UTC Mocs' 6-9 Jackson White can shoot from perimeter

Jackson White dribbles as the UTC men's basketball team holds a scrimmage at Maclellan Gym on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of weekly features profiling newcomers on the UTC men's basketball team, leading up to the Nov. 6 season opener against Covenant.

Jackson White hasn't made a habit of overstepping his bounds.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman quietly goes about his business on the men's basketball team, but that doesn't mean the 6-foot-9 White doesn't know what he's doing.

He just picks his times to show what he can do.

"This is just how I've been my whole life," White said. "I just go with the flow. I'm laid back and I take everything as it comes."

White averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots per game in his senior season at Benedictine High School in Virginia. With outside-shooting ability at his size, he presents a skill set unlike many players within the Southern Conference.

"With all freshmen, there's a learning curve. When you step on the floor in high school, you're the best player on the team and the best player on the floor," first-year UTC coach Matt McCall said. "The speed of the college game and the physicality of the game is different, but as far as his development, he's got a terrific basketball IQ. He's not afraid; he's going to go in there and bang against Justin Tuoyo and Duke Ethridge every single day, and not back down from those guys.

"He's got to continue to get better, but he's going to be a big part of what we do going forward."

Strength and quickness are what White feels he needs to work on the most. Weighing only around 215 pounds, he's going to have to develop more power to be able to bang inside when necessary.

"I just have to keep working with the coaches, watch film, do ladder drills for quickness and stay in the weightroom when I can," White said.

It was mid-May before White decided to play at UTC. A vast majority of college choices have been made by that time, but the final three schools he was looking at - UTC and fellow SoCon members East Tennessee State and Virginia Military Institute - all were going through coaching changes.

He feels good about the decision he made.

"I'm glad this came up for me at the end," White said. "I like this place a lot: the community, the people, everyone. It's been good since I came here. Everyone has been nice and welcoming.

"I definitely made the right choice."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.