De La Salle basketball coach Tom White steps down

After 26 years and 400-plus wins, De La Salle’s Tom White is stepping down as head coach.

White put together eight 20-plus win seasons and won nine regional championships. The Meteors won six Chicago Catholic League championships while coaching more than 30 Division I players.

“I’ve had one of the best high school basketball coaching jobs in the city here at De La Salle,” White said in a statement. “I learned to teach the fundamentals from great coaches, and I’ve always been an avid student of the game, attending clinics and reading books that would hone my coaching aptitude.”

The highlight of the White run at the South Side Catholic League program was a run of four consecutive regional titles from 2008 to 2011.

The Derek Needham-led team in 2007-08 finished 24-4 and lost in the sectional semifinals to Mount Carmel.

The 2011 team was loaded, led by seniors Mike Shaw and Dre Henley and the highly-regarded sophomore tandem of Jaylon Tate and Alex Foster, began the season ranked in everyone’s preseason top five. The Meteors lost 59-56 in the sectional semifinals to Young.

“I have been blessed to be a coach for as many years as I have,” said White in the press release. “I am grateful to have been surrounded by so many great families here at De La Salle and I will always give back to this wonderful community for as long as I can.”

White, who finished his coaching career with a 417-252 career record, will stay on and remain De La Salle’s athletic director.