Former CU Buffs star Derrick White dispenses wisdom at hometown youth camp

Jun. 28—PARKER — Derrick White already was the author of a story any young basketball player with lofty expectations would be wise to study.

The past year offered White enough real-world experiences to add several chapters to a career turning into a Colorado hoops fable.

On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics guard and former Colorado Buffaloes star took time from hosting his youth camp at the Parker Fieldhouse to meet with local media members. Surrounded by a gym full of youngsters daydreaming about becoming Colorado's next Derrick White, the Parker native discussed a year in which he got married, was traded from the team that made him a first-round pick in 2017, rushed home from the Eastern Conference finals for the birth of his first child, and watched his championship dreams fall short as Boston fell to Golden State in the NBA Finals.

"It's been a crazy four months. Getting traded, having a kid, going to the finals. All great things," White said. "I'm super blessed and thankful for all of it. I don't know if I've really had time to reflect because the finals really just ended. I'm just super thankful and blessed through it all. It's time to get better and improve on what we did last year."

Although the pandemic interrupted some of the momentum, this week's camp in Parker marked the third time White has hosted the event in his hometown. While White's quick ascension from an overlooked prospect at Legend High to a Division II standout at UCCS to a first team All-Pac-12 selection during his lone season with the Buffs certainly was aided by a swift growth spurt after high school, the growth spurt only bolstered the skills White dedicated himself to improving almost every day throughout that journey.

It's a lesson well suited for the ears of the campers.

"It's kind of how I started," White said. "I remember playing here at the Fieldhouse. I remember playing at the rec center up the street. It's kind of where my love of the game started, and my passion started and everything. It's always good to come back here and give back to the kids, and hopefully this is where their passion starts as well."

It was a successful postseason for White regardless of anything that occurred on the floor, as his wife Hannah gave birth to their son, Hendrix James White, on May 19. Eight days later, White recorded 22 points and five assists in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, and he opened the NBA Finals by hitting five 3-pointers and scoring 21 points in a Game 1 win at Golden State.

White certainly wasn't the only Celtics player who struggled as the series turned Golden State's way — White went a combined 1-for-10 with three points in the final two games — but it didn't change the fact he became the first former CU player to appear in the NBA Finals since Chauncey Billups won his ring with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

And speaking of Billups, White expressed optimism that Jabari Walker, who became CU's latest draft pick when the Billups-led Portland Trail Blazers selected him late in the second round (57th overall) in last week's draft, can stick in the league.

"I was excited. It's always good to have some Buffs in the league," White said. "Obviously coach (Tad) Boyle has had seven draft picks, so I was happy for him. I think he's talented, can do a lot of different things. He's going to keep getting better and better. Chauncey is going to take care of him."