Australia's Jack White looks to take next step

DURHAM - At only 18 years of age, Jack White can look back on already having played for Australia on the world level twice (2014 FIBA U17 World Championship and 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship) and attending the Australian Centre of Excellence (CoE).

The 1.94m guard finds himself closer to taking the next step in his promising basketball career after deciding to play college basketball at Duke University, becoming the fifth commitment of the Blue Devils' 2016 recruiting class.

My lifelong dreams are to play in the NBA and represent Australia at Olympic Games. - White

White had been considering many college offers and even had a short stint in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) before his visit and subsequent commitment to attend Duke University.

"There was no one single factor that made me realize I wanted to be a blue devil," White told FIBA.com. "They have the full package, a legendary coach, an established program in a tough conference, a great culture, great academics, and an environment that will challenge me every day."

White believes he is fully prepared for the next level thanks to his time spent at Australia Centre of Excellence and representing Australia in youth championships.

"I think my time at the CoE and playing for Australia has prepared me for what is ahead," he said. "I've been put in some challenging situations which I have overcome and have also been living away from home for the past two years which has prepared me well."

He averaged 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds for Australia at last summer's FIBA U19 World Championship in Greece, a year after having been a part of the national team that came in second at the FIBA U17 World Championship in Dubai. 

White ranked third in scoring and fifth in rebounding for Australia at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship 

White hasn't had to look too far to find the drive to keep improving.

"I would say my parents have greatly influenced my passion and desire to better myself. They have given up a lot for me to do what I do, so I want to make all their sacrifices worth something in the end," he explained.

Under the tutelage of legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski - who has also coached the USA senior men's national team to a pair of FIBA Basketball World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals since 2006 - White is a step closer to making his lifelong goals of playing at the highest level a reality.

FIBA