Gold Nuggets announce signing of three for next season
April 14, 2010

     NEW ORLEANS — Three prep standouts — Chelsea Broussard of Arnaudville, La., Simone Johnson of Ellenwood, Ga., and Paige Rochelle of Destrehan, La. — have signed women's basketball scholarships with Xavier University of Louisiana.
     Broussard is a 6-foot forward from Beau Chene High School, Johnson is a 6-4 center from Atlanta's Westlake High, and Rochelle is a 5-11 forward/guard from Destrehan High.
     Broussard this season averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots and was second-team Class 4A All-State, All-Acadiana and the District 6-4A and St. Landry Parish most valuable player. She led Beau Chene to a 27-5 record, its first district championship and the second round of the state playoffs.
     Broussard averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a junior and was All-St. Landry Parish and second-team All-District 6-4A.
     Johnson averaged nine points, 10 rebounds and four blocks this season and blocked a school-record 14 shots Dec. 8 against Pebblebrook. She helped Westlake go 24-4 and reach the semifinals of the Class AAAAA playoffs.
     Johnson will be the tallest to play at Xavier for Bo Browder, who recently completed his 11th season as the Gold Nuggets' head coach. She's from the same high school as nationally ranked XU men's tennis player Steffen Giles-Osborn.
     Rochelle averaged 18.4 points and 12.1 rebounds and shot 71.8 percent from the line (163-of-227) this season for Destrehan. She earned honorable mention on the 5A All-State team. She made the All-District 6-5A first team as a senior and junior.
     Rochelle averaged 10.2 points and nine rebounds as a junior on Destrehan's 6-5A co-championship team.
     Xavier was 28-6 this year, won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualfied for the NAIA Division I National Championship for the 14th time in 16 years. The Gold Nuggets led NAIA D-I in scoring defense.