MORGANTOWN — Nine years, three state championships and 165 victories have gone by in the blink of an eye for Jason White.
Still, he has taken ample time to reflect on his tenure as the head girls’ basketball coach at Morgantown High.
“I’ve been blessed to have been in a program that’s so supported,” White said.
Now, after 14 total years at MHS, White is moving on. His wife, Stephanie, accepted a job in the athletic department at East Carolina University. Stephanie and their 7-year-old daughter, Aubrey, have already moved into a new house in Greenville, N.C.
White will join them in mid-June, after the conclusion of the school year.
“I’m going to miss the day-to-day practices and really getting to teach kids more than just the game of basketball,” White said. “I loved talking about how basketball translates to life. I’m going to miss all the other coaches that I’ve gotten to know and respect. We call each other and share tips and tricks with each other to bounce ideas off of each other. We were all rivals on the court but best of friends off the court — I’m going to miss that.
“I’m going to miss the preparation and going out and scouting, putting together a winning game plan.”
And so many of those gameplans have turned into big wins. White, the 2021 WVSSAC Coach of the Year, said he has his talented girls to thank for the wins.
The 2021-22 Mohigans went 22-4. White said this year’s team reminded him so much of his first girls’ team when he took over the program in 2013. That team won 23 games and won the first of three straight state championships.
“It was nice to see things come full circle,” White said. “They reminded me so much of the first team I coached at Morgantown High, the really hard-working, dedicated group that was centered around playing strong defense and unselfishness. We had a lot of great players on this team but I think their greatest overall skill was their team chemistry.”
Morgantown was state runner-up after falling to Huntington, 41-36, in this year’s Class AAAA state title game. In the postgame news conference, a tearful White expressed his gratitude for his players in this, and the past nine years.
“I’m going to miss that relationship with the kids — that’s what choked me up the most after the (state championship) game, not because we lost, wins and losses come and go, what really got to me was the finality of not getting to coach those kids anymore because they’re such good kids,” he said.
White says those good kids come from good families.
“They truly put the team first,” White said. “One of our greatest skills this year was our unselfishness and that doesn’t happen without great family support at home. At the start of every season in a parent meeting, I always said that we got to all pull the cart in the same direction. They’ve really done that for us.”
White’s assistants, Doug Goodwin and Matt Kelly, have been with him since he took over the girls’ program.
“Those guys do whatever is asked of them,” White said. “They make our program so much better because they complement the way I coach. We have such different styles, but it only boosts our program. Those two guys were with me from the beginning.”
The humble White also credits coaches who he learned from over the years, including Mick Price at his alma mater, Ravenswood.
White played under Price and advanced to the state tournament in his playing days. His first coaching gig was as an assistant under Price, who tallied more than 700 wins in a storied career.
Price, with White as an assistant, led Ravenswood to the Class AA state championship in 2006. White came north a few years later and was an assistant under three-decade coaching veteran Barry Sanders at Preston.
White joined the Mohigans boys’ staff in 2008, learning from the legendary Tom Yester.
“I had some great mentors coming up,” White said.
When it comes to remembering a specific game, White will never forget his first win as a head coach — a nail-biting victory at home against Fairmont Senior.
“Brie Giuliani hit a huge 3 with under a minute left,” White said. “That was special.”
He says earning rivalry victories over the years against University, Parkersburg South and Wheeling Park were also special.
And, of course, the state championship wins.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been nine years,” White said “From an outsider’s perspective, nine years may not seem that long, and it really isn’t, but there’s been so many big wins for us.”
White will have one last taste of West Virginia basketball before joining his family in North Carolina. He has been chosen to coach in the North-South All-Star Game to be held in Charleston in June.
“That’s a neat way to go out,” he said. “This will give me one last chance to coach with some guys that I have a lot of respect for.”
As for coaching in his new home, White says he wants to find the perfect opportunity for both himself and his family. Aubrey enjoys being part of the team, too, and has enjoyed having FaceTime calls with the Mohigans while they were in the state tournament.
“I don’t think I can stay away,” White said. “Coaching is in my DNA.”
By MATTHEW PEASLEE
