This time, Dwight Lewis insists his decision is final.

Lewis, a 6-foot-5 junior basketball shooting guard from Archbishop Rummel High in Metairie, La., who orally committed to Kansas University on April 19, then reneged on April 20, Wednesday recommitted to KU over finalist Louisiana State.

This commitment — unlike the first — follows an official campus visit to KU.

Last weekend’s two-day trip to Lawrence with his parents cemented in Lewis’ mind his desire to be a Jayhawk.

“It’s the first time I’ve been to Kansas, but it won’t be the last. I plan on coming back,” Lewis quipped Wednesday. “I loved the atmosphere. It’s a powerhouse.

“It’s their pro team in Lawrence,” added Lewis, who averaged 27.5 points and 9.7 rebounds a game his junior season for 26-12 Rummel High. “It’s Kansas basketball. It’s what they live for. I like that, playing before a packed house every night. Who wouldn’t want it?”

Lewis never seriously entertained being part of KU basketball until the Jayhawk coaches started watching him play last summer and all through the school year.

“I mean, if you like basketball as a kid, you have to like Kansas. When I was young, I never thought I’d go to Kansas, but knew about Kansas. It’s an honor to be able to go there,” he said.

A good student with a 3.4 grade-point average, Lewis said last week’s change of heart was “kind of a misunderstanding with my dad. I wanted to make sure to visit, to check out the campus. Now I know I want to go to Kansas.”

Lewis said he spent the most time on his visit with J.R. Giddens and Jeremy Case. He has played point guard, shooting guard and forward at his high school.

He’s ticketed to play shooting guard at KU.

“He definitely will be a contributor early on. He’s a scorer,” said Rummel coach Steve Alfonso, who compares Lewis to former Villanova player Kerry Kittles, who also hails from Louisiana. “His best asset is he has a great mid-range game. He can handle the ball and pull up quick.”

Lewis says his style of play will fit in well at KU.

“They will be more a run-and-gun team,” Lewis said. “They had Wayne Simien. They had to go to the post. With Wayne Simien, who wouldn’t go to the post? Now they will be learning to run.”

And what will Lewis contribute?

“Shooting and getting to the rack, scoring the ball,” he said.

Lewis is looking forward to doing all those things on the court this summer. He has been weakened by mono for several weeks. He says he was bed-ridden for a week and lost 20 pounds.

Now, however, he’s on the mend and looking forward to a productive offseason.

” I want to have a good season and good summer. I want to go out on top,” said Lewis, who was also recruited heavily by USC, Oklahoma and Florida.

He plans to stay four years at Kansas.

“I mean, if the NBA comes, it comes. Right now, I’m looking forward to my next goal, winning a championship,” said Lewis, a fourth-team Parade All-American who currently is ranked 84th by rivals.com. “With Julian (Wright), Micah (Downs) and Mario (Chalmers) coming in and other guys that are there, we can be top-five in the country.”

Oral commitments are not binding. Lewis will sign his letter-of-intent in November. KU has two scholarships remaining in the Class of 2006, one of which could go to a big guy like 6-9 Darrell Arthur of Dallas.

One recruit in the Class of 2007 will be in Lawrence for this weekend’s Sport2Sport Jayhawk Invitational.

Cole Aldrich, 6-10 from Bloomington, Minn., who has made an unofficial visit to KU, will play for the Minnesota Magic 17-and-under team that plays three games Saturday — 8 a.m. at Allen Fieldhouse and 1:50 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. at Horejsi Center.