Derrick White returns to old high school: "When I'm done hoopin' I'm going to be back here because Colorado means a lot to me"
This wasn't a conquering hero returning home. Rather a humble homecoming for Derrick White.
Unlike some of his NBA counterparts, there was no gaudy jewelry or designer shades. Just White back at his old high school in a black sweatshirt and wearing a Legend ballcap, deflecting the spotlight which he made crystal clear in a pregame speech he gave to the Legend High School basketball team.
"This night is not about me. Once I pull [the banner] down everybody is there to watch you guys hoop," White told the Legend varsity basketball team. "Do what you do, play confident and play free."
White returned to Legend High School this past week to be the school's first Hall of Fame inductee. It was a perfect opportunity for Derrick to thank the people who helped him become the person and player he is today.
"This is where it all started for me. Legend was first school to give me an opportunity," White said. "To be able to come back here, thankful for athletic department to recognize me is pretty cool."
White ascension to the NBA didn't come easy. He was rarely his team's best player growing up. Just another young kid with big dreams and a work ethic to match.
"He was a very average player in 7th grade when I first met him," recalled White's trainer Marcus Mason. "I got an average player who just wanted to get better."
White did get better but not good enough to be recruited out of high school. He ended up at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs without a scholarship. That didn't stop White from becoming a two-time Division 2 All American.
That caught the eye of CU head coach Tad Boyle. White would transfer to CU and spent one memorable year in Boulder. He was a first team All-Pac-12 performer and definitely made his mark on basketball in the Centennial State.
"I tell everybody I'm a Colorado guy. This is where my family is from, where I'm from," White said. "When I'm done hoopin' I'm going to be back here because Colorado means a lot to me."
The first round draft pick is now seven years into his NBA career and continues to get better and better.
"He's a better player right now than he was last year," said Mason. "You rarely find a guy who continues to grow after they hit their peak."
He's the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week and recently became the first player in NBA history to hit at least 8 3's, dish out 10 assists and block three shots in a single game.
"I've been playing well," White sheepishly said. "Just being confident, just being me. Marcus always telling me is you've been doing this your whole life, what's different now?"
What is different is the impact White can have on the future. Spending his all-star break at his old high school signals that White takes the responsibility seriously and hopes to have the same kind of impact the state's basketball goat had on him.
"I remember when I was a kid, anytime Chauncey was around, that's Mr. Big shot. I wanted to be around him," White recalled. "My dream is to be that for the next generation."
"He represents so many other kids," Mason said. "He represents the kid no one gives a shot to. He represents the kid who got cut. He represents people, not just basketball players but people."
