Paul White health and recruiting update

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The month of July was when Paul White of Whitney Young was ready to convince anyone and everyone he belonged with the nation’s best players in the Class of 2014. The highly-regarded 6-9 forward was on his way after a couple of days at the high-profile Peach Jam on the EYBL circuit.

But after putting up big numbers and turning heads in three Peach Jam games, he went down in an ugly incident, breaking his arm that put him out for the rest of the summer.

Despite the setback, White says he didn’t stay down for long. In fact, he says it was minutes after the injury that he decided he was going to quickly move forward, staying positive throughout the recovery period and even calling the injury a “blessing.”

“I didn’t dwell on it at all,” says White. “Really, I was over it the minute it happened. And ever since the surgery I have refused to get down about it at all.”

White, a versatile weapon with his size and skill, says it’s actually been the opposite as he’s done everything he can to turn the injury into a positive. He’s been doing everything left-handed, which he says has made his off-hand that much stronger. The injury has helped him re-focus on himself as a player, both physically and mentally.

“It’s made me a stronger basketball player and person,” says White of the injury. “The injury has taught me so much. I’ve worked on my left, but I’ve also changed the way I do things and look at things. I’m working on my body and I’ve changed my diet. Mentally it’s made me stronger.”

What has bothered White a little bit is some of the negative that’s out there, some of the “sky is falling” dialogue that’s been out there regarding his injury. He’s heard it all, including the false notion that he would miss the upcoming season.

“This injury is healing and it will heal,” says an upbeat White. “There are some people that are worrying and have over-exaggerated the injury. So to those people out there, they’re worrying about nothing.”

White will likely be back on the floor in October and cleared for full contact by November if the rehab stays on course going forward.

Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter also wanted to clear the air and set the record straight about his star forward’s health.

“He is ahead of schedule in his recovery and will be back on the floor sooner than people think,” says Slaughter. “He could be back playing as early as October. But regardless, it’s an injury he’s going to recover from and be ready before the season starts.”

White’s recruiting calendar is coming together as well. Thus far White has some in-home visits and on-campus visits set for the coming months with more to follow. Arizona will be in for an in-home visit Sept. 18. He will head to Minnesota for an official visit the first weekend in October, has a visit set at DePaul the last weekend in October and is in the process of setting up a possible visit with Connecticut.

White is very clear in saying that he still doesn’t have a final list and that the list “will likely include five or six schools” that he should have narrowed down in the near future.

“Right now I’m trying to figure out what schools are telling the truth and what schools are telling me lies,” says White matter-of-factly. “My mom has been great and so on top of it. She’s doing a lot of the homework and helping out a lot.”

As many prospects do, White wants to play and find the right fit at the next level.

“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.”

Follow Joe Henricksen and the Hoops Report on Twitter @joehoopsreport

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