TEMPE, Ariz. — Almost halfway through his first and only Division I season, Derrick White appears to be settling into his role as the floor general of the Colorado men’s basketball team.
A month ago, the senior transfer from Division II UCCS was mired in a stretch in which his turnovers far outweighed his assists. White has reversed that trend over the past four games, and continuing that streak will be a key component in CU’s chances of picking up its first Pac-12 Conference win in what could be a high-scoring affair Thursday night at Arizona State.
“I looked at the stats and my assist-to-turnover wasn’t too good, so I’ve tried to focus on making the simple play,” White said. “Not trying to force things out there and just trying not to turn the ball over. We have to get a shot off every time and as the point guard I can’t be turning the ball over. So that’s what I’ve been focusing on, and my teammates have been making shots.”
While White has provided steady offense from the season’s opening tip — he shares the team lead with a .519 field goal percentage and has shot a solid .413 from 3-point range — assuming the mantle of CU’s director on offense has been a little more adventurous.
On Nov. 21, White recorded a season-best nine assists in the Buffs’ failed upset bid against now-No. 23 Notre Dame, yet he also committed five turnovers. After that game White couldn’t shake the turnover bug, as over the next six games he posted just 14 assists against 20 turnovers.
.