Interview by Jeremy Shere
Photography by Ben Weller & Paul Riley
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One perfect moment in the IU career of D.J. White.
Photo by Paul Riley
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IU men’s basketball has had its share of great big men—Kent Benson, Alan Henderson, Jared Jeffries, and many more. Now, after his stellar senior year, we can officially add D.J. White to that list. Throughout a tumultuous season, White was a rock in the middle. His steady and often spectacular play anchored the Hoosiers, leading the team to a 25-8 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Averaging 17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, White was voted Big Ten Player of the Year, named first team All-Big Ten, voted second-team All American, and has now emerged as a top NBA prospect.
 But anyone who followed IU basketball over the past four years knows that White’s importance went beyond statistics and awards. At a time when many of the best college players leave for the pros after one or two years, White stayed to work on his game, mentor younger players, and earn a degree in general studies with minors in criminal justice and African-American studies. This year, during the Kelvin Sampson debacle, White’s presence on the team was especially important. His exemplary work ethic, passion, and leadership carried a team that, toward the end of the season, had every excuse to quit.
Now, his college career behind him, White is looking forward to making his mark in the NBA. Moving on, though, doesn’t mean that White will leave IU and Bloomington behind. He spoke with Bloom writer Jeremy Shere about his legacy and “the four best years” of his life.
BLOOM As you head to the NBA, I’m wondering which players in the pros did you most admire when you were growing up?
WHITE Michael Jordan, of course, but the person I really admired the most is Kevin Garnett and I still do to this day. Just his passion for the game. I think I learned just watching him.
BLOOM You could soon be playing against or maybe even alongside Kevin Garnett. Is that a scary thought?
WHITE No, it’s not scary. I’m over the fact that “Hey, I’m standing next to such-and-such.” But, it’s an honor, I think, to play with those guys, especially Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal. Standing next to them, that’d be an honor.
BLOOM So many top NBA prospects stay in college for one or two years and then go pro. Why did you decide to stay for your senior year, and what do you think you learned this year that’s going to help you in the NBA?
WHITE I thought it was the best situation for me. Last year I thought about turning pro, but after looking at the pros and cons I thought it was better for me to stay and finish out my senior year. We had a good team coming back, and I thought it was a team that could have gone far, potentially Final Four, you know, but that didn’t happen. But I still think staying was a positive. And as far as “what have I learned,” I’ve just been through a lot of adversity. I still think that what I did every day, I gave my all. So, that’s one thing I learned, that no matter what’s going on around you, just give your all.
BLOOM What parts of your game did you work on this year?
WHITE I expanded my range a little bit on my jump shot. I rebounded the ball better, which I felt I was capable of doing. And that’s basically it. I just played strong. I think I was a better leader this year for my team. There were three returning players from last season, so a lot of guys looked up to me, and I think I did a pretty decent job of leading by example.
BLOOM In four years at IU you played for three coaches—Mike Davis, Kelvin Sampson, and Dan Dakich. What was your relationship like with each of them?
WHITE Coach Davis—he and I had a good relationship. That’s really the big reason
why I came here, was because of him. I just liked his offensive style. And Coach Sampson, when he first came here, I won’t say we butted heads, but it took a while for us to be on the same page. You know, we did, and that’s why right now I talk to him all the time. He texts me all the time, I text him. We talk, I go out and see his wife, even when he’s not in town. We’ve been real tight over the last couple of years. And Coach Dakich, I respect him very much. He’ll be the first to tell you, I told him I respect him, and under the circumstances I think he came in and did a good job. We didn’t finish like we wanted to, obviously, but I respect Coach Dakich for what he did.
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