LAFAYETTE – The 2006-07 late signing period wrapped up Wednesday and Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball program locked down six Louisiana natives.

Head coach Robert Lee announced Thursday that five Louisiana high school products plus a Louisiana native junior college transfer will continue their basketball careers in Cajun Country.

Joining Lee’s program for the 2006-07 season from the high school ranks will be Randell Daigle (Lafayette’s Northside High School), Tryen Johnson (Edgard’s West St. John High School), Willie Lago (Reserve’s East St. John High School), Elijah Millsap (Grambling High School) and Courtney Wallace (New Orleans’ Brother Martin High School and Baton Rouge’s Woodlawn High School).

Abray Milson, who prepped at Lafayette’s St. Thomas More High School, comes to Cajun Country after spending the 2005-06 season at the College of Southern Idaho in the junior college ranks.

Daigle will get the chance to continue his career in his hometown. This past season, the 5-foot-10 point guard led Northside High School to the LHSAA Class 4A state title in the Cajundome. He opted to stay at home after being recruited by Tulane, Lamar, Tulsa and Northwestern State.

Daigle’s main responsibility at NHS was to distribute the ball in the Viking’s balanced attack. He did score 15 points in the state championship victory over Ouachita. Daigle was a member of the District 5-4A second team.

Milson is another hometown product returning to the area. He was one of the area’s top big men during his prep career at Lafayette’s St. Thomas More High School. He played as a freshman at Utah Valley and competed last season at Southern Idaho after redshirting in 2004-05.

Last season at Southern Idaho he started the first 10 games of the season and saw action in 28 games averaging 6.9 minutes per game. He averaged 1.6 points and 2.6 rebounds while playing for the nation’s winningest JUCO program.

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Milson averaged 16 points and nine rebounds at STM. Lee expects him to provide depth on the interior following the loss of Michael Southall and Chris Cameron.

Johnson gives the Ragin’ Cajuns a swingman product. Johnson was the 18th-rated prospect from Louisiana. He was named to the District 9-1A First Team and was named the district’s Most Valuable Player.

Lago was a four-year letterman at East St. John. He averaged 17.0 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and two steals per game for ESJHS of coach Charles Julian. He was an All-District 6-5A pick two years and was a member of the New Orleans Times-Picayune’s All-Metro second team.

Millsap might be the most heralded of the Ragin’ Cajuns spring signees.

He was the Most Valuable Player in the state Class A ranks this past season. He is the younger brother of former Louisiana Tech standout and three-time NCAA rebounding champion Paul Millsap.

Millsap averaged 29.8 points and 14.5 rebounds as a senior for Grambling in earning All-District 2-A, all-area and all-parish accolades. He helped guide Grambling to the Cajundome in March and scored 34 points and had 14 rebounds in a double-overtime game with Southern Lab in the Top 28’s semifinals.

Wallace was another key target for Lee and his staff. He helped guide Brother Martin High School to back-to-back Class 5A state titles. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Wallace and his family headed north and he enrolled at Woodlawn.

Wallace helped guide WHS to the state 5A championship before falling to John Ehret in the title game. Wallace is a 6-foot-8, 240-pounder who combined with Milson will add more depth in the post.

Louisiana went 13-16 and 7-8 in the Sun Belt last season advancing the SBC Tournament semifinals. The Ragin’ Cajuns, Sun Belt Tournament champions in two of the past three seasons, will be entering the third season under Lee in 2006-07.

RAGIN' CAJUNS LATE SIGNING PERIOD SIGNEES
Randell Daigle (Northside High School)

Tyren Johnson (West St. John High School)

Willie Lago (East St. John High School)
Elijah Millsap (Grambling High School)

Abray Milson (College of Southern Idaho/St. Thomas More High School)

Courtney Wallace (Woodlawn High School/Brother Martin High School)


LOUISIANA SI