Buffs White, Johnson Have Solid Efforts At Portsmouth Showcase
April 18, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — For a player who was virtually nonexistent on the NBA's radar just a year ago, Colorado senior Derrick White is rapidly registering his presence.
White, an all-Pac-12 performer in his only season with the Buffs, and fellow CU senior Xavier Johnson recently finished a three-game stint in the Portsmouth Invitational, an annual showcase for potential draft picks.
Both had solid showings. White finished with a 15.0 scoring average (tied for 13th best in the tournament) to go with 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, earning him honorable mention all-tournament honors while helping his team go 2-1 in the tournament. Johnson averaged 13.7 points per game and 5.0 rebounds for a team that finished 0-3.
"It was a great experience," said White, who will wrap up school and his degree in early May. "It was definitely helpful. You can see what they're looking for and see what they see in my game and the things I need to work on. What I'm doing well, things I need to focus on. Just getting that information from them and keep improving my game."
White, who signed with agent Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports last week, said he met with representatives of roughly a dozen NBA teams in Portsmouth. Next, he's hoping for an invitation to the May 9-14 NBA Combine in Chicago, followed by an Excel Sports pro day, then individual workouts for teams leading up to the June 22 NBA Draft.
"Hopefully I get invited to (the combine) and play well," White said. "After that, go to different cities and work out for teams. After that, hopefully draft day I hear my name get called."
After sitting out a transfer year, White led the Buffs last season in scoring (18.1 ppg), assists (4.35 apg), blocks (1.4 bpg) and steals (1.24 spg). He said his meetings with NBA personnel were "definitely helpful," as they told him what they believed he needed to do to improve his game.
"I need to get more physically stronger," White said. "It's an 82-game season; it's a grind. Just be able to handle the wear and tear of an NBA season. Just continue to improve defensively; being able to guard the top guards in the league. The point guard position is a tough position to guard. Just focus on that and continue to improve the little things offensively."
White is still not among the consensus list of players expected to be taken in the draft, but he is no doubt improving his stock and his name is beginning to pop up in mock drafts.
Now he will focus on following the advice of the NBA personnel with whom he met.
"You can see what they're looking for and see what they see in my game, and the things I need to work on," White said. "What I'm doing well, things I need to focus on. Just getting that information from them and keep improving my game."
White also had the chance to tell his "story" to the scouts, a tale that involves starting out at Division II UC-Colorado Springs, then transferring to CU for his final collegiate season. A player who was virtually unrecruited out of high school, he's made a career of overcoming long odds.
Now, he aims to keep that trend going in the draft.
"It was cool to sit down and have those meetings with them and have them get a chance to know me as a person and kind of tell my story and get that feedback from them," White said.
Johnson has also signed with an agent, enlisting the services of Matt Babcock.
BUFFS SCHEDULE UPDATE: CU announced on Tuesday that the Buffs will take part in the Nov. 17-20 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. V.I. The Buffs will open against Quinnipiac, then play either Wake Forest or Drake in the second round. The other half of the bracket will see Mercer play Liberty and Drexel face Houston.
Also on tap for the Buffs in the nonconference schedule next season is a return trip to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Buffs, who played Iowa State there in 2015, will face Big Ten foe Iowa in a Dec. 22 game at the Pentagon.
The Buffs will also get an early start on the season in August, as they are scheduled to play several games in Italy.
Also this summer CU head coach Tad Boyle will serve as an assistant coach for the 2017 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup Team. Boyle will join Team USA for training camp in Colorado Springs June 18-25 and then head to Cairo, Egypt, for the World Cup, July 1-9.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
