DeTrina White received a pass in the low post, faked right and powerfully banked in a lay-up shot. Following the shot there were no cheers or fist pumping, but it did signal something LSU fans have been waiting for — the D-Train is back.
As the Lady Tigers blitzed through a spirited afternoon practice, White listened as head coach Sue Gunter demanded her players maintain their intensity. After taking a break to stretch with the training staff, White returned to the floor to work on an inside game that has made her one of the most prolific performers in the Southeastern Conference.
White burst onto the scene in 1998, averaging 13 points and eight rebounds on her way to winning National Freshman of the Year and earning first-team Freshman All-American honors.
She followed that season with a sophomore campaign that was equally impressive. White started all 32 games for the Tigers and led the SEC in field goal percentage (.617), double-doubles (11) and was second in the league in rebounding.
“We want her on the low block because she is so explosive,” Gunter said. “She rebounds on both ends and is a great defender.”
White missed the entire 2001-2002 season with a stress fracture in her right foot. Since the initial injury, White has had two operative procedures, including the placement of a screw to hold bones together. White said the foot is healed completely, but that was only one reason for her absence.
White was diagnosed with a misaligned vertebrae during her junior year, which caused her to miss eleven games because of back pain. She played through that injury, but her scoring averaged dropped to 9.3 points per game. The foot injury caused her to take advantage of her redshirt option last year, and it also afforded her the opportunity to rehabilitate the back ailment.
White’s presence completes LSU’s return to full strength following a season that saw the Lady Tigers advance to the SEC Championship game and the NCAA Tournament despite fielding only seven players.
“We have watched her struggle for more than a year with injuries, so to get her healthy again is great for the team,” Gunter said.
Although White is practicing with the team, she still is playing herself back into shape. She takes breaks from practice to stretch stiff muscles that have nothing to with her back injury. The stiffness is because of inactivity.
White’s rehabilitation prohibited her from taking the daily pounding of running the court and posting up against defenders. During the last year, White followed a regimen of rest, stretching and chiropractic visits. Her timetable to be at full strength is sometime in December, but White said she is glad to be back with the team and does not miss being on the sidelines.
“Last year it was hard at first, but I changed my role and tried to help the team any way that I could,” White said.
This year, White leads a Tiger team ranked No. 3 in the nation and is one of five seniors poised to take the Tigers to new heights.
“Some teams would be cocky because of the ranking, but for our team it is not good enough,” White said. “We want to be higher.”
The general studies major has WNBA aspirations and said she would like to coach one day. Until then, she will continue to rehabilitate and reclaim her role as the conference’s best post player.
“She brings so much to the floor that we as coaches cannot teach,” Gunter said. “She has a passion for the game.”
That passion will lead a talented LSU team this season, and for now individual goals are on hold.
“I just want to come back and help the team, make an impact, hopefully win a National Championship,” White said.
A healthy DeTrina White may make all the difference.