Awards aplenty for Isaac White following dominant NBL1 North season

Suiting up for the Mackay Meteors, White took his game to new heights in 2023, leading the league in points per game (32.7) and steals per game (2.72).

It marks an improvement upon his previous two seasons with the Ipswich Force, from which he averaged 23 points. His field goal percentage also jumped from 43% to 49%

White was named in the All-League First Team, and was one of three finalists for the MVP award.

“I was one of our main options on the floor and that’s probably why I cleaned up the way I did,” White said.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be put in that position by Joel (Khalu) and the team to trust me with the ball the way they have.”

But his biggest takeaway from the stellar list of accolades was his development as a person.

“I mean it’s always good to get that sort of recognition, but to be honest with you I’m more proud of the way I’m going as a man where I don’t actually care about that stuff as much as I used to,” White said.

“Even when I played Aussie rules back as a kid, when I got the (best and fairest) I thought it was the biggest thing in the world.

“I know as a man I’m headed in the right direction because at the awards night I wasn’t too fussed whether I got whatever award or not, I’m just so much more focused on the team.”

And while the Meteors travel to Brisbane to take on the South West Metro Pirates for a spot in the semi-finals this weekend, they’ll do so without White, who’s been sidelined by a quad tear.

“I’m recovering really well, if we win on the weekend I should be back for the semi finals, so that’s been exciting,” White said.

“I’m just fortunate in the sense I haven’t been injured in the last six or seven years so this is the first roadblock in a while, and just again another opportunity for me to grow and… reinvest in the guys who sometimes get less of an opportunity when I’m out there.”

White, who spent three college seasons with Stanford, has loved his time in the Sugar City so far, especially working with head coach Khalu and the Meteors program.

“I guess compared to how a lot of NBL1 programs are ran it’s super professional,” he said.

“The way (Khalu) runs the program is very similar to an NBL program… I haven’t felt like this is an off-season per se, I’ve felt like this is an extension and like a nice interlude between my two NBL seasons.

“I feel like it’s prepared me really well, not only the playing situation but the training situation. I just feel like I’m on pace physically, mentally, and all the rest of it.”

Following NBL stints with Illawarra and Tasmania, White made the off-season switch to the Brisbane Bullets, and he’s revelling in the fleeting pressure release a two-year contract can offer.

“(It was a) pretty holistic decision, obviously there’s money involved, job security involved, all the rest of it,” he said.

“Brisbane was one of the few destinations where I could get a multi-year deal.

“I’ve been bouncing around a fair bit, I’ve been on one-year deals my entire professional career so it’s nice to have that aspect of stability, it takes the pressure off to an extent.”

Last season was a tough one for the Bullets, who’s 8-20 record saw them scrape the depths of the ladder to wind up ninth, but that excites White.

“They’ve had a coaching change, turned over most of their roster, so I think it’ll be a really good opportunity to go and be a part of the identity of the new program,” he said.

“In the short term (my goal’s to) have a really good year with the Bullets, try and get my body as healthy as it can be in the next month or two leading up to pre-season with them and go have a good year.

“My role’s been up and down the last two or three years so I just really want to solidify myself in the NBL as a good role-player and see what I can make of it.”

Long-term however, White isn’t afraid to dream big.

And his haul at this week’s NBL1 North awards served as reassurance he’s headed in the right direction.

“My goal is to make the NBA, that’s probably number one,” he said.

“If that’s 1A, 1B would be to represent Australia at the Olympics.

“I think they’re the two pinnacles of basketball for me.”

Originally published as Awards aplenty for Isaac White following dominant NBL1 North season