Dwight Lewis, a high-scoring junior point guard/shooting guard from Metairie, La., who long has admired Kansas University, has orally committed to play basketball for the Jayhawks.

The 6-foot-5 Lewis, who averaged 27.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists his junior year at Archbishop Rummel High, Tuesday committed to KU without the aid of an official campus visit.

“My son told me a month ago it was Kansas. If you could see his face, hear the excitement in his voice when he talks about Kansas … it’s like Christmas morning,” said Lewis’ dad, Dwight Sr., a computer consultant from suburban New Orleans.

“There are no negatives about Kansas. So why wait, why prolong it?” Lewis Sr. said. “He’s known about Kansas’ reputation and program, one of the elite as far as basketball is concerned. How can you not know about Kansas?”

Lewis, who chose KU over Oklahoma, LSU, USC, Mississippi, Baylor and many others, in two weeks will set foot in Kansas for the first time when he makes his official visit as a future Jayhawk.

“There will be no other visits. He’s going to Kansas to be a Jayhawk,” Lewis Sr. said.

The young Lewis, who helped his team to a 26-12 record, played point guard, shooting guard and small forward last year. He’s targeted to play shooting guard in college.

“They compare him to Josh Childress,” Lewis said of the former Stanford guard. “They say he looked like Josh when he had his Afro.”

Like Childress, Lewis can flat-out score. He currently is rivals.com’s 84th-rated player, but that number figures to rise after the summer-camp scene. He’s a fourth-team Parade All-American, and the magazine deemed him the sixth-best underclassman in the land.

“His strength is he can score at will,” Lewis Sr. said. “Being double- and triple-teamed, it’s amazing he could put up those numbers. He can shoot the three, but his strength is his mid-range game, shooting it off the dribble. He shoots it so well off the dribble you might say his weakness is the stationary shot.

“He can get to the hole at will. He can take it to the goal, which is something I think coach (Bill) Self likes. He also brings it up court and can distribute.”

Weakened by mononucleosis the past several weeks, Lewis currently weighs 183 pounds. He played at 195 this past season, however.

“His sickness has got him depressed because he can’t play ball,” Lewis Sr. said, indicating his son, who just now is recovering, was not available to the media.

There was some confusion regarding Lewis’ commitment Tuesday. At one point the player told his dad he might need more time to deliberate before finalizing his commitment. That confusion was cleared up by 10:35 p.m. Tuesday, when his dad indicated his son’s decision indeed was final.

“I talked to him again, and he’s definitely going to KU,” Lewis Sr. said. “He’s a 17-year-old kid with a big decision who’s decided to go to a big school.”

KU will have two additional scholarships to give in recruiting in the 2006 class. KU coach Self, who can’t comment on the junior’s oral commitment, has said he wanted to sign a wing player, a big man and the next-best available player.

Lewis is the second player in two seasons to commit to KU before his campus visit. Julian Wright, 6-9 from Homewood-Flossmoor High in Chicago, committed to KU despite not making a visit. He’s not the only Louisianan to have signed with KU. Ex-Jayhawk Billy Thomas of the New Jersey Nets hails from Baton Rouge, La.