6'3" ILLINOIS CENTER GRANTED RELEASE AND WILL VISIT LOUISVILLE
White, a 6'3" sophomore from Shelby, Nebraska, poured in 18.4 points for the Fighting Illini in the 2015-16 season and grabbed 9.3 rebounds for the 9-21 Big Ten squad. She's a former McDonald's All-American and played on the USA U 19 squad last summer with Mariya Moore and Jeff Walz.White has also visited Notre Dame in her search for a new academic center to continue her student-athlete career. Her departure is the second in a week's time for the Champaign, IL WBB program...fellow Nebraska native Brooke Kissinger, another sophomore, announced she would be transferring to Crieghton.
White's skills are multi-faceted on the hardwood...a hard, blue-collar worker inside the paint on both ends of the court that can also step outside and be deadly from mid-range and further when getting shots up.
College honors
- All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention (2015).
- Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2015).
- Three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (2014-15).
College Notes
- As a freshman in 2014-15, averaged a team second-best 14.5 ppg. and team-highs of 7.0 rpg. and 1.9 bpg. as the University of Illinois finished wtih a 15-16 record.
- Owns the Illini’s all-time freshman season records for points (448) and blocked shots (60), ranks third among all-time Illinois freshmen for rebounds (216) and fourth for steals (60).
- Her 60 blocks ranks sixth among Illinois’s all-time single-season blocked shots leaders and 15th for career blocked shots.
White would add significant shooting, leadership and rebounding skills to a Cardinal squad in the 2017-18 season that would have graduated Cortnee Walton and Briahanna Jackson and would have Myisha Hines-Allen, Arica Carter and Mariya Moore as seniors.
As a freshman, White was part of a Illinois team that knocked off Kentucky 77-71. White led the Illini with 23 points in the contest and has shown time and time again her ability to be very pro-active in the paint instead of standing in the blocks waiting for the ball.
She'd be a great "get" for a Cardinal squad that experienced some late season rebounding woes in losses to Syracuse and DePaul. She'd also have the chance to perform in from of 10,000 people a night in the KFC YUM! Center instead of the 1500 that attend Illinois WBB.
Playing in the BIG 10, she's also gotten a taste for and excelled at the battles that occur in the paint. With the added ability to take the ball out deep and extend the opponent's defense...her style of play would augment and compliment the skills of versatile Cardinal stars Hines-Allen and Moore...adding in the overall quickness and agility of Asia Durr and several of the incoming freshmen would give coaching opponents of the 2017-18 Cards nightmares on match-ups, containment and defensive alignments.
A roster of front line talent including White, Hines-Allen, Sam Fuehring, Erin DeGrate, Ciera Johnson, Kylee Shook and Bionca Dunham would be the tallest in Cardinal WBB history and also an imposing task to prepare for if you're an opposing coach.
Enjoy the "Ville" Chatrice. #32 is Emmonnie Henderson's old jersey number and would be a great fit on another player who can rebound and score with alacrity.
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CARDS WBB #2 IN ESPN PRESEASON POLL
In the "way too early" preseason women's college basketball poll released by Charlie Creme at ESPN, the Cards have landed in the #2 spot behind Notre Dame.
Heady stuff for the Cardinal program. Certainly additional motivation for the returnees and newcomers to the squad. A blessing and a curse, in reality. A great honor but also a sword hanging over a program's head that may need some adjustment time in merging a talented freshman class into an already establish and deep squad.
Hopefully, last year's curse isn't in place where the Cards were ranked #8 and stumbled out of the gate.
Being higher than UConn, Baylor and South Carolina may raise a few eyebrows...but it is a deep roster of Cardinal players with boatloads of talent.
With five ACC schools in the top 25, certainly another year of tough contests in conference play. Syracuse at #20? What have you been drinking, Charlie? That was a school that played in the national championship game.
Ah, the complexities and buffoonery of pre-season meanderings...
__________________________________________________
CARDS WBB #2 IN ESPN PRESEASON POLL
In the "way too early" preseason women's college basketball poll released by Charlie Creme at ESPN, the Cards have landed in the #2 spot behind Notre Dame. Heady stuff for the Cardinal program. Certainly additional motivation for the returnees and newcomers to the squad. A blessing and a curse, in reality. A great honor but also a sword hanging over a program's head that may need some adjustment time in merging a talented freshman class into an already establish and deep squad.
Hopefully, last year's curse isn't in place where the Cards were ranked #8 and stumbled out of the gate.
Being higher than UConn, Baylor and South Carolina may raise a few eyebrows...but it is a deep roster of Cardinal players with boatloads of talent.With five ACC schools in the top 25, certainly another year of tough contests in conference play. Syracuse at #20? What have you been drinking, Charlie? That was a school that played in the national championship game.
Ah, the complexities and buffoonery of pre-season meanderings...
paulie
xxxxx
White is the real deal, Paulie. What a great addition she would be to the Cardinal roster down the road. As far as #2 in the preseason poll goes, Charlie Creme just gave UConn all the motivation they need for the off-season. South Carolina too. Louisville has top five potential next season. #2 is ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteThe Real Joe Hill
Agree with Real Joe Hill. UConn sleeping giant now awakened!!! Wouldn't it be great if UConn got their heads handed to them and fell out of top 10? Got to be able to dream.
Delete2 seems high. Top five realistic but looking at the top 10 and five in the ACC is impressive. It's way too early to predict. I guess Creme has to earn a paycheck in the off-season.
ReplyDeleteCurtis Franklin
I like the challenge that this presents the Louisville WBB players and staff. With so many experienced players returning (unlike last year when the Cards lost significant talent in Jude, Sara, Bria, Sherrone, Shawnta, Emmonnie and Megan). Walz has his starting five intact and considerable depth at all spots to challenge for playing time this fall. I would like to see one player step up and assume leadership of this team. Like a Shoni or Angel did in the Cards Final Four runs of past. I think it should come from Myisha, Mariya or Cortnee. You need that one player who can put the squad on her back when things get tight and take on-court control. Myisha is the obvious choice here. It all comes down to how hard these girls will work in the off-season when there are no coaches watching them. Who will be the gym rats? Who will be putting up the shots and working on their weaknesses? The Deb Factor
ReplyDeleteI also love that Chatrice White is looking at Louisville. This is a Sara Hammond proto-type with the additional advantage of being able to shoot accurately from outside. Chatrice wants a coaching staff, from what I've read, that is going to push her continuously to better and improve her game. I can't think of a finer group to do this than Walz, Norman, Purcell and Williams. The Deb Factor.
DeleteYes Yes Yes. Where's a wall cause I'm ready to run through it. Let's go ladies.
DeleteKentucky right fielder just did that for you Wade at the UofL vs UK baseball game. Robbed a Cards home run at the wall
DeleteWell, that is a surprise! Both White leaving and Louisville preseason-ranked second. I do think that Coach Jeff Walz has a powerhouse for next year and can't say I'm anxiously awaiting my Clemson Tigers tilt against them. The top echelon ACC schools look very dangerous.
ReplyDeleteChatrice White will provide the Cards with very strong board dominance and a work ethic that is hard to equal. I hope they land her.
Your favorite Clemson fan
Arthur
Greer, SC
Looking forward to a fall Clemson football trip Arthur and will bring an extra UofL polo for you to wear!
DeletePaulie
Well, Paulie, I got my best laugh of the week so far when I read Charlie Creme's Louisville ranking. That must mean UK is #1 preseason since they'll continue their win streak over Where's Waldo's women. Even if the Cards get White. Can she play point guard?
ReplyDelete-- Matthew Mitchell For Governor --
Gov, the Cards WILL BEAT UK this year. Write it down. Even if Doris Burke is at point guard.
DeletePaulie
Love that confidence Paulie! You are a True Believer!
DeleteChuckster Creme likes our stock. He picked us as a final four team going into the tournament this year.
DeleteIs Louisville done with transfers leaving? My count shows five players coming in as freshmen and (10) returning. Walton, Carter, Moore, Hines-Allen, Fuehring, Jones, Jackson, DeGrate, Weatherford and Durr. It has been discussed that Weatherford wouldn't be on athletic scholarship. Does that mean there is room for a White or someone else?
ReplyDeleteWhite wouldn't be on scholarship for next year if she chose to come here. I can't remember the exact terminology, but it's something like a waiver of financial aid or something like that, and that would cover her tuition for the redshirt year. Then the next year, 2017-18, she would be on scholarship.
DeleteI have reservations about the pick at second but we cannot compare the situation of this team with that of last year's. Last year team lost 5 players (three graduates, one transfer and one dropping basketball for track and field. So far, this year, we have lost one. Taja Cole. Though we may be a young team again, we have loads of experience in those young players along with a bucket load of talent. Barring injuries the Cards should be in the top 4 or 5 by tournament time. But pre-season #2? I have my doubts.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is for us to be ranked ahead of Baylor they must be playing four with no point guard. That's how good they already are (wings) and going to be (centers/forwards) No way we are better than Baylor. Anyone know if they have a point guard?
ReplyDeleteNiya Johnson graduated. She was one of the best point guards in the nation. Didn't score a lot, but was a great pass first point guard. Got them into everything they wanted to run, found the open player and right player to get the ball to, and defended pretty well. But they do bring back two of the best wing players in the nation, in addition to their posts and their top recruiting class
DeleteSouth Carolina IMHO should be even better this year .
ReplyDeleteGain: Prolific wing scoring with Davis from Ga Tech and Allisha Gray from Duke
Lose : Great defense and transition game in Tiffany Mitchell and Sessions (pg)
So you add two skilled confident, proven, versatile, more than just OUTSIDE makers and lose two good defensive transition types who couldnt knock down outside shots.
That's a great mix to add to Coates (slightly overrated) and Wilson.
#1 iUConn Coaching chemistry talent that order
#2 South Carolina Amazing firepower, poor coaching
#3 Notre Dame. Boley is a UConn type and will contribute immediately
#4 Baylor . 3 bigs they have all want it bad and will only get better plus add Lauren Cox