INDIANAPOLIS -- Sometimes patience stinks.
Yes, we know all about good things coming to those who wait, but that probably came from some old guy who never got what he wanted.
Chandler White isn't old. Heck, this Carroll sophomore to be is still a year too young for college basketball coaches to bombard him with unlimited phone calls and texts.
But he's waiting for a scholarship offer. Any offer would do for now, but given the college heavyweights expressing the most interest -- can you say Indiana, Purdue and Michigan? -- he's ready for a little Big Ten love.
The problem -- it hasn't happened yet.
So the 6-2, 175-pound White is using the three-week July evaluation period to boost his recruiting stock, starting with this week's Adidas Invitational. The fact he's playing on a powerhouse Indiana Elite U-15 team helps.
“I'm trying to get an offer and get more colleges looking at me,” White says. “It's a chance for me to get better and our team to get better, and just winning tournaments.”
Reports that Miami of Ohio has offered White a scholarship aren't true, he says. “I haven't talked to them.” But he is getting a “lot of interest” from college programs, and that coaches from IU, Purdue and Michigan have all told him they like his game.
White says IU coaches told him that he, “Should work on my shot. Purdue coaches just tell me to keep working and keep shooting.”
Prime-time coaches such as Indiana's Tom Crean, Purdue's Matt Painter and Michigan's John Beilein were around for Thursday's Adidas Invitational games. By Friday, Crean had bolted to Washington D.C. and Painter had moved to Wisconsin for more recruiting.
No matter. IU associate head coach Steve McClain was at North Central High School to watch Indiana Elite dismantle yet another opponent by double digits. This time Garner Road fell with White scoring 10 points, eight in the second half. Heralded teammate Hyron Edwards, who also is being pursued by Indiana and Purdue, added six points while running the offensive show.
“In the first half my shot wasn't falling,” White says, “so in the second half I had to crash the boards. I like to penetrate.”
At Carroll, White bears a heavy leadership burden despite his youth. On Indiana Elite, which is loaded with talent, that burden is lifted.
“I don't have to take over,” he says. “In high school I have to take over a lot of games.”
Indiana Elite cruised through its spring tournament schedule. It lost only once and that was in the finals of a tournament in Chicago. It's positioned to have a strong July.
“This is fun,” White says. “We all get together and play well. We can all score. We can all play defense. That makes it easy.
“This tournament is really good. We're getting a lot of competition. In the spring time, there really wasn't a lot of competition. This summer there is.”
Indiana Elite has a hectic schedule, which means White won't be spending much time at home. Next week Indiana Elite is in the Best Buy Summer Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. The week after that, it's off to Las Vegas.
“I'll be really tired when it's over,” he says. “I'll be ready to take a couple of weeks off before I get back in the gym.”
To be clear, White isn't ready for it to be over.
“We want to win all our games,” he says. “If we're playing a really good team, we have to pick it up, play our hardest and see what happens.”
And if that produces a scholarship offer, all the better.
