McCord signs letter of intent to play for NCAA Division I Southern Indiana

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) -The Laramie County Community College men’s basketball team celebrated Xavier McCord’s commitment to the University of Southern Indiana on Thursday morning, sending the super sophomore off with a signing ceremony.

“I think the biggest thing was the culture out there,” McCord said of his decision to sign with the Screaming Eagles. “What they stood for, their winning attitude.”

McCord added that Southern Indiana will provide him with tools to achieve goals beyond college.

“Another big thing was their ability to get players to go pro. For me, I know that it’s not a matter of if, but when I go pro so really that was the biggest thing for me.”

McCord, who will be best known for breaking the single season scoring record for Laramie County, has been a staple of the Cheyenne community going back to his time at Cheyenne East High School.

It was during his time at LCCC that he truly learned to soar on the court, leading the Golden Eagles to back-to-back Region IX semifinal appearances during the 2021-22 and 22-23 seasons and helping them to a regular season championship for the North in 2020-21.

“He’s been a leader on our team for three years, especially the last two,” Head Coach DeWayne Saulsberry said. “We’ve leaned on him a lot, but he never complained about anything the three years he’s been here. The only thing Xavier really cared about was winning and I think that’s’ why we got along so well.”

McCord leaves a legacy of more than just his 1402 points which broke a 36-year-old record for the school. He also stands third all-time in rebounding with 579 and is first all time in field goals made with 524, 90 more than the next closest on the list.

The numbers don’t stop at the career level. McCord is also third all-time in single game scoring after dropping 48 points against Western Wyoming and is third on the list for rebounds in a single game with 17 against Western Nebraska.

“Every kid wants that ability to shine and have a great legacy,” McCord said. “Just the fact that I was put in such a great position and was able to succeed and play such great basketball here under Coach Saulsberry, it’s been a blessing. Can’t really put it into words, but I’m just glad is was in there working hard. Wanted to win a bit more, but gotta be thankful for what I had.”

McCord moves on to a team in Southern Indiana which just finished its first season at the NCAA Division I level, making the jump from Division II where they had been a perennial contender in postseason basketball.

Joining McCord as a Screaming Eagle will also be former LCCC standout Nolan Causwell who just finished earning a degree from Tennessee Tech this spring.

“Nolan’s been a great friend of mine, brother like to me, so really I’m just excited to get out there and compete to win with him,” McCord said. “He’s a great competitor so I think it will be great for us both.”

Southern Indiana competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.

If you would like more quotes or sound, you can find the full singing here - Xavier McCord signing day - YouTube

Pictures are credited to Joel Funk/LCCC Marketing