J.B. White says he wants to be a Lobo
Santa Fe High junior makes nonbinding, verbal commitment to play for UNM
J.B. White, perhaps the most coveted boys basketball player in Santa Fe since John F. Kennedy was president, says he wants to be a Lobo. The 6-foot-8 Santa Fe High School junior — a highly desired recruit at schools throughout the nation despite a serious knee injury that derailed his sophomore season — announced Tuesday he would attend the University of New Mexico and play basketball there after he graduates in 2021.
If White ends up signing a national letter of intent with UNM, he would be the third player from Santa Fe High to earn a basketball scholarship. He’ll follow Santa Fe High and Lobo legend Toby Roybal, who starred in the 1950s, and Mike Lucero, who played from 1961-64.
White said he was inspired to follow in the footsteps of Roybal, considered by many as one of the finest players ever to come out of New Mexico and the man for whom the Demons’ gymnasium is named.
“It just pushes me because I know Santa Fe [High] had some basketball players there,” White said. “I’m looking forward to doing my part by playing for backto-back state titles teams by my senior year. Maybe they’ll change the name of the gym from Toby Roybal to J.B. White Gymnasium.”
Under NCAA rules, White cannot sign a letter of intent until next fall. A verbal commitment is nonbinding.
He averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds per game in 13 games as a sophomore for the Demons, who were the Class 5A runners-up in 2018-19. White’s season was derailed by a dislocated patella in January that caused him to miss the rest of the year.
White, one of the more highly prized New Mexico recruits in years, said the injury has motivated him for the upcoming season, which kicks off in November. Over the summer, he added about 15 pounds of muscle to his lanky frame.
Santa Fe High head coach Zack Cole said White is capable of being someone people talk about for generations to come.
“That’s just his mindset and that’s what motivates him to have that work ethic,” Cole said. “He has that drive in him.”