White found his purpose on court
Most high school athletes want a packed house on senior night. Jeffery White Jr. just hoped for two empty seats.
The Cambridge Rindge & Latin senior thought about it at school the entire day earlier this month, envisioning his late parents, Willanetti Hairston and Jeffery White Sr., next to his aunt, Martha Hairston. When White Jr. heard his name called at the War Memorial Recreation Center, the 19-year-old saw what he wanted and felt mixed emotions.
“I was thinking about if my mom and dad could be here, but I know they’re looking over my shoulders from heaven right now,” he said. “It made me feel good to see my vision, that they were sitting right there watching me play.
“Just having my aunt there, I really appreciate her for being in that role that my parents could have been in, but they were going through their own struggles.”
On that night, the 6-foot-4-inch forward produced a signature performance, 20 points and nine rebounds in a 67-55 Dual County League win over Bedford.
His focus now is leading the Falcons (17-3), the No. 11 seed in the Division 1 bracket, on a deep tournament run. Cambridge will begin its quest Friday night by hosting league rival Lincoln-Sudbury at 7.
White is sharing his story in hopes of encouraging those who go through challenging circumstances to seek help, and demonstrate how dedication to an activity, in his case basketball, provides solace.
Martha Hairston put a basketball in her nephew’s hands at 18 months, as he sat on the couch watching SpongeBob. A few months later, he made the first of many trips to the Riverside Park courts.
Though his aunt has had legal custody since he was nine months old, White maintained a “very strong” relationship with his parents. Martha Hairston “made sure” her younger sister was “involved” in her son’s life, but took on her motherlike role from the beginning. White saw his father often and lived with him for five years.
Willanetti Hairston died when White was 10. His father died when White was 15, in the eighth grade. Both deaths were the result of heart attacks.
After Willanetti Hairston passed, Jeffery White Sr. moved to Trenton, N.J., to be closer to his side of the family and help take care of his mother. He asked his sister-in-law if he could bring his son with him. Hairston stayed in close contact with her nephew over those five years, “raising him through the phone” and communicating with his teachers.
In February, 2020, White called his aunt to inform her of his father’s death. She drove to New Jersey two days later. After the funeral, Hairston and White headed back to Cambridge. She remembers the car ride back vividly.
“We’ve always had that tight relationship, so I know when to let him have his moment,” she said. “It needed to be silent.”
Hairston, who recently retired from a 30-plus-year career as a court officer for the Commonwealth, vowed to provide her nephew with support he needed to succeed.
“I’ve seen so many kids get lost in the streets and the system, and I made sure that I wasn’t going to let him sabotage his life,” she said. “I’m his everything, and he’s my everything and more.”
“My aunt’s always got my back,” he said “I just thank her for being there for me.”
After his father’s death, White suffered from anxiety and depression. He spent sleepless nights worrying about losing his aunt. He gained 70 pounds while using food as a coping mechanism. His grades slipped. But he made the varsity basketball team as a freshman, playing a role off the bench for the Falcons, who were limited to eight games because of COVID.
Hairston helped White find a counselor. But he credits his friends and basketball coaches for helping him the most. Starting in his sophomore year, he dropped the extra weight he had gained and became an A-student. With his aunt’s encouragement, White has his heart checked at his annual physical and undergoes regular electrocardiogram tests.
White averaged a modest 7 points per game as a sophomore, but doubled his scoring average as a junior, earning DCL MVP honors. As a senior, he’s putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds per game.
“Basketball,” he said, “takes a lot of the stress away.”
His resiliency is manifested through basketball, according to teammate Isaiah Warsame, a longtime friend. White credits Warsame with supporting him the most during his darkest days.
White is a leader, holds those around him accountable, and makes no excuses.
“He doesn’t tell us what we want to hear,” Warsame said. “He tells us what’s right.”
Cambridge R&L basketball coach Geo Rodriguez (’01), the recreation and activities coordinator in the city, holds White in high regard.
“For a kid his age who took on so much, to be where he’s at now physically and mentally, that’s what I love the most,” said Rodriguez, noting White’s work with the parks and recreation department and the Unified basketball program.
“He’s a superstar. Cambridge always has its greats, and it’s been a while since we’ve had that guy.”
White plans to continue his basketball career at a local Division 3 college program while studying business and marketing.
But the focus now is the MIAA Division 1 tournament, and helping Cambridge make a statement while continuing to honor his parent’s memory.
“I’m an ordinary kid, it’s just that I lost my parents at a young age and not many people go through that,” he said. “My advice is that, if you lose a loved one, to make sure you do something for them.”