Mustangs forward Aaron White, third from left, posses for photo's with teammates moments after signing on the dotted line to play for Iowa. Along side is friend, and future Iowa tight end Ray Hamilton.
In the midst of the excitement and rush of high school sports, if you look hard enough, you will find a very down to earth and humble Aaron White. He possesses plenty of basketball talents, including a 6 foot 7 stature, and incredible wingspan, but effort and resilience are his most admirable qualities; of which have gotten him the opportunity to play college basketball in the Big Ten for the Iowa Hawkeye's.
The competition that he will face in a Hawkeye's uniform includes some of the best in the nation, such as Ohio State, Michigan, and Indiana. But even those names don't intimidate him.
"Coach (Fran) McCaffery is a very confident coach, and I know that he will lead us to accomplish great things," said White at his signing on Friday. "He uses a system that spreads the floor, and I think that will specifically benefit my overall game."
For a big man, White's jump shot is above average. He's also climbing the rankings among Strongsville's all time rebounders. He played forward and center in high school, but is widening his horizons to playing the three position. Anything he can do to add to his repertoire is a plus.
What is also a nice bonus for Aaron is that his best friend and long time fellow Mustang teammate Ray Hamilton will also be attending Iowa on a football scholarship. The dynamic duo on the basketball court have been teammates for a number of years, and even though they are headed their separate ways in which sport they are playing, both will endure the same elements of having to prepare for games, and manage a fully loaded class schedule.
"We will be experiencing a lot of the same struggles even though Ray's will be on the gridiron whereas mine will be on the court," White said. "Ultimately, those mental battles are one in the same, and I know I can turn to Ray for strength, and vice versa."
White is looking to know his opponents inside and out by watching film, and in doing so,
he expects to make an impact right out of the gate. "I think that is how I can gain an upper hand over my opponents is by watching a lot of film. Knowing what the opposition is good at doing and what they are not is paramount."
Though the upcoming road for White is exciting, there is still plenty of high school basketball left to be played; in fact, and entire season. White still has his eyes set on this year. Strongsville had been knocked out of the playoff tournament early in recent years, and White and company look to avenge those disappointments. The Mustangs are getting a few injury plagued contributors back this season, and will make a run at the Northeast Ohio Valley Conference crown, and beyond. The Mustangs open their season at Olmsted Falls to battle the Bull Dogs on December 3rd.
- Subscribe to SB Nation Cleveland - All Posts using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
