward from the Laurinburg Institute in Laurinburg, N.C., Coly picked Xavier after considering Miami, Ole Miss, Richmond and Southern Methodist.

Rivalshoops.com confirmed the commitment on Thursday with Laurinburg Head Coach Chris Chaney.

Coly visited Xavier earlier this week for the Musketeers' game against St. Peter's College, and Chaney said that the final decision came down to Xavier and Miami.

"I think Xavier is the best fit for him, but it's also a good fit for Xavier," Chaney said. "They only have that one scholarship, and he's hoping to take the place of David West. He just felt very comfortable with the school, the coaches and the players."

A native of the Senegal in Africa, Coly briefly attended Oak Hill Academy in Virginia before transferring to Laurinburg in the fall of 2001 and reclassifying as a junior.

Chaney said that Coly is still working on attaining a qualifying test score at Laurinburg.

While he projects as a power forward at both the high school and college level, Coly showed a more diverse game this summer at the adidas ABCD Camp in New Jersey. He displayed an improved ability to face the basket, suggesting that he could even develop into a combo forward in college.

Rivalshoops.com will catch Coly and his Laurinburg squad in action this weekend at the War on the Shore, so we'll keep you abreast on his play there and beyond.