On Friday, April 13, 2016, Cheltenham senior Khalil White was recognized for committing to continue his basketball career at Penn State University – Harrisburg.
Khalil White – Penn State University – Harrisburg (Basketball)
Major: Undecided (I am leaning towards Psychology.)
Final list of colleges: Penn State-Harrisburg, West Chester, Delaware Valley University
Reasons for choosing Penn State-Harrisburg: “I chose PSUH because of its great academic reputation. I can earn a Penn State degree and continue to play basketball. I wanted to go to a basketball program where my impact is wanted and needed. Coach Friday, the assistant coaches and their current basketball players are all great! It feels like family already.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in basketball at the collegiate level? “I knew I would play collegiate basketball because I have been playing since I was five years old. I started out playing on a neighborhood team, and my father was one of the coaches. I moved up to other neighborhood and school teams until I turned 10 years old. At that time, I played at school during the week and in AAU tournaments on the weekends. The next step is to play on the collegiate level, and I am ready!!”
Coach John Timms says: “As a coach, I always love to see kids who understand the value of education. Khalil’s decision to attend Penn State was a great educational move. He had a couple of Division II offers, but what he ultimately did was – what school was going to give him the best career opportunities. I was glad that my influence was able to help him make a sound decision and not get caught up in Division II basketball versus Division III basketball. You’re a student-athlete, and we must remind these kids that student is the first word in that statement. Living in the Villanova area, you talk about schools, and Penn State and Villanova have a following like no other. All I could say to Khalil was that it’s the best networking position you can put yourself in as a Pennsylvanian. You’re at Penn State and whatever job you apply for when you’re done there – you’re probably going to have an alumni somewhere amongst administration willing to help you. That’s what I was most proud of. College should be a career decision. Just because you’re an athlete doesn’t mean you don’t take that into consideration. That’s your first priority – your career.
“Khalil’s strength was his leadership skills. Khalil is a born leader. He had the ability to play both guard positions, and he was clutch. Robert Horry has a clutch gene. Unless you’re a basketball historian or unless you really know the game, you probably wouldn’t have an appreciation for Robert Horry, but if the game is tied up and you passed him the ball, he’s probably going to make it. That’s Khalil White. He has that clutch gene, and Harrisburg is looking for him to come in and contribute and score immediately. They want him to be a scorer from day one, and he’s developed into a pretty good scorer. I would say his leadership qualities and his scoring ability are what make him a college player.”
About Khalil:
Favorite food: Fettuccine Alfredo
Favorite movie: Love & Basketball
Favorite music: Rap
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