Derrick White still is chasing championships at the sportap highest level. And running a major college basketball program is an intense, year-round endeavor.
Yet the reunion between White and coach Tad Boyle’s CU men’s basketball team is as much about the future as the present, with White already considering his post-career endeavors while Boyle aims to one day leave the program on solid footing.
That reunion became official on Wednesday, as White was introduced as the program’s first President of Basketball Strategy. CU also formally announced a $2 million donation from White’s family during an event attended by CU men’s basketball luminaries Cory Higgins, Alec Burks, Spencer Dinwiddie, Andre Roberson and KJ Simpson.
White, the former Buff and current Boston Celtics guard who just finished his ninth NBA season, joins a growing list of active NBA standouts who have taken leadership roles with their college programs, including Golden State’s Steph Curry (Davidson), Washington’s Trae Young (Oklahoma) and one of White’s Celtics teammates, Jayson Tatum (Duke).
“First things first is the Boston Celtics and being the best player I can be,” White said. “But as I get older, this is a good start for me to think about life after basketball and see where this goes. Obviously I’ve got to be the best player I can be. But also, I come here every summer and I’m passionate about CU. I think itap going to be a great opportunity for me to learn and grow and while playing, trying to use my resources to help CU and help everybody thatap here right now.
“Obviously, I’m busy. But if somebody’s got a question, they want to reach out to me, I want to be a resource to the players or a resource to the coaching staff.”
While White will be considered a staff member, a CU official confirmed White is not taking a salary. The Parker native and former Legend High School star is halfway through a four-year, $125.9 million contract extension he signed in the aftermath of the Celtics’ 2024 NBA title.
White’s specific duties weren’t precisely outlined, with the former Buffs guard admitting on several occasions, “I don’t know a whole lot about college athletics.” CU athletic director Fernando Lovo described White’s new role as a conglomeration of responsibilities including roster construction, player development and serving as a high-profile program ambassador.
Boyle typically has shied away from discussing the possible end of a CU tenure thatap heading toward its 17th season. Yet in a rare concession to his career mortality, Boyle admitted the combination of Lovo, a young athletic director in his first season in Boulder, and White will likely play central roles in shaping the post-Boyle future of the program.
“Eventually, there’s going to be a new coach at Colorado, and I’m going to hand the reins off to somebody else,” Boyle said. “I don’t know when that will be. But Derrick and Fernando are going to be part of that transition. Whatever that looks like, (White) is here because he wants Colorado basketball to be great in the years ahead. Not just this year.”
White and Boyle both described the new role as something that will evolve over the forthcoming months, as White balances his responsibilities with the Celtics with the nuances of his myriad roles with the Buffs, which could include greasing the wheels with donors one day before adding his two cents to the CU staff about a potential recruit the following day.
“He’ll be a great sounding board,” Boyle said. “He’s a guy that we stayed in touch with even before this transpired. We’re just going to figure it out as we go. I don’t know how much on a day-to-day basis, but I think for big decisions and big issues that come up, he’ll be a great part of the discussion.”
After being an overlooked and under-recruited prospect out of Legend, White’s unyielding work ethic, combined with a timely growth spurt, led to Division II All-American honors at UCCS. White shined during his lone season at CU, averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds during the 2016-17 campaign, earning first team All-Pac-12 honors. White was selected in the first round (29th overall) by San Antonio in the 2017 NBA Draft.
White certainly isn’t the first decorated former Buffs player to make his wisdom available for the next generation. But he is the first to take an active role in the future direction of the program, and no other potential program ambassador can boast an acumen that includes an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal, which White won as part of the US National Team in the 2024 Games in Paris.
“Itap easy to kind of sell CU and Boulder,” White said. “You get on campus, itap one of a kind. Itap easy to talk to someone about CU and show them how they can use CU to get to the next level and reach their dreams.”
