Shaheed White’s junior season wasn’t just about numbers — it was about growth, responsibility and flashes of something much bigger on the horizon at Columbia.
After being handed the reins of the offense as the team’s new starting point guard, White helped lead Tigers on a Cinderella run through the Region 1-5A playoffs. Along the way they knocked off No. 3 seed Lincoln — thanks to a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter — and No. 2 seed Ponte Vedra. And although the clock struck midnight in the Elite 8 against eventual Class 5A runner-up Fleming Island, it was a memorable postseason for a Columbia squad that had its ups and downs throughout the year.
Yet, despite the thrilling playoff run, White isn’t satisfied. Even as he elevated Columbia back into contention, White viewed the season as a stepping stone rather than a finish line.
“It’s not everything I wanted yet,” White said. “There’s more things I want to work on, especially being more of a leader. I don’t feel like I left everything out yet. I feel like my last year has to be the best year I’ve had.”
White laid the groundwork to make it happen, and that mindset defines why he’s this year’s LCR Boys Basketball Player of the Year. His biggest leap came in his transition to full-time point guard, leading the Tigers to a 17-2 record while averaging team-highs of 12.6 points and 2.6 assists per game in addition to tallying 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
After playing more off the ball as a sophomore behind Zamarion Jones and Marlin Haywood, White entered the season knowing the offense would be his to run. The 6-foot-4 guard embraced that responsibility from the start.
“That’s something I’m never going to back down,” White said. “It’s a blessing to be as tall as I am and see over the defense while being able to handle the ball. So when it comes to being a point guard, I never have a problem doing that.”
White created matchup problems all season. His size allowed him to survey defenses, while his improved decision-making helped unlock Columbia’s offense. Where he once forced plays, he learned to let the game come to him.
Columbia coach Steve Faulkner saw White’s play evolve throughout the year.
“As the season progressed, I think he realized that he doesn’t just have to score,” Faulkner said. “I think he realized that the better he plays, the more attention that’s paid to him by other teams we play and understanding how he can use that to get other people open shots.”
While White’s overall numbers were steady, his ceiling showed in bursts.
There was a season-high 32-point explosion against Mater Academy at the Holiday Hoopfest Fort Myers to help Columbia rally for victory following a 25-point loss to Lake Highland Prep the day before, a performance where he “completely owned the fourth quarter,” according to Faulkner. There were also big scoring nights like his 28-point performance against Trenton, his 24-point effort against Ponte Vedra in the regular season, and a dominant second half in the preseason against North Marion to finish with 25 points.
“In those moments, you’re like, ‘this kid could be really special,’” Faulkner said.
White’s favorite stretch of the season came during that Holiday Hoopfest. After that lopsided loss to Lake Highland Prep, Columbia responded with resiliency and White bounced back with a career night.
“It just showed us how we have to have a next game mentality,” White said.
That mentality carried into the postseason.
Columbia’s run to the regional finals didn’t happen by accident. After the Tigers were knocked off by Leon in the district tournament, White pointed to a shift in practice intensity leading up to the playoffs and his own role in keeping the team focused.
“I felt that was the only time this year that the intensity in practice was the highest,” White said. “We did it for the seniors...I had to make sure as a leader that the underclassmen had to care as much as the seniors cared.”
The Tigers stunned Lincoln in the quarterfinals, then delivered their most complete performance in a 57-43 upset of Ponte Vedra. White played a key role on both ends, helping hold standout scorer Maddox Palmer to just five points after he had scored 22 in the teams’ regular-season matchup.
Even in the season-ending 69-45 loss to Fleming Island in the regional finals, White showed growth. He scored a team-high 15 points and continued to display an aggressive mindset, even as the score got out of hand in the fourth quarter.
“I saw a lot of maturation in him this year,” Faulkner said. “I think he’s maturing some and understanding what Coach Faulkner is wanting from him. I think before he was like, ‘I just got to score the ball to be effective,’ but I think he’s becoming a basketball player and understanding there are other ways to affect the game besides just scoring.”
Despite the success, consistency is the next challenge for White. While he topped 20 points four times and scored in double figures 16 times, he also had eight games where he finished with seven or fewer points.
Improving his jump shot is a major focus, as is adding strength. White hopes to increase his weight from 170 pounds to the 180-185 range — he wants to see his “whole body change” — while continuing to refine his all-around game.
“Just being ready to play every time I step on the floor,” White said. “I feel like this season I took a lot of games off just based off who we were playing, but my next year coming up I want to take every game seriously as if it’s my last game.”
White is spending the spring playing with North Florida United and continuing to develop before he plays summer ball with Columbia in preparation for his senior year. His goals for his final season are clear: return to the regional finals — and go further.
“I just want everyone to be happy and bought in early,” he said. “If we do that, we can get back and go beyond.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
F: Terrance Tolbert
Columbia, senior
Averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 rebounds as the front court anchor for the Tigers.
G: Shaheed White
Columbia, junior
The LCR’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year led the Region 1-5A finalist Tigers with 12.6 points and 2.6 assists while also averaging 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
G: Kadrian Wilson
Columbia, junior
Averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
G: Anthony Washington
Branford, senior
Voted the Florida Dairy Farmer's Class Rural Player of the Year after averaging 24.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.2 steals for the Buccaneers.
G: Anthony Bailey
Branford, senior
Averaged 12.2 points, 3 assists and 3 steals.
G: Desean Lally
Fort White, junior
Led the Indians with 8.7 points and 4 rebounds while also snatching 2.1 steals per game.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Steve Faulkner, Columbia
Faulkner led the Tigers to a 17-12 record and their fourth trip to the regional finals in the last eight seasons. Columbia bounced back from a loss to Leon in the District 2-5A semifinals to knock off No. 3 seed Lincoln on the road in the Region 1-5A quarterfinals, rallying from a 10-point deficit for a 66-65 win. The Tigers then upset No. 2 seed Ponte Vedra in the regional semifinals, leading wire to wire for a 57-43 victory. Their Cinderella run ended in the Elite 8 against Fleming Island, the eventual Class 5A state runner-up.