O-G's Colin White wins Mr. Basketball award

OTTAWA – Colin White knows something about the history of the Mr. Basketball award.Now the 6-foot, 6-inch Ottawa-Glandorf standout is part of that history after being voted Ohio's 2024 Mr. Basketball by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association.Quizzed about his knowledge of former Mr. Basketball winners not named LeBron James, White responded without hesitation, "Malaki Branham, Gabe Cupps, Devin Royal, Jamar Butler and Greg Simpson."White has averaged 24.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals a game this season for O-G (24-3) heading into its Division III state semifinal against Canal Winchester Harvest Prep on Friday at the University of Dayton Arena.With 1,995 career points, he is five points away from becoming the first Ottawa-Glandorf player and first Putnam County player to score 2,000 points.He is already a two-time first-team Division III All-Ohio selection and will receive that honor a third time when this year's All-Ohio teams are announced next week.Ottawa-Glandorf has reached the boys state basketball tournament all four years of White's career. The Titans were state runner-up last season and in 2022 and have a 94-15 record in the last four seasons.Next season White will wear an Ohio State uniform after signing with the Buckeyes in November. He chose OSU over Butler, Northwestern, Cincinnati and TCU and recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Buckeyes after Jake Diebler was hired to replace Chris Holtmann.Cleveland Heights Lutheran East's Jesse McCulloch, who has signed with Michigan State, was the runner-up to White in the Mr. Basketball voting. The other finalists were J'Allen Barrino (Malvern), Alex Bruskotter (Shelby), Marcus Johnson (Garfield Heights), Kruz McClure (Westerville South), Tyler McKinney (Cincinnati Winton Woods), Hayden Nigro (Louisville) and Mason Shrout (Preble Shawnee).He said his feeling at the moment he learned he would be joining the list of Mr. Basketball winners was "kind of a sense of accomplishment.""It's something you heard about growing up," White said. "You want to win. It's something you dream about winning and to actually hear I won is really cool. It's a great feeling. It's one of the best feelings of the high school experience."White is the first Mr. Basketball from northwest Ohio since Lima Senior's Xavier Simpson in 2016. This is the 14th time an Ohio State recruit has won this award in the 37 years it has been given out.Improving his shooting in his last two seasons of high school basketball played a big part in getting his Ohio State offer, White said.His plans this summer start with "just continuing to work on my body.""I feel like I have a pretty good frame, but I still need to fill out in certain areas," he said.Ottawa-Glandorf coach Tyson McGlaughlin said, "I've got chills running down my body just thinking about it."A lot of times I feel like we get overlooked here in northwest Ohio, especially in our area. To see one of our own recognized at the highest level, it's just a feeling I've never been a part of it. There are a lot of really good players. To me, he separated himself by performing his best on the highest stages."White, who regularly appears on his high school's honor roll, played four sports (baseball, basketball, football and soccer) until his sophomore year.His mother, Sandy White, a first-team Division III All-American at Capital University who scored 2,248 points in her college career, thought baseball, not basketball, would become her son's sport when he was younger."I would have never guessed it was going to be basketball," she said. "From the time he was little, he had a baseball glove on his hand, and he was throwing a baseball over and over and over. Probably around eighth grade, he really developed a love for basketball full speed ahead. He worked on it tirelessly, and here we are."Colin White said, "Baseball was my favorite sport. I kind of started getting a little bit taller, a little bit lankier, a little bit faster, and basketball kind of became the sport I was best at. After freshman year, it kind of took over my life, and I was like, 'Man, I really love this sport.' I took it and rode it from there, and now basketball is my life. It's just something I love to do." Ohio Mr. Basketball Winners2024 – Colin White, Ottawa-Glandorf2023 – Devin Royal, Pickerington Central2022 – Gabe Cupps, Centerville2021 – Malaki Branham, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary2020 – VonCameron Davis, Columbus Walnut Ridge2019 – Samari Curtis, Xenia2018 - Dane Goodwin, Upper Arlington2017 - Kaleb Wesson, Westerville South2016 - Xavier Simpson, Lima Senior 2015 - Luke Kennard, Franklin High School2014 - Luke Kennard, Franklin High School2013 - Marc Loving, Toledo St. John's Jesuit 2012 - Justin Fritts, Mentor2011 - Trey Burke, Columbus Northland 2010 - Jared Sullinger, Columbus Northland2009 - Jared Sullinger, Columbus Northland2008 - William Buford, Toledo Libbey 2007 - Jon Diebler, Upper Sandusky2006 - O.J. Mayo, North College Hill2005 - O.J. Mayo, North College Hill2004 - Jamar Butler, Lima Shawnee 2003 - LeBron James, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary2002 - LeBron James, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary2001 - LeBron James, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary2000 - (tie) Tony Stockman, Medina; Chester Mason, Cleveland South1999 - Emmanuel Smith, Euclid 1998 - William "Sonny" Johnson, Garfield Heights 1997 - Kenny Gregory, Independence1996 - Jason Collier, Springfield Catholic1995 - Damon Stringer, Cleveland Heights1994 - Aaron Hutchins, Lima Central Catholic1993 - Geno Ford, Cambridge1992 - Greg Simpson, Lima Senior1991 - Greg Simpson, Lima Senior1990 - Bob Patton Jr., Youngstown Liberty1989 - Jimmy Jackson, Toledo Macomber1988 - Jimmy Jackson, Toledo Macomber