The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Calvin White is one of those basketball players who has defied the notion that it’s not where you come from, but rather where you are headed.

As a youngster growing up under the parentage of Ferenesta and Franklin White in ‘The Grove’ area, White never had a passion to play basketball while attending the CC Sweeting High School. But after graduating in 2003, he was introduced to coach Geno Bullard and the No Bull Basketball Club and was afforded the opportunity to attend Niagara College in Canada.

Now, the 26-year-old is heading to Dubai on January 12 to begin a two-year contract to play for the Nahl Sharjah basketball team in the United Arab Emirates-D1 League.

White, now in Edmonton where he is attending Grant MacEwan University pursuing a degree in international business and physiotherapy, said he’s eager for the transition to another part of the world.

“It’s going to be a different culture, but the way I look at it, it’s a great opportunity for me to learn new things about that part of the world,” he said.

“I will get to learn more about their culture, their heritage and their style of living. So hopefully it will be magnificent.”

The six-foot, two and-a-half inch White is expected to suit up as a point guard in Dubai in a deal that he was able to secure in Canada.

“It’s a great opportunity. It just shows me that hard work and perseverance pays off in the long run,” White said. “At times you have athletes who pursue a dream and because it doesn’t come when they want it to, they have a tendency to give up or take another path in life.

“Life has obstacles and you have to learn to deal with them. So it’s a long time coming for me.”

Considered just an ordinary, humble person, White said he always tries to stand for something and be more of a doer than a sayer.

“I look at myself as someone who would put his foot down and try to accomplish anything,” he said. “Having overcame a lot of the obstacles that I faced, I must say that I put in a lot of hard work. I always had the talent to play and was always athletic, but I just didn’t play in high school because I never really sat down and took it as serious as everybody else.”

But White admitted that after meeting Bullard in 2002, he installed a lot of positive vibes into his system.

“A lot of people look at coach Bullard and they see him as a coach, who is only into basketball but one of the main things he tries to instil in all of his players is getting a good education,” White said. “From the time that we met, he asked me if I was interested in furthering my education in college.

“After I joined the No Bull basketball club and I saw the passion, the drive and the dedication of the players that were all younger than me, it helped me to take it more serious and put more effort and hard work into it. And since I joined the club, it’s been a totally different transformation for me.”

And because of who he is today and where he’s headed next year, White said he owes a greal deal of gratitude to Bullard. He can now consider himself a trailblazer.

“If it wasn’t for coach Bullard, this opportunity would not have presented itself,” White said. “If he had never gave me the opportunity to join the programme, I would not be here today. He’s helped to groom me into a gentleman that I hope that the younger guys can look at me as a role model, someone they can talk to and get some advice from because of what I got from coach Bullard and the No Bull programme.”

Bullard, now in charge of the Noble Preparatory Academy which is preparing young Bahamians for college, particularly in Canada, said he’s proud of the latest achievement of one of his prot�g�s.

“I’m very proud and ecstatic, but at the same time, I’m trying to keep myself under control,” Bullard said. “From first meeting Calvin to now, I’ve seen a totally different person in his character, the way he has an outlook in life and the way he carries himself.

“It’s been a long road for him. But it’s one that has paid off for Calvin. He’s one of those guys who has the discipline and the passion. Since joining No Bull, he was able to leave the environment that he came from to pursue a college education after people have told him that college is not for them because they’ve missed their opportunity.”

Bullard said White transcended all of the negative vibes and was able to compose himself to get to the next level.

“He was able to find himself and I was very elated when he called me and told me that this was the situation that he was in and he just needed my advice,” Bullard said. “I’m extremely proud of him and I look forward to more of his success in the future as a professional player.”

As he moves on to the professional ranks, White said he knows that there is still a lot of room for improvement and he will be doing whatever it takes to be the pacesetter for the Noble basketball club so that they can learn from his experience when he returns home.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “As kids, you always say you want to do this and do that, but until the opportunity presents itself and you realise that it’s a life changing experience, it doesn’t hit you until that opportunity presents itself,” he said.

“It’s still mind-boggling to me, but I just have to take it one day at a time and stay focused.”

Bullard said based on the way White has articulated himself, he’s definitely ready to take on the challenge ahead of him.

“You don’t get anything before your time,” Bullard said. “I know he had a lot of obstacles that sidetracked him like injuries and he had a few doors closed, but a few others were opened. He had some setbacks, but he pushed himself even harder, so I have no reservations but to say that I definitely think he’s ready to make this next step.”

To the players following behind him, White said he remembers a trip he made with the team to Canada a few years ago and he won the slam dunk title.

“They gave me a shirt that says ‘if you come back, you give back,’” he said. “A lot of people may not understand what those words mean, but there’s always someone coming up behind you in life that needs help and you might think that you’re a big star. But we have to realise that there are other kids looking up to us.

“So I just want to do my best and my all to help anybody that needs help, talk to them and tell them to stay focused. It’s not easy, but it’s not hard because once you stay dedicated and motivated and you know what you want, if you put your best foot forward, you can accomplish anything.”