Hard work pays off for John Marshall’s Brian White

At his last school, Brian White lived in a dormitory at Independence Golf Club, hit the gym right after breakfast and took all his classes online. For one season, he was part of the basketball team at SportsQuest, the all-inclusive but short-lived athletics complex in Chesterfield County.

When the program shut down about a year ago after its first and only season, he moved with his mom to Richmond and enrolled at John Marshall. His team plays Great Bridge in the Group AAA state tournament Friday.


“I was a little disappointed, because it was a program that was going to keep going and get better each year,” White said.

SportsQuest fielded a team with some of the area’s best talent and opposed postgraduate teams, private schools and even public-school Meadowbrook. On the roster with White were Highland Springs freshman Curt Jones and L.C. Bird sophomore Marsellis Purvis. When the season was over, the team’s record was near .500, White said.

The team spent four hours a day running, lifting and practicing. And White, a 6-foot-7 forward, benefited from the extra work. He got better in practically every aspect of the game — ballhandling, rebounding, shooting, he said. Now as a senior at John Marshall, he averages 20 points and was named Colonial District player of the year.

“He’s a lot more versatile,” John Marshall coach Ty White said. “He’s both an inside and outside threat.”
Mike Davis, the coach of the SportsQuest team who now operates a training program called Three Point Line Sports, said White’s work ethic elevated his game.

“He was one of my best workers,” Davis said. “He did anything we ever asked him to do. Just a phenomenal kid.”

After breakfast, the team practiced and trained for about two hours in the morning. Next came class, then the day was wrapped up with two more hours of practice in the afternoon, according to Davis. Such extensive workouts could take a physical toll on his players.

“It’s physically and mentally grueling,” Davis said. “And he got through it with flying colors.”
While learning the curriculum on a computer required some adjustment, he got all A’s and B’s in his classes, he said. Though he took his classes online at Clover Hill High School, there were teachers who helped.
But money was an issue for SportsQuest. The students had to leave Clover Hill when teachers there stopped getting paid. Soon after the season ended, Steve Burton, the founder of the operation, told the kids the program would fold. Within a week, White was back home.

“It kind of crumbled,” Davis said.

During the summer, playing with his AAU squad, Team Loaded, White picked up about 10 scholarship offers. He ultimately decided on The Citadel because it wanted him the most. He expects to fit in with its style, which relies on forwards, he said.

When he joined the John Marshall team, he elevated it to one of the area’s best. The Justices qualified for the state tournament, but fell to Henrico in the Central Region title game.

“Making states is a big deal in this city,” White said. “We fell short of the regional championship, and that really hurt. But we’re back at it, and we’ve got a chance to win states.”

BY ERIC KOLENICH Richmond Times-Dispatch
 
Hard work pays off for John Marshall’s Brian White - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Boys Basketball

John Marshall boys top Armstrong to reach region final

John Marshall boys top Armstrong to reach region final - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Boys

Tough lost for JM

BENEDICTINE 57,
JOHN MARSHALL 55

JOHN MARSHALL (16-4) — Dean 16, Muhammed 4, McRae 0, Burton 4, White 16, Brodus 8, Shepard 0, Terry 0, Williams 7. Totals 19 13-17 55.

BENEDICTINE (23-2) — Johnson 17, Coppola 11, Gill 12, Gorski 6, Minor 6, Shaheen 0, Gordon 0, Pilot 5, Ortiz 0, Ferrell 0. Totals 25 5-9 57.

John Marshall 6 18 15 16 — 55

Benedictine 20 12 15 10 — 57

3-point goals — JM: Dean, White, Brodus, Williams; B: Coppola, Pilot.

Highlights — B: Nick Gorski 11 rebounds; Robert Johnson 6 assists.

John Marshall defeats Mills Godwin 65-43

JOHN MARSHALL 65,

MILLS GODWIN 43

MILLS GODWIN (8-11, 7-6 Colonial) — Dunkum 0, Engleman 9, Thomas 2, Khalfani 3, Kessler 14, Candrilli 1, Clevert 0, Lewis 9, Foirlines 5. Totals 14 12-17 43.

JOHN MARSHALL (15-3, 12-1) — Terry 0, Williams 2, Muhammad 3, Sheppard 5, White 20, Burton 4, McCrae 8, Dean 11, Chatmen 2, Lamkin 0, Hogges 0, Broadus 10. Totals 24 13-14 65.

Godwin 17 7 13 6 — 43 J. Marshall 18 15 18 14 — 65

3-point goals — MG: Engleman, Khalfani, Lewis; JM: McCrae 2, Broadus, Sheppard.

Highlights — JM: Brian White 10 rebounds, 4 blocks; Jerad Dean 10 assists, 5 rebounds.

John Marshall seizes lead in Colonial District - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Boys:

John Marshall seizes lead in Colonial District - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Boys:

John Marshall defeated Green Run 67-57

BY ERIC KOLENICH 
Richmond Times-Dispatch

PETERSBURG -- John Marshall’s lead had shrunk from nine points to four late in the second quarter. That’s when senior Brian White came off the bench, where he had been exiled when he collected his second foul before halftime.

Full Article at:
White sparks John Marshall to victory - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Boys Basketball:

John Marshall win over Hermitage Jan. 11, 2013

JOHN MARSHALL 63,
HERMITAGE 53

HERMITAGE (7-7, 2-7 Colonial) — Davis 2, Johnson 4, Robinson 8, Claiborne 0, Jefferson 7, Matthews 13, Jackson 0, M. Spellman 0, J. Spellman 2, Trueheart 0, Bembry 11, C. Harden 0, D. Harden 0, Sikes 6. Totals 18 15-23 53.

JOHN MARSHALL (10-3, 9-1) — Hogges 5, Sheppard 4, Meade 10, Muhammad 2, McCrae 6, Burton 12, Boykin 2, White 22, Williams 0. Totals 24 12-24 63.
Hermitage 15 16 8 14 — 53
John Marshall 21 16 9 17 — 63

3-point goals — H: Bembry 2; JM: McCrae 2, Williams.

Highlights — JM: Brian White 14 rebounds, 3 blocks.

Surprising winners at John Marshall (Article from Richmond Free Press)

Coach Ty White credits player Brian White
By Fred Jeter

Brian White hails from the North Side, but you might think he’s arrived from the North Pole, considering all the cheer he’s spread.

White is the kind of bouncy 6-foot-7, 193-pound package every basketball coach has on his wish list.

John Marshall coach Ty White (no relation) was the gracious recipient. “Brian really came along at the right time for us,” said T. White. “He’s a great kid with a lot of talent. ... He can play inside and out.”

This was to be the bah-humbug season in which JM’s lengthy city domination ended with a stocking full of coal.

Virtually all of JM’s firepower was lost from last year’s 24-4 Region semifinalist outfit.

Then along came “B-White,” and expectations grew like the eyes of a young child on Christmas morn.

White was averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds in the early going, while shooting more than 60 percent from the field.

“Brian can attack the rim; he’s also a very good 3-point shooter,” said T. White.
The supposedly rebuilding Justices are 8-3 following the Holi- day Hoops Tournament that concluded at the Siegel Center.

White had 21 points in a victory over Cosby and 20 points in a loss to Henrico.
The JM-Cosby game matched arguably the area’s two best talents in White and the Titans’ Troy Caupain (Cincinnati signee).

“I’d rate Brian and Troy the two best players in the area,” said T. White.
Introductions among the stars weren’t necessary.

White, who has signed with The Citadel, and Caupain were teammates last summer for a U-17 Team Loaded travel squad that won tournaments in Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach and Wash- ington D.C.

Ty White, in addition to coaching JM, is director of Team Loaded. That association, along with the Justices’ strong track record, was a factor in B. White transferring to the North Side.

Also, B. White’s U-17 Team Loaded coach is Michael Black- well, a JM assistant.
B. White, son of Lear White, played as a freshman and sopho- more at Matoaca High and last year for now-defunct SportsQuest Academy.
The Whites moved from Chesterfield to Richmond in part so Brian could enroll at JM as a senior.
“John Marshall has an historic program,” said B. White.

“They’ve been good every year I’ve known of them.
“And I knew this would be a great year, too. ”
JM has been a Region contender since 2008, Travis McKie’s sophomore season.

McKie is now a junior at Wake Forest. Since the 2007-2008 season, the Justices are 127-22. They are 53-9 in two-plus seasons since T. White succeeded Frank Threatts on the sidelines.
This was the year the opposition was going to get even with the Justices, or so it seemed. Lost from last year’s squad were top guns Jestin Lewis and Willie Mangum and inside force Marshall Mundin.

Lewis is playing basketball at Wallace State, Ala.; Mangum at Western Nebraska; Mundin is on football scholarship at Hampton.

Only one starter returned this season, point-guard Gee Dean McBride. This year’s other seniors, Dominique Terry and Travis Boykins, were back-ups a year ago. Also, Aaron McCrae joined the team as a senior after not playing a year ago.

B. White is often asked if he is related to Andrew White III, a former Thomas Dale standout and current Kansas Jayhawks’ freshman. There is no relation there.

However, B. White is the much younger brother of Chris White, former Matoaca All-State guard who died in his sleep in 1991. Chris White helped Matoaca to State AA semifinals and had signed with East Tennessee before his tragic passing.
Now the family tree has branched out to Richmond, giving new meaning to the term “White Christmas” on North Side.

John Marshal vs JR Tucker (Brian White w/26)

WRIC Richmond News and Weather -

Richmond Times Dispatch Boys Basketball: Team to Watch

JOHN MARSHALL

Coach: Ty White

Last season: 24-4, 16-0

Key players: G Gee Dean, 6-0, Jr.; F Dominique Terry, 6-4, Sr.

Outlook: The Justices, who lost to Henrico in the Central Region semifinals last year, lose All-Metro first-teamer Jestin Lewis and second-teamer Willie Mangum. Also gone is 6-7 post player Marshall Mundin. But Dean, who impressed as a sophomore, fills the gap as a shooter, and Terry will continue to provide influence in the paint. Brian White, a Citadel pledge who joins the team from SportsQuest, will be a big addition.

John Marshall First Game

John Marshall vs Highland Springs 96 - 100

John Marshall never had the lead during this game although they came up from 10 points by the end of the first quarter and again after the half, but could not seem to overcome.  Although John Marshall couldn't pull off a win they fought to the end and earned 7 points in the last 2 minutes of the fourth quarter.  Brian White finished the game with 34 points.

Brian White Commits to The Citadel

 November 8, 2012 - VirginiaPreps.com

John Marshall 6-foot-7 forward Brian White will be one of the better basketball players in the state of Virginia at the Group AAA level this winter. Less than a month before the start of his senior season, White decided to pull the trigger and give a verbal commitment to play his College Basketball in the Southern Conference at The Citadel, coached by Chuck Driesell, son of coaching legend Lefty Driesell.

White selected the Bulldogs over offers from Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Citadel, Duquesne, North Carolina A&T and UNC Greensboro.

"What made me choose The Citadel were the great coaches, who came to multiple of my practices. That showed they really wanted me and cared about me. The whole coaching staff wanted me from day one and said that I was their #1 guy. Also, the academics were like no other school I visited," White told VirginiaPreps.com.

"The coaches like that I am a multi-skilled guy who can post up, shoot the ball, handle it and most important a great teammate and defender. I see myself playing the '3' for my long-term career, but I also can step in and play the '4' if they need me to do that with my versatility."

Coachable with a great work ethic and underrated skill-set, White is a well-rounded forward with the ability to run the floor effectively, score close to or away from the basket and crashes the glass.

"I think Brian has a tremendous upside and hasn't even peaked yet. He's one of those kids because he's versatile and can play multiple positions will be really hard to guard. [They're] going to get a better person than a player and I really think he's a good player as well," noted John Marshall Head Basketball Coach Ty White, who also coached Brian in AAU for Team Loaded.

"He stretches the defense. Rebounding-wise, he's pretty good as well. He has the ability to play both inside and outside, which makes him hard to guard."

The Citadel, a military school located in Charleston, South Carolina, has been able to come up to Virginia and mine up a couple of players lately. Nansemond River guard Ashton Moore averaged 7.4 points per game last season for the Bulldogs as a true freshman. Miller School product Janeil Jenkins is about to embark on his freshman year there as well.

"It did help me a lot that a few guys from Virginia were on the team because I kept in contact with them and asked questions on their perspective of The Citadel," Brian admitted.

The Citadel finished 6-24 overall last year and 3-15 in conference play. Their last winning season came in 2008-09 when they finished 20-13 overall.

White spent the last two years playing at SportsQuest Academy and Matoaca. This will be his first and only season at John Marshall, and he'd like to accomplish some things while there before heading off to the next level.

Recently, the Justices won the Hampton Roads Fall League, edging Green Run in double-overtime. They figure to be one of the top contenders in the always competitive Central Region.

"My goals for my upcoming season are to first lead my High School team to a State Championship, which John Marshall hasn't done in years," White pointed out. "I'd also like to become State Player of the Year."

John Marshall Justices win Fall League Championship

November 13, 2012 - VirginiaPreps.com

Justice was served on Wednesday nights in the Hampton Roads Fall League at the Boo Williams Sportsplex. The John Marshall Justices from the Central Region made the weekly trek in September and October to take on some of the best competition the Eastern Region has to offer and was the last one standing out of 16 teams, winning 17 of the 18 games they played.

John Marshall defeated Green Run 52-48 in double-overtime of the Fall League Championship. They trailed the entire game until Brian White's basket at the buzzer tied the score and forced overtime. White hit the game-winning basket in the semifinals of the Fall League playoffs to help the Justices edge King's Fork, 61-59.

"It's a big sacrifice that our parents, our players and our coaches made every single week, but at the end of the day, it's worth it," said John Marshall Fall League Coach Michael Blackwell. "We did it as a team, as a unit. Our key thing every single day and every single week is to stay hungry. You never get full off of any game, any quarter and as long as this team stays hungry, we're going to position ourselves to accomplish our goal at the end of the day."

White led the way in the Championship with 18 points and 11 rebounds. To go with White's scoring inside and outside the paint as well as his rebounding, the Justices got stellar guard play throughout, most notably from seniors Dominique Terry and Gee Dean-McBride. Terry provided them with perimeter shooting, while Dean-McBride pushed the ball up the court and got into the teeth of the defense.

Giving the Stallions a lift in the front-court was freshman Sterling Carrington with nine points as he battled a D-1 talent in White (Citadel commit) quite well for someone who has yet to play a game on the varsity level.

Even after the senior trio of White, Dean-McBride and Terry that are the headliners for John Marshall, they have a solid rotation of underclassmen that will play vital roles for them this year and in the future. They include 6-foot-7 sophomore Nate Williams, junior guard Quaman Burton, sophomore guard Taqqi Muhammad and freshman guard Jeremy Sheppard.

 

Matthew Hatfield
VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Analyst

Full Article can be found on VirginiaPreps.com