White leads the way for Runnin Rebels

College recruiters know all about Lee College big man Mike White. They just may have a tough time recognizing him. Not only has White dropped 43 pounds (from 288 to 245) since coming to Lee, but he's also overhauled his game.

"Mike has really improved his game since last season," said Lee head coach Roy Champagne. "He was just a back to the basket, muscle his way, just a power game. Now in the off-season, he has really worked on his mid-range jumper. It's very pretty to watch this kid play. He can move without ball, face up, shoot the ball out 15 to 20 feet."

That kind of versatility from the 6-foot-8 White has had schools such as South Florida, Florida State, Houston and Purdue interested early in the summer.

"Mike's being recruited now and he will be even more recruited once the summer events are over with," Champagne said. "He will be going to (Jerry) Mullens (in Tulsa on July 29th and 30th), he will be going to an event this Wednesday in Houston at the U of H."

White, who Champagne said would probably have the ability to play in the NFL if he focused on football, will have some help this season. We asked the coach about some of his other stars.

"Jonathan Dixon is a 6-5 shooter from Houston," Champagne said. "DeAngelo Lee is 6-5, we're trying to move him out. He played power forward last year, but we're trying to get him to become a true small forward. He's a Division One player. Until he can become a full-time faceup guy, he's probably a low-major. Brian Ezeh, 6-5, played the point for us last year, but he'll be playing more of the two. He's very long and athletic."

Lee's biggest boost may come from two frontcourt players who sat out last season. 6-foot-7, 260-pound Taurance Townsel will likely be the starting power forward. 6-foot-11 Blake Thompson is coming off ankle surgery and will be looked to for frontcourt depth.

"He's going to be a kid that people will really want," Champagne said. "He's left handed and he can shoot it."

Over the next few months, JucoJunction.com will be doing team previews from coast to coast to get junior college basketball fans set for an exciting 2005-06 season. To talk about this story with other juco hoops fans, check out the JucoJunction Board or our premium forum.