The recruiting process always has some twists and turns. So just think of the current recruiting status of Whitney Young’s Paul White’s as just that — a little twisting and turning as he tries to make the best decision for himself and find the ideal fit.
The versatile 6-9 forward, who teams with the nation’s No. 1 player in the country, Jahlil Okafor, for coach Tyrone Slaughter’s likely top-ranked team in Illinois, narrowed his list to five schools last month. The list included Arizona, UConn, DePaul, Minnesota and Georgetown.
Now the talented White, who is recovering nicely from a broken arm he suffered in July on the AAU circuit, is opening his recruitment back up.
Slaughter continued to field inquiries from various schools interested in White. He then informed White and his family of the interest and recently sat down with them to discuss White’s options and the process going forward.
“Paul and his family took the information, gave it some consideration and thought, and decided it was best for everyone involved if he did open things back up and revisit things,” says Slaughter of the decision. “I believe he owes it to himself to open it back up and listen to people who may be interested.”
White has personally spoken with each program on his initial list to let them know of his decision to open his recruitment back up. He has not ruled out any school that was on the initial list. In fact, as of now he plans on taking previously scheduled visits to Georgetown, UConn, Minnesota and DePaul. However, the window has opened up for other schools to get back involved.
Miami-Florida, fresh off a 29-win season and Sweet 16 berth, is one school that has jumped back into the mix, with White scheduled to take a visit to the ACC school this Thursday.
White spoke with the City/Suburban Hoops Report in August noting what he was looking for as he narrowed down his search.
“Everyone wants to play, and that’s a main concern for me,” says White of playing opportunities. “But I will look at a lot of different things. What kind of system do they play? Is it a system that I can be successful in? Is it a place where I will have a chance to really get better with the resources they have? I don’t want to take a risk. I want to make the right choice.”
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