Jan. 27, 2014
Jonathan Toman
[email protected]
Derrick White is a sophomore guard on the UCCS men’s basketball team. He was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the week at the beginning of January and has been selected three times as the Colorado Springs Orthopedic Group Player of the Week.
He also takes a lot of naps.
“I take a lot of naps,” he said. “That’s a lot of my days: practice, class, and a nap.”
The sport management major is the leading scorer for the team, but he is also the leading scorer in a more virtual way.
“We play video games as a house, 2K [basketball] is my game,” White said.
When asked who the best player is, White doesn’t hesitate. “Oh yeah, I’m the best in the house.”
As basketball is such a large part of what White does, it is difficult for him to imagine doing anything else. But White also couldn’t imagine a life without some kind of sport.
“I’d probably be fat, first of all,” he said. “But I’d try to play a different sport like baseball. I enjoyed it as a kid.”
As to his plans after college, White would like to continue his passion for basketball and athletics.
“I’d like to play basketball somewhere,” he said. “If that doesn’t work out, I’d like to work with players and be a personal trainer.”
Weirdest situation White has ever been in?
“When I was in New York when I was little, like 8, there were two guys brawling in front of me,” White said. “I stood there and watched, and my parents were freaking out trying to pull me away.”
You can catch White in action at the upcoming Downtown Classic on Feb. 8, as well as home games on Feb. 14 against Adams State and Feb. 15 against Fort Lewis.