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New UL coach fueled by N.O. upbringing Quannas White ‘doesn’t accept losing,’ older brother says BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Clarence White IV, who is five years older than new University of Louisiana at Lafayette men’s basketball coach Quannas White, discovered at an early age how fiercely the determination to succeed rages inside his younger brother.
One afternoon when Quannas White was about 11 or 12, he became particularly perturbed after losing to his big brother. So after the family went to sleep, he challenged his older brother to a rematch. “The park was about two blocks from our house, but it’s like 10:30 or 11 o’clock at night,” Clarence White IV recalled. “He tells me,
University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s new men’s basketball coach Quannas White with his father, Clarence White IV; mother Colette White-Pate; and sister Taeneia White-Ducre
‘Let’s go to the park right now. I’m telling you, I’ll dominate you.’ I’m like, ‘It’s late and Mom and Dad are asleep — how are we even going to get out of the house?’ ” Quannas White would have none of it, relentlessly trash talking his older brother until he
PROVIDED PHOTO
ä See COACH, page 7A
‘Extraordinary Lafayette icon Red Lerille remembered for faith, fitness
life’
Money flows into mayoral race
Challengers face wide gap with incumbent in Lake Charles BY MEGAN WYATT
Staff writer
been driven almost entirely by students coming from outside Louisiana. Over the past decade, the number of undergrads from other states has nearly tripled, exceeding 12,000 students in 2024, according to LSU fall enrollment data that includes online and campus students. By
In the lead-up to a crowded mayoral race in Lake Charles, incumbent Nic Hunter has a huge fundraising and spending lead over his four challengers, garnering seven times as much money as his nextclosest competitor. Hunter Hunter, a Republican vying for a third term in office, has raised more than $500,000 for the race, including about $75,000 left over from his preSimien vious run for mayor, the most recent filings with the Louisiana Board of Ethics show. Hunter had spent about $280,000 of that as of Monday. Voters go to the Taha polls Saturday. Despite Hunter’s money advantage, a local political scientist says that won’t necessarily determine a race that has largely centered Carter on economic development and diversification — especially how the city can prepare for the possibility of Texas legalizing gaming and whether resources Steward are fairly allocated between north and south Lake Charles. Hunter is facing four challengers: Marshall Simien Jr., an independent; Khalid Taha, a Republican; Wilford Carter II, a Democrat; and James Steward, running under no party. “Any time I hear or my team hears any kind of commentary like ‘Oh, he’s got it in the bag,’ ‘This is a done deal,’ ‘This election’s over,’ we try to shut that down,” Hunter said in a Saturday social media
ä See STUDENTS, page 4A
ä See MAYORAL, page 4A
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
The casket is brought in during a Mass of Christian Burial for Red Lerille at St. Mary, Mother of the Church on Saturday in Lafayette. BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Red Lerille could be found working (and working out) at his gym on Doucet Road almost every day it was open. During his final journey, it was fitting that the Lafayette fitness icon passed one last time through the parking lot of Red’s Health and Racquet Club — just as he did every morning around 2 a.m., on
his way to his daily workout with longtime gym members and friends. Red Lerille — a U.S. Navy veteran, former Mr. America and Mr. Universe, and owner of Red’s Health Club — died March 14 in Lafayette. He was 88 years old. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Saturday at St. Mary, Mother of the Church in Lafayette, where the businessman was a longtime parishioner. Bishop Douglas Deshotel read the
homily at Lerille’s funeral, which was packed with friends, family members and employees of Red’s. The service focused on his deep Catholic faith and what Deshotel termed his “extraordinary life.” “He did everything,” said the bishop, before adding that he joined Red’s because he heard “it was the best” when
ä See LERILLE, page 7A
Out-of-state students fueling LSU’s growth BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Danielle Hawkins, an LSU admissions counselor, asked a group of about 40 middle and high schoolers this week how many had been to a Mardi Gras parade. Only a few hands went up. “OK, a couple,” she said bright-
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ly. “Look at y’all!” The students had come from Tampa to tour the Baton Rouge campus. Hawkins, who frequently travels to New Jersey and Pennsylvania to recruit, gave a presentation, then introduced their tour guide: an LSU junior from Houston. As the Florida students shuffled across the sprawling cam-
pus, where 4 in 10 freshmen come from out of state, 10thgrader Ah’Yanna Maultsby liked what she saw. “It feels like I actually could belong here,” she said. Louisiana’s flagship public university, LSU has become a magnet for out-of-state students. Its steady expansion, to more than 34,000 undergrads last fall, has
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