ASU forward Romello White tranfers to Mississippi,
Former Arizona State forward Romello White is indeed headed closer to home but not quite where many had speculated.
White, who declared for the NBA draft and then opted to enter the transfer portal, is transferring to University of Mississippi. He played three years at ASU, starting 92 games in that span, but was at the school for four years so he is immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.
The 6-foot-8 standout averaged a near doubledouble at 10.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game despite playing in an offense where the guards have been the primary focus offensively. He registered eight double-doubles, the last coming in a road game at California. He finished second in the Pac-12 in rebounding and sixth in field goal percentage (.569).
White scored in double figures in points 16 times with season bests of 19 points coming twice, most notably against Colorado. He had double figure rebounds 13 times with a high of 17 coming against Georgia.
There was some speculation that the Georgia native would end up at an SEC school. Georgia is just two hours from his home, with Vanderbilt also a logical landing spot due to his long-standing relationship with Commodores coach Jerry Stackhouse, whom he considers a mentor and father figure.
There is also a tie at Mississippi though because assistant coach Levi Watkins was previously on staff at ASU for three years in White's early years and spent considerable time working with the big men.
White was no doubt looking for a post closer to home as well as one where he can have a bigger role in the offense. ASU never really committed to getting him the ball consistently. With highly touted prep prospects coming soon in Joshua Christopher and Marcus Bagley, White's number of touches were going to be even more limited the coming season.
The Rebels are coming off a 15-17 showing last season that included a 6-12 mark in SEC play. Their season ended with an 81-63 loss to Georgia in the first round of the SEC tournament.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Romello to the Ole Miss family," head coach Kermit Davis said in a released statement. "Romello is a very accomplished player that impacted winning at a high level at Arizona State. He finished second in the Pac-12 in rebounding last year and became one of the all-time shooters in conference history in terms of field goal percentage. Romello is extremely tough, fits very well in our system of play, and we can't wait to get started this summer. He has such a high ceiling in front of him that can impact the SEC in a great way."
White is the second graduate transfer to join the Rebels, following Dimencio Vaughn, who earned first team All-MAAC accolades twice during his career at Rider.