Providence Basketball: Maliek White is ready for the Big East

Providence basketball will have a big hole to fill next year when All-American point-guard Kris Dunn leaves for the NBA.

Although Providence seems to have a ready made replacement for Kris Dunn in sophomore guard Kyron Cartwright, the Friars will need a second player to step up and form a backcourt duo with him. Freshman Drew Edwards has played well in spurts this year and is a potential partner for Cartwright.

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But the Friars also have 2016 commit Maliek White joining the team this summer and he has shown that he could be ready to step in and play immediately.

White plays his high school basketball for George Wythe in Richmond, Virginia and plays his AAU ball for River City Reign. He has been named Conference 26 Player of the Year two years in a row and was nominated for a possible spot on the McDonald All-American team. He led his school to their first state championship in 55 years during his junior season, scoring 36 points in the final versus Spotswood.

This year he is leading Conference 26 in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game to go with 6.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. This shows how complete his all-around game is and how his versatility could be a major plus in the Big East.

In a game versus Cosby, White put up a triple-double, posting a stat line of 22 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds.

He brings to his team the same sort of production Dunn has produced for the Friars the past two years, in terms of contributing in scoring, assists and rebounding department. Of course that is at the high school level, but it’s still important to know that he is not a one-dimensional player.

On Monday night I got a chance to talk to White over the phone and ask him a few questions. The interview is posted below along with Maliek’s mixtape, courtesy of MakePLayz.

Q: “Prior to your commitment, what others schools were you seriously considering and what stood out about Providence?”

A: “Well, I had Cincinnati, VCU, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh recruiting me. What stood out to me about Providence was the love that the school showed me. I like how coach (Ed) Cooley and coach (Jeff) Battle run the team and the program, that really sold me.”

Q: “What were your impressions after visiting the Providence Campus, and what do you plan on majoring in?”

A: “I like the campus a lot, I though it was very nice when I was being shown around. I plan on majoring in Engineering.”

Q: “On top of working with Ed Cooley and Jeff Battle, how excited are you to work with God Shammgod, given how well he’s developed guards like Dunn and Cartwright?”

A: “I’m very excited, I can’t even wait to get up there and work with [coach] Shammgod. You know, he’s done great things with Kris Dunn, and I’m just waiting on my time.”

Q: “How do you think you grew as a player between your junior and senior year?”

A: “I think I grew a lot. My junior year I was really fast paced and not calm with the ball. My senior year I became more calm with the ball, and let the game come to me. That really opened up the floor and allowed me to run my team.”

Q: “How do you think your game will transition into college and playing in a conference like the Big East?”

A: “I think my game will transition well into the next level. They (Providence) really get up and down the court so I’ll have to make sure I’m in better condition, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Q:”If junior Cartwright plays point-guard next year would you be comfortable playing in the 2-guard role?”

A: “Yeah I have no problem going out there and playing the 2 a little bit. That’s the same thing I’ve had to do in high school.”

Q: “During your visit did you get a chance to train with Dunn or practice with the team?”

A: “Unfortunately I didn’t, I got to watch a live practice though. But the way they practice, they practice really hard, and Kris is good, he’s NBA ready.”

Q: “What player past/current have you modeled your game after?”

A: “I was especially inspired by Allen Iverson. I used to watch all his videos when I was little, and just try to practice based on the things I saw. Then I tried to bring that to my games.”

White is a player that can stretch the floor with his shooting. He also has impressive court vision that often leads to an assist. On top of all this he can finish with authority above the rim, something not many point-guards can do.

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Look for him to make an instant impact for the Friars next season and help ease the load off of Cartwright and company.