Former JSU starter opts for fresh start at Tuskegee
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/SPORTS030101/701250354/1073/SPORTS
January 25, 2007
Former JSU starter opts for fresh start at Tuskegee
By David Brandt
[email protected]
Former Jackson State basketball player Charlie White has enrolled at Tuskegee, four months after being arrested on JSU's campus.
White, the 2003 Mr. Basketball out of Provine High School, was expelled from JSU on Oct. 3 after allegedly firing a gun on campus on Sept. 22.
White said he will sit out this season and attend classes at Tuskegee, then have two years of eligibility remaining for basketball.
"It's just good to have another chance to play basketball," White said. "I was ready to leave Jackson, so maybe this move will be good for me."
Tuskegee coach Leon Douglas said he was well aware of White's legal trouble in Jackson, but wasn't concerned.
After his Sept. 22 arrest, White was charged with possession of a firearm on educational property and exhibiting a weapon in a threatening manner.
His initial court date was scheduled for Jan. 22, but White said he wouldn't discuss the charges.
"I'm not going to hold the past against Charlie," said Douglas, a star player with Alabama during the 1970s. "He's a young person who made a mistake, but I believe in second chances and that's what we're giving Charlie."
Before being expelled from JSU, White was considered an integral part to the Jackson State team. He played in 32 games as a sophomore, averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds as the starting point guard.
White said he's still close friends with several members of the team, and calls after most games to hear about the results.
"It was really hard at first to know they were playing without me, but it's gotten a little better," White said. "I'm still cheering for them. I talk to someone from the team just about every day."
Douglas, a first-year coach at Tuskegee, said White would be an integral part of his rebuilding next year. An NCAA Division II school, Tuskegee has a 2-12 record so far this season.
Jackson State coach Tevester Anderson said he was aware of White's transfer to Tuskegee.
"I'm happy for him," Anderson said. "I think that's a good fit for Charlie."
Even without White, Jackson State (11-9 overall, 5-2 SWAC) is in a four-way tie for first place in conference. Junior Catraiva Givens has taken over the starting point guard role, averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 assists per game.
