SFHS sophomore says he has Lobos scholarship offer
Demon sophomore says he already has scholarship offer from Lobos
The offer Fedonta “J.B.” White received came out of the blue.
When White, the sophomore-to-be at Santa Fe High, met University of New Mexico head men’s basketball coach Paul Weir during his individual Elite Camp in The Pit and the Rudy Davalos Basketball Center on June 9, he expected to hear some good words from the coach.
“I thought he was going to tell me, ‘Good job,’ and just really compliment me on how I played with the older guys,” White said.
Instead, White received his first Division I scholarship offer, which White announced via Twitter the same day. Weir cannot comment about the reported offer because NCAA rules prevent coaches from talking about the status of players who have not yet signed a national letter of intent.
White, though, wasn’t afraid to talk about the moment. First came shock at the offer, then a smile that couldn’t stop spreading. But it was the signature moment of a whirlwind 12-month period that saw the 6-foot-6 White grow 5 inches, earn a varsity spot with the Demons and now face the certainty that he will be a sought-after prospect.
White could very well be the most prized boys basketball prospect at the school since Mike Lucero, who played for the Lobos from 1961-64 and averaged 9.9 points per game in his career. White also plays in the shadow of perhaps the city’s most decorated athlete, Toby Roybal, who also played at UNM and whose name is attached to the gym that White calls home.
“I’m super-excited that he has an opportunity to play at UNM, but they’re not going to be the only one to come knocking,” Santa Fe High head coach Zack Cole said.
Cole calls White the ultimate “gym rat” who will practice his game almost every day. Cole has even given up his lunch breaks during the school year to open the gym for White so he can work on his dribbling and shooting. White also plays for Chauncey Billups Elite, one of the Adidas Gold Gauntlet teams composed of top players from around the country.
As if that isn’t enough, White also learned at the feet of Kevin Frey at the Kevin Frey Academy. Frey played at Xavier from 1998-2002 as well as professionally for nine years, including with the NBA Development League Albuquerque Thunderbirds.
White considers Frey a father figure who helped him hone his skills and understand the level of commitment and work it takes to become an elite player.
“Coach Kevin was a really big part of my life,” White said. “He always pushed me harder than
anybody else. He never let me rest, and I would just listen to him.”
Cole said all of White’s work and playing helped him develop a variety of skills, to the point that even his coaching staff struggled at times to figure out how to use him. This offseason, the Demons unleashed White and had him play pretty much anywhere on the floor. It fits with the style of “positionless basketball” that Cole feels his team can embrace and use to its advantage.
“I told the coaches, ‘We might not be used to this, but let’s learn from it and let him do what he does,’ ” Cole said. “He has a ton of versatility. He can shoot, he can bring the ball upcourt, he can post up, he can guard any position. He’s a well-rounded basketball player and that is what we focus on with all of our players — to be complete players.”
White admitted he struggled at times as a freshman, since he was primarily asked to be a post player after coming out of Ortiz Middle School mainly playing as guard.
He credited the Demons coaching staff and the outgoing seniors for helping him learn how to play and grow in his role.
“Nobody was really familiar with me, and I felt like I had to prove something every time I got on the court,” White said. “I always tried to do too much, but my coaches and teammates helped me put me in my spot and show me what my role was.”
White’s role will change this year, as the Demons will be smaller but quick, which should play into Cole’s uptempo, interchangeable style of play. Cole has been pleasantly surprised with his team’s performance, and he hopes to see more of that as the Demons take part in the the UNM team camp that began on Thursday.
Cole hopes that White’s accomplishments won’t overshadow the program, because he feels White is a selfless player willing to do whatever the team needs.
“One of the things we’re working on with him is the mental side of the game,” Cole said. “Knowing when to do something and when it’s time to rely on teammates. And we emphasize team basketball, so it is real easy to teach and coach a kid like J.B.”
It also probably explains why White made such an impression that he received an offer that he only dreamed of before last weekend.