Zachary White of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High has a super power that every coach should appreciate. He blends in with the flashiest players on a court, sometimes almost invisible, but if you watch closely and know the game, he’s the glue that helps the team seal a victory.
He’s like the unsung team manager doing all the little things that a coach takes for granted but can’t do without.
“People have a misunderstanding what kind of player leads to winning, and Zach only does things that lead to winning, and it’s not flashy and it’s not something for a mixtape,” coach Matt Sargeant said. “If you know basketball and you’re really watching the game, all he’s doing is affecting winning. It’s his defense, it’s his communication, it’s his rebounding. He’s constantly doing stuff that helps us win basketball games.”
One of the biggest games of the season is set for Friday night when Notre Dame hosts Harvard-Westlake in a Mission League clash. It’s a game filled with stars. Notre Dame’s Tyran Stokes and Harvard-Westlake’s Nikolas Khamenia are gold medal winners who represented USA national teams.
Yet White is the player who could be the difference between victory and defeat. For three seasons the 6-foot-5 junior has blended in brilliantly with Notre Dame’s stars and made major contributions. As a freshman, he was with Caleb Foster (Duke) and Dusty Stromer (Gonzaga). As a sophomore, he helped Mercy Miller (Houston). And this season he’s joined with Stokes and Lino Mark (Rutgers).
White’s wiry, versatile, energetic, intelligent and strong. He understands his roles and does what’s best for the team.
“I’m not worried about who’s ranked higher than me,” he said. “I’m just worried about winning and the overall success for everyone. I want everyone to win, not just me.”
His defense and rebounding create opportunities for others. And when he needs to shoot, he’ll do it accurately and decisively. His unselfishness and recognition of what it takes to execute on a court are qualities of a future coach.
“It’s doing the little things, doing what no one else wants to do,” he said. “That’s how you get to play more. The colleges see everything. They see me playing hard, playing defense, rebounding, doing all the small things and seeing the energy I bring. They’ll see that rather than me trying to get a bucket every play.”
White took a different path than his father, Russell, who was a youth football phenom in the San Fernando Valley, helping lead Crespi to a Southern Section Division 1 championship as a sophomore running back in 1986. The son became passionate about basketball, made it his sport and hasn’t looked back.
“He loves basketball, he loves competing,” Sargeant said.
And White makes too many “winning plays” per game to count. So watch White’s super power unfold as others do spectacular dunks or dazzling moves. You might overlook him while he’s blocking a shot, taking a charge, hustling for a loose ball or yelling to a teammate. Just remember if it leads to victory, the super power worked.
