2005-06 (Freshman)
Despite seeing limited action during the middle part of the season, Jamel White produced one of the best freshman campaigns in school history while making a splash in the Big 12 Conference in 2006.
A versatile athlete who can play either the point or shooting guard, White averaged double figures during the league schedule and earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Reserve Team accolades from the Associated Press. It was the second straight season a Husker earned all-freshman honors.
On the year, White averaged 8.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while helping the Huskers to their second postseason appearance in three years. White's scoring average improved greatly in conference action with 10.1 points per contest, one of four Huskers to average double figures against Big 12 teams.
With a solid touch outside the arc, White hit 44 3-pointers to tie for second place on the NU freshman chart. He was the second Husker freshman in two years to post at least 44 treys. Before 2005, only one former Husker ? current NBA veteran Eric Piatkowski ? had posted at least 40 3-pointers as a freshman.
While his efforts from 3-point range were valuable to the Huskers, White provided an electrifying all-around game that helped him move into the NU freshman top 10 in six categories. In addition to the 3-pointer list, White also ranked eighth on the freshman scoring chart (287 points), ninth in scoring average, steals (23) and field goals (87) and 10th in assists (65).
White began his career by earning all-tournament honors at the John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge by playing hard on both ends. He not only scored in double figures twice but took five charges that opening weekend and finished the season second on the team with 13 charges. White then scored double figures in just one of the next 16 games and saw his playing time diminish before a breakout contest against Missouri.
Against the Tigers on Jan.28, White came off the bench to produce the second-highest scoring game by a Husker freshman ever, as he poured in 28 points in 23 minutes to help NU snap a three-game losing streak and get back to .500 in the conference standings. White hit 7-of-9 attempts from the floor, including all four of his 3-point tries. The only NU freshman to score more points in a single game was current NBA veteran Tyronn Lue, who had 30 points in a game as a rookie in 1996.
White also nailed an impressive 10-of-11 from the charity stripe against the Tigers and finished the year second on the team by hitting 80.2 percent (69-of-86) at the line. He got to the free throw line at least 10 times in three games, and drained at least eight each time.
Over the final 11 games of the year, White was second on the team with 13.5 points per contest while hitting 39.5 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent behind the arc. He recorded nine double-figure scoring games in that stretch, including his second career 20-point contest with 22 points against nationally ranked Oklahoma to push NU to the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference Championship.
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Before Nebraska
White was one of the top prep school guards in the country while playing for Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute, where he started at point guard during the team's 40-0 run on its way to a prep school national title. White averaged 14.0 points, 11.2 assists and 3.4 steals per game on a squad that had 14 Division I signees. White led the prep school ranks in assists per game, and was named the MVP of the 2005 National Prep School Invitational in Canada.
Before taking Laurinburg to the title, White averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game at Grady High School. He was named first team All-PSAL and nominated for player of the year honors in New York City. White teamed with former Rutgers star and 2006 NBA first-round pick Quincy Douby to guide Grady to the PSAL semifinals in 2004.
White was ranked 91st in the country among breakdownmagazine.com’s top 100, a national ranking that includes all classes. He was also ranked No. 33 among fifth-year players by hoopscooponline.com. White was the first commitment to the Huskers’ 2005 class.
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Personal
The son of Erika White, Jamel was born March 2, 1986, and has two brothers, Shamel and Johnathon, and one sister, Alijah Jones. White has a 3-year-old son, Jamel Malik White.