Royce White is a preseason choice to be the Big Ten Freshman of the Year but it’s a fair question to ask whether he will be playing for the Gophers when the conference season begins on December 29 at Williams Arena against Penn State.
White missed last Thursday night’s opening exhibition game with the University of Minnesota Duluth. He won’t play tonight, either, in the Gophers second exhibition game (Minnesota State University Moorhead). White was suspended indefinitely last week by coach Tubby Smith for violation of team rules. News reports have said White was involved with shoplifting and fifth-degree assault at the Mall of America earlier this year.
Smith told Sports Headliners he’s uncertain about when White will return to the team. “As soon as I can see he’s done the things that have to get done,” Smith said. “Hopefully, he will learn this is something that is not going to be tolerated.”
Smith is a disciplinarian who loves his players, but he won’t give anyone a free pass on behavior. He also won’t accept ongoing problems.
Will White avoid future issues? The opinion here is that he better because one more incident is likely the end of his college career with the Gophers.
Smith’s expectation for all players is that they behave as gentlemen. Their responsibilities include attending class, being good citizens in the community and doing what they’re asked within the basketball program.
White, a Minneapolis native and 2009 Mr. Basketball winner, is full of basketball potential. At 6-8, 250 pounds he is the inside power forward who can help take the Gophers from middle of the crowd in the Big Ten toward the top. Still a teenager, White is exceptionally strong and capable of hoarding rebounds, muscling shots and taking up space on defense to limit scoring by other teams. He’s also so gifted athletically he can drive to the basket better than most big players. Sporting News Magazine recently chose White as its Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten and the publication isn’t alone on that prediction.
White was one of the nation’s best and most highly publicized prep players last season. When he left Hopkins High School last spring, it looked like he had an itinerary sending him to the Gophers for a couple of years, then on to the NBA where millions of dollars awaited.
Is this still the plan?