UMass Lowell Star Goes from Late to Great

02/18/2016
Eagle-Tribune
By Kyle Gaudette

LOWELL — If you want to buy him a drink, you need to wait until April 2018.

But if you want him to run baseline to baseline, be a floor general and occasionally pull up for a mid-range jump shot, Isaac White is your man.

UMass Lowell has potentially the best point guard in the America East Conference, and he is only 18. White, who came in as one of eight freshmen this season, may be the future of UMass Lowell basketball.

“He’s a great point guard,” said UMass Lowell head coach Pat Duquette. “I think when you look at his statistics the first thing that jumps out at you are points, and that’s what everybody notices the most. But he’s carried the huge responsibility of playing point guard as a freshman and running our team.”

He is second for the 11-15 River Hawks in scoring with 11.5 points per game and leads the team in 3-pointers made at 64 while his .441 3-point percentage is second-best in America East.

“He’s a quiet leader, mostly by example,” said Duquette. “He’s a very mature kid on and off the floor. He’s unselfish, very caring, and very humble. Those are great qualities to have not just as a basketball player but as a person. I think his teammates recognize that and give him a lot of respect just because of the person he is.”

The baby-faced White, who is just 6-0, 165 pounds, said, “The physicality of Division I is a lot more intense. Playing in high school, everyone was around my size.”

White grew up in Ashland, Ohio, a small town 67 miles down I-71 from Cleveland. Before coming to UMass Lowell, White led Ashland High to a 22-2 record, and the Ohio Cardinal Conference Championship as a senior.

That didn’t exactly have the recruiters knocking down his door, though. Originally, he committed to Division 2 Malone University, a Division 2 Christian school in Canton, Ohio. A late scholarship opened up and he committed to ULowell in April.

“I played in a league that was competitive, but it was not the top league in the state or anything,” said White, who is also averaging 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals a game. “There was AAU, too. I played in that on the national level. That definitely prepared me for UML.”

He hit the ground running, converting a game-winning 3-point play to beat Sacred Heart in Game 2. On Dec. 6 he scored a game-high 20 points, including three free throws in the last 13 seconds in a 68-66 win over Boston College of the ACC. Duquette called it “a signature win.”

White grew up in the gym.

“My dad was a high school basketball coach, so I was always in the gym with him shooting,” said White. “I just love the game. I kind of told my dad I wanted to be a really good basketball player, so he made sure to push me. My dad was my coach growing up through elementary school and a little bit of AAU. When I got to high school he helped as an assistant coach.”

White is a both scorer and a playmaker.

“He can shoot the ball, and he’s a real good decision-maker,” said teammate Matt Harris. “Playing with him this year has definitely made me want to take more pride in my shot. He’s fun to be around on and off the court. He knows when it’s time to be serious, and he knows when to joke around and have fun with the team. He’s just a great kid, and I’m glad that we have him.”

As the NCAA Division I eligibility transition lifts after next season (meaning UML would be eligible for the NCAA tourney), White hopes to lead the River Hawks to the next step.

“Our junior year Jahad [Thomas, team’s leading scorer at 14.0 points a game] will be a senior,” said White. “We have a good core of young guys now, and I really think that we can make a run at the NCAA tournament.”

Duquette has no doubts he has the point guard to do it.

“I see him as being one of the best players to ever come through this school,” said Duquette. “I don’t mean to put that pressure on him, but he’s that good, and I know he’s going to work hard every day.”

Up and down the hallways and athletic facilities of UMass Lowell, White is the new blue.