Top high school basketball recruit dies after medical emergency, Alabama officials say

Caleb White was ranked the third best high school basketball player in Alabama. His grandfather said he was a role model and very respectful.

During an Aug. 10 pickup game with teammates at Pinson Valley High School, the 17-year-old senior had a sudden medical emergency and died, school officials say.

Medical personnel attempted life-saving measures, Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin said at a news conference shared by WBRC FOX6. Once first responders arrived, White was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Gonsoulin said.

White’s grandfather wrote on Facebook the teen died of cardiac arrest. His mother also told AL.com her son died of cardiac arrest.

“Caleb had such a big heart,’’ Charlette White told AL.com. “Everybody knows him as a basketball player and he was a great athlete and student, but Caleb was a great person.”

White’s older brother Cameron shared a tribute to him as well.

“He’s a great player, passionate leader, intelligent person, great son, and to me a great little brother,” he wrote on Facebook. “You completed God’s mission for you lil bro…Caleb Dylan White, I love you past death.”

Pinson Mayor Joe Cochran said he was “heartbroken” in a statement he shared.

“I was honored to know Caleb personally and loved the spirit he carried,” he wrote in the statement. “Life is fleeting, enjoy every day as the treasure it is, I know Caleb did.”

As a junior, the point guard averaged 20.9 points per game, according to Max Preps, and he has a three-star rank on ESPN.

When White was ranked 25th best point guard in the class of 2024, his mother celebrated on Facebook.

“This kid practices his craft DAILY!” she wrote. “He was at the gym at 6:00 AM BY HIMSELF every morning ... and he was usually the last to leave. Yes, it’s a proud mama moment.”

His friends and the community are mourning after his death.

“He’s always smiling and laughing,” Richele Crawford, a senior at Pinson Valley High School, told ABC 33/40. “ I forever remember him on and off the court always smiling.”

An autopsy Aug. 11 will confirm White’s cause of death, Al.com reported. Jefferson County Board of Education spokesman John Huddleston told ABC 33/40 a defibrillator was used on White during the emergency, but officials said they do not have information on the cause of death yet.

Sudden deaths in athletes

Sudden cardiac death is the most common medical cause of sudden death in athletes, according to a study in the National Library of Medicine.

“Male basketball players are the most likely athletes to suffer sudden cardiac death,” according to Dr. Sara Gould, a sports medicine expert and physician at the University of Alabama Birmingham.

In a Sports Health study, researchers identified 132 cases of sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes from 2014 to 2016. The survival rate was 48%, and basketball accounted for the highest number of cases, closely followed by football.

This condition has made headlines after Bronny James went into cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California in July. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin experienced a similar emergency when he was hit in the chest during a January game.

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