Chatrice White thrives on bumping and pushing for Shelby-Rising City

For now, Shelby-Rising City (Shelby, Neb.) center Chatrice White refers to Kaylee Jensen, her peer at Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family, as a friend.

But in just a little more than 48 hours a battle between this duo of future D-1 big boppers will take center stage in Humphrey, changing White's persona towards her basketball pal for about 75 minutes.

White, who signed with Illinois, and Jensen, an Oklahoma State signee, became friends while competing against each other in the throwing rings during the spring track and field season. But when they meet on the basketball court for the first time, the battle will undoubtedly get physical.

"I'm looking forward to the matchup," the 6-foot-3-inch White said of her battle with the 6-4 Jensen. "She is bigger and probably a little stronger than I am. But I'm looking forward to that. It's not often that I get to play against someone bigger than me. She likes to bang inside, and that's what I like. I respect her as a player – but I want to win too."

White, a three-time all-conference and all-state performer, and her Husky teammates have set some rather lofty goals this season. And why not? Husky coach Travis Weber returns nearly his entire roster from last season's 21-3 squad.

The Huskies hope to find a way to knock off the Bulldogs, springboarding Shelby-Rising City to an undefeated season. Along the way, the Huskies aim to win a conference championship as well as capturing the school's first state championship. Rising City won the girls Class D-2 state basketball title in 1984 before consolidating with Shelby, which has never won a girls basketball title.

"Almost all of us are back and we all have another year of experience," White said. "The freshmen from a year ago stepped up in the offseason, and they are bigger and stronger. They will be key players for us this year."

Facing double and triple-teams has become the norm for White, and she expects no less in Saturday's crucial battle. While winning is White's favorite part of playing the game of basketball, diving for loose balls and going after rebounds are top priorities for the future Big Ten star, who lives for the constant pushing, pulling and tugging that she encounters.

White began playing basketball year-round in the sixth grade, and hit the court for Cornhusker Shooting Star coach Dan Lesoing soon after. Her year-round, cross-country visibility placed White's foot in the door in recruiting circles at a young age.

Before she even played her first varsity basketball game as a freshman, Iowa became the first Division I program to offer White a scholarship. She eventually chose the Illini over Purdue, Oklahoma State and Nebraska.

"She is so coachable, and she's such a smart kid," Lesoing said. "Chatrice has great hands and she understands the game so well. She's a great teammate. I know you hear that a lot, but she really is a great teammate. Chatrice has a toughness about her, and I don't mean physical toughness. She is mentally tough and her teammates feed off of her."

Although he never experienced a "Wow" moment while coaching White, Lesoing said there were many great Chatrice moments.

"I'd be surprised if she isn't on the court for (Illinois coach) Matt (Bollant) right away," Lesoing said. "She is ready. She has played in a lot of big basketball games all across the country."

Weber described his star Husky as a gym rat who is constantly fine-tuning her game.

"She definitely has put in the time to get to where she is now," Weber said. "She does so many things on the court that other athletes can't do. She is a floor general, especially when the game comes down the stretch. She is such an intense player, and yet she is so unselfish. Sometimes we have to tell Chatrice to shoot the ball.

"She is an extension of me on the floor. In our offense we try to get the highest-percentage shot, and with her being 6-3, she makes it look pretty easy. If we need a basket, we're definitely going to try to get her the ball."

Playing with a brace for more than half of her junior season due to a broken bone in her hand, White still managed to average more than 23 points, 14 rebounds and 5.2 blocked shots an outing.

"It threw my shot off a little," White admitted. "The first time I put it on, I had to stay after practice to get adjusted to it, and get my shot back."

It is that kind of dedication and work ethic that has carried White's game to another level. Through three seasons, White is averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds, while helping the Huskies to an impressive 64-7 record.

White helped guide the Huskies to the state tournament for the first time since 1990 as a sophomore. Rising City hadn't punched its ticket to the Big Dance since 1994.

"We hadn't been to the state tournament in 22 years," White said. "The entire community gets into every game now. They support us. We weren't all that good before, but when coach Weber took over the program things started picking up. It does help that we have girls that want to win now. We don't like losing. We come ready to compete each game. I think we have more discipline than teams in the past. We have more desire – more drive."

In wins over Cross County (51-29) and David City Aquinas (59-25) last week, White poured in an average of 22 points, eight rebounds, 4.5 steals and five blocked shots per outing. The win over Aquinas avenged last season's season-ending loss in the subdistrict finals, giving the Huskies plenty of motivation going into the young season.

"We didn't play very well," White recalled of the season-ending loss to Aquinas last winter. "I think we had something like six points at halftime. It was really bad. We all knew we could do better. We have to start off better in each game, especially once we reach subdistrict play this season, so we're in a better position down the stretch. Our goal is to get to the state tournament, no matter the cost. If we get there, I think we'll definitely go on and win it."