timvp
07-10-2007, 02:26 AM
In Vegas: James White Finding His Way
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
James White had the best seat in the house when the San Antonio Spurs won the championship a few weeks ago. It was an interesting end to what had been a varied season for the young man from the University of Cincinnati.
"It was a great experience," says White. "Most players play their entire careers and never win a championship. I got to go through it early with a great group of guys and it was a great experience."
White spent some time mid-season with the Austin Toros, the Spurs' NBDL affiliate, where he put up good numbers and quickly earned his way back to Gregg Popovich's squad (or at least the practice squad). Being a part of the championship team, if only in an onlooker's role, makes White want to work even harder to be an active part of next year's attempt to repeat.
"It definitely makes me want to work hard, just to be more a part of the team. Every player wants to be able to play. That's everybody's goal, just to be out there on the court and doing what they can do. Just watching people out there playing makes you want to play even more. Watching it was hard but I learned a lot and hopefully I can take that into next season and get some playing time."
If White has anything in his corner it's the fact that he's playing alongside grizzled veterans like Michael Finley and Brent Barry. Every young player needs a veteran mentor, but in White's case he has two excellent teachers.
"It definitely helps to play with veterans like Mike (Finley) and Brent (Barry)," he admits. "All those guys are great like that. I've got a lot of guys who have been great mentors for me: Finley, Barry, Bruce Bowen, all those guys have been helping me throughout my process and giving me good advice and teaching me quite a bit."
White's time in the NBDL saw him quickly earn a starting role and average better than 16 points per game. It only took him 15 games there to get his legs under him and be ready for a return trip to San Antonio.
"It helped me a lot to play (in Austin). I pretty much got my confidence back. I hadn't played in a while, so I got out there, played with confidence, got my game back, got to work on some things I wanted to work on. So I definitely think it helped me with my game and helped me with the process that I'm trying to go through."
Last season the Spurs didn't put a lot of stock in what was going on in Austin. Gregg Popovich admitted on several occasions that he didn't pay much attention to what kind of system they were running. That may change now that the Toros are part of the Spurs' organization, but for White the experience served it's purpose. Briefly.
"I think at this point, after playing with the Toros, I think it's better to be with the Spurs right now, at this point. At the time I thought it was better for me to be in Austin because I hadn't played in a long time. I needed to get my confidence back and it was good for me as a player. But at this point I think it's better to be with the Spurs, learning their system, learning all of the nuances about what Pop wants me to do, and being able to get in there."
Outstanding performances in summer league are always followed with the comment that "it's only summer league." But for the players, many of whom are out there trying to get a job, it can be just as competitive as the NBDL.
"Summer league is pretty similar to NBDL," White explains. "You have a bunch of guys who are trying to establish themselves and get with a team and show they can do things. That's pretty much what the D-League is, guys trying to show they can do things. They're very similar in that way, but I'm just out here trying to improve and work on the things that Greg Popovich told me to work on during the summer and get those things done."
In talking to White about what the Spurs have him working on this summer in Las Vegas, he dictated a list that basically sounded like Bruce Bowen's regimen.
"Pretty much my defense, rebounding, just the little things that help me get on the court. It's the little things like what Bruce Bowen does."
Spurs basketball?
"Yeah, Spurs basketball, basically."
White is hoping to use his time in summer league to help him get into the rotation in San Antonio. He struggled in Monday's game, but has been the Spurs' best player so far.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22681.shtml
---------------
Hoopsworld still has more typos than a fifth grader's blog but it had enough quotes to be noteworthy enough.
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
James White had the best seat in the house when the San Antonio Spurs won the championship a few weeks ago. It was an interesting end to what had been a varied season for the young man from the University of Cincinnati.
"It was a great experience," says White. "Most players play their entire careers and never win a championship. I got to go through it early with a great group of guys and it was a great experience."
White spent some time mid-season with the Austin Toros, the Spurs' NBDL affiliate, where he put up good numbers and quickly earned his way back to Gregg Popovich's squad (or at least the practice squad). Being a part of the championship team, if only in an onlooker's role, makes White want to work even harder to be an active part of next year's attempt to repeat.
"It definitely makes me want to work hard, just to be more a part of the team. Every player wants to be able to play. That's everybody's goal, just to be out there on the court and doing what they can do. Just watching people out there playing makes you want to play even more. Watching it was hard but I learned a lot and hopefully I can take that into next season and get some playing time."
If White has anything in his corner it's the fact that he's playing alongside grizzled veterans like Michael Finley and Brent Barry. Every young player needs a veteran mentor, but in White's case he has two excellent teachers.
"It definitely helps to play with veterans like Mike (Finley) and Brent (Barry)," he admits. "All those guys are great like that. I've got a lot of guys who have been great mentors for me: Finley, Barry, Bruce Bowen, all those guys have been helping me throughout my process and giving me good advice and teaching me quite a bit."
White's time in the NBDL saw him quickly earn a starting role and average better than 16 points per game. It only took him 15 games there to get his legs under him and be ready for a return trip to San Antonio.
"It helped me a lot to play (in Austin). I pretty much got my confidence back. I hadn't played in a while, so I got out there, played with confidence, got my game back, got to work on some things I wanted to work on. So I definitely think it helped me with my game and helped me with the process that I'm trying to go through."
Last season the Spurs didn't put a lot of stock in what was going on in Austin. Gregg Popovich admitted on several occasions that he didn't pay much attention to what kind of system they were running. That may change now that the Toros are part of the Spurs' organization, but for White the experience served it's purpose. Briefly.
"I think at this point, after playing with the Toros, I think it's better to be with the Spurs right now, at this point. At the time I thought it was better for me to be in Austin because I hadn't played in a long time. I needed to get my confidence back and it was good for me as a player. But at this point I think it's better to be with the Spurs, learning their system, learning all of the nuances about what Pop wants me to do, and being able to get in there."
Outstanding performances in summer league are always followed with the comment that "it's only summer league." But for the players, many of whom are out there trying to get a job, it can be just as competitive as the NBDL.
"Summer league is pretty similar to NBDL," White explains. "You have a bunch of guys who are trying to establish themselves and get with a team and show they can do things. That's pretty much what the D-League is, guys trying to show they can do things. They're very similar in that way, but I'm just out here trying to improve and work on the things that Greg Popovich told me to work on during the summer and get those things done."
In talking to White about what the Spurs have him working on this summer in Las Vegas, he dictated a list that basically sounded like Bruce Bowen's regimen.
"Pretty much my defense, rebounding, just the little things that help me get on the court. It's the little things like what Bruce Bowen does."
Spurs basketball?
"Yeah, Spurs basketball, basically."
White is hoping to use his time in summer league to help him get into the rotation in San Antonio. He struggled in Monday's game, but has been the Spurs' best player so far.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22681.shtml
---------------
Hoopsworld still has more typos than a fifth grader's blog but it had enough quotes to be noteworthy enough.