Men's basketball adds transfer student

By Ryan Donough

The Santa Clara men's basketball team will have a new addition on the court next season in the form of forward Decensae White, a transfer from Bobby Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders.

"Decensae is a player who has college experience in Division I basketball under one of the greatest coaches in college history in Bobby Knight," Head Coach Kerry Keating said.

White, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, decided to transfer after a year-plus at Texas Tech in order to be closer to home in San Mateo, where he played high school basketball for Junipero Serra High School.

White was introduced to Santa Clara through friend and AAU basketball coach, Santa Clara alumnus Robert Jones. White was also familiar with the current Bronco coaching staff -- Assistant Coach Lamont Smith recruited White while Smith was at Saint Mary's.

"Decensae is someone who can do a lot for you out there," Smith said. "He's the kind of player that really fills up the stat sheet at the end of a game."

While attending Texas Tech, White played in 30 out of 34 games as a true freshman, starting in two, and averaging almost 14 minutes per game. During those games, he shot over 48 percent from the field -- good for second on the team -- and 52 percent from beyond the arc. He also averaged 4.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in those matches.

During his time at Junipero Serra, White was a dominant force, averaging 20.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in his senior season, and was named West Catholic Athletic League and San Mateo County Player of the Year. White set records for scoring in a season with 691 points as a senior, and amassed the second-highest total career points in the school history.

But while White has had valuable experience in a major conference -- the Big 12 -- it doesn't mean he won't be looking to improve over the next year.

"I think I just have to work on my overall game," White said.

Some of the areas in which Keating feels that White is efficient include offensive rebounding and defense. White was second on the team at Texas Tech in offensive rebounds, and Keating hopes that his versatility will allow him to defend at multiple positions.

"I'm not sure what his role will be yet, but he will provide valuable experience coming from a major conference," Keating said.

White will not be eligible to play for the Broncos until the fall term of 2008, but is allowed to work out with the team.

"Practicing with the team and getting his workouts in will allow Decensae to get accustomed to our system by the time he is eligible," Smith said.

Contact Ryan Donough at (408) 551-1918 or rdonough@scu.edu.