GREG WHITE BASKETBALL

In South Mullens, there were several guys who had street cred, and they greatly impacted my life and basketball career. There was Bill “Bosco” Linkous, Ben “Pickle” Rhoades, Chuck “Boomlockie” Lambert, Danny “Calarnie” Toney, Kenny “Bake” McBride, and several others who helped to shape my career. ALL OF THESE GUYS COULD PLAY.  My best friend, Bill “Dewey” Deweese, and I played thousands of games of one-on-one at the South Mullens playground. It was on that playground where I learned about toughness, grit, and skill. South Mullens was the BEST!!! I have so many great memories.

 

I played and enjoyed all sports. My true love was basketball. Coming through grade school and junior high, I was just another player, but my heart was on fire with basketball. As a freshman, I was the starting point guard on the only undefeated team I was ever a part of (20-0). As a sophomore (13 ppg), I was a starter and an All-County player. I had the good fortune of playing for legendary Coach Don Nuckols who won five state titles, had 30+ college players, and two NBA players. One day during my sophomore year, Coach Nuckols walked up to me and handed me a letter, addressed to me, from Davidson College (where Steph Curry played). I watched many guys, whom I idolized in grades above me, earn scholarships to play college basketball, and I watched Mike D’Antoni and Jerome Anderson make it all the way to the NBA.

 

With Coach Nuckols's amazing guidance, he educated my family on what was about to happen. As a junior (19 ppg), I was First-Team All-State.  As a senior (24 ppg), I was captain of the Big All-State Team, West Virginia Player of the Year, and a High School All-American. One magical night, I had 50 points and 15 assists in the same game.

 

The full scholarships and enormous college interest followed – WVU, Duke, VA Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Florida State, Florida, and more. I received numerous offers from colleges and universities. My goal coming through high school was to play at WVU. With WVU’s scholarship in hand, and four days before signing with my dream school WVU, something crazy happened. My favorite recruiter, Stu Aberdeen, Associate Head Coach from the University of Tennessee, took the vacant head coaching job at Marshall University. Three days later, Coach Aberdeen and my boyhood idol, Mike D’Antoni (NBA player San Antonio Spurs) were sitting in my living room. That day, Stu offered me a FULL RIDE and promised 40 minutes a game!  He also said my best friend, Bill “Dewey” Deweese, could come with me, be on the team and be my roommate. It was at that moment, with the guidance of my parents and Coach Nuckols, that I changed my mind and decided to sign with Marshall University. I signed a full basketball scholarship at Marshall and loved my time there. I rocketed to stardom by starting 113 consecutive games and had a playing career that landed me in Marshall University’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

I was fortunate to play for two wonderful head coaches at Marshall, Stu Aberdeen (who tragically passed away after my sophomore year), and Bob Zuffelato (an associate head coach who became head coach after Coach Aberdeen's death). Both were excellent basketball minds, had tremendous character, and we're all about making each player accountable in the classroom, on the court, and in the game of life. I also made many wonderful friends and met my very best friends in life (Ken Labanowski, Ron Gilmore, Barry Kincaid, all college teammates at Marshall). 

 

Looking back, Marshall University was the perfect school for me to play college basketball and earn my undergraduate and master’s degrees. Through that process, I got a full dose of college basketball recruiting. Coach Nuckols guided me through it all and helped me realize what was most important: coaches who truly cared about me and the opportunity to play immediately.  My high school recruitment jumpstarted my recruiting knowledge. I saw it all!