McCallie School has turned to one of its own to fill its varsity basketball coaching position. Kenneth White, a student at McCallie from seventh grade through his sophomore year (1991-95), was named the new Blue Tornado head coach just one week after Steve Robison stepped down.
White has coached at both the collegiate and high school levels, including last season as Boyd Buchanan head coach, guiding that program to a 24-9 record, second place region finish and appearance in the Division II-A state tournament in his lone season with the Buccaneers.
"Coach White is a slam dunk hire," said McCallie headmaster Lee Burns. "He's competed at the highest national levels as a high school and college basketball player. He's been coached by legends. He's won a state championship as a high school coach.
"More impressive though, is Kenneth White the man. He embodies McCallie ideals, is relational and inspirational, and has an intense drive to compete and win."
As a player, White left McCallie to attend Oak Hill Academy and play for its prestigious program (ranked No. 2 nationally at the time) and legendary coach Steve Smith. He went on to play point guard for the University of North Carolina for Bill Guthridge, where he was part of an NCAA tournament Final Four team in 2000.
"Having gone to school here years ago, McCallie is a special place and I have some very fond memories here and I learned a lot of life lessons I still use today," White said. "I enjoyed my time at Boyd Buchanan and the people but when this opportunity became available I had to take it because it's one of the premier jobs in America.
"I've been all over the country but I keep coming back to McCallie. Having played here and now having the opportunity to lead the program is a full circle moment for me."
White worked as an assistant coach at Tyner Academy in 2001 before moving on to Campbell College for four seasons, where he helped the Camels to 89 wins and a Big South Championship in 2019 and the first NIT Tournament appearance in the school's history.
He later coached at Lausanne School in Memphis for six seasons, beginning in 2009, guiding the 2013 team to a TSSAA state championship.
The Chattanooga native returned home in 2022 to work as an assistant on Dan Earl's University of Tennessee at Chattanooga staff, helping the Mocs reach the Southern Conference tournament's championship game.
"I have known Kenneth White since his days at McCallie and have watched his career with admiration and pride," McCallie Athletic Director Kenny Sholl said in a press release. "As our conversations began to unfold, we realized that, because of his knowledge and passion for the game of basketball, coupled with his character and faith, we are very fortunate that he will lead the basketball program at McCallie School."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.