Championship Quest Drives White’s Return

The phrase ‘unfinished business’ gets thrown around a great deal in sports, but when Isaac White refers to it, it couldn’t ring truer.

The 25-year-old had arguably one of the best individual state league campaigns in the history of Mackay Basketball in 2023, but a late-season quadricep injury forced the McDonald’s Meteors Most Valuable Player to spectate from the sidelines, as his teammates went down to the South West Metro Pirates 94-72, in an NBL1 North elimination quarter-final.

“Watching that quarter-final from the bench and having things end like that was really tough,” White said.

“The whole season we spoke about putting ourselves in a position to win a championship and worked collectively towards that, and to not be out on the floor to help the guys when it mattered most, it was difficult.”

White becomes the first McDonald’s Mackay Meteors NBL1 North signing for next year and if his 2023 credentials are anything to go by, fans at the Crater will be in for many more highlights throughout 2024.

The dynamic guard averaged a nation-leading 32.6 points per game last season on his way to NBL1 North First Team honours, along with posting team best numbers in rebounds (7.3 per game) and assists (6.5 per game).

It was White’s competitiveness that made the 188cm guard a favourite among the Mackay faithful at McDonald’s Mackay Stadium and McDonald’s Meteors Head Coach Joel Khalu said White’s approach to the game is what made him a priority signing for the club in 2024.

“He wants to win everything. Every game, every scrimmage, every drill in practice and those standards of excellence certainly set the tone for our entire group,” Khalu said.

“Whitey’s dedication to his basketball craft is unmatched. There’s no days off. He’s always working to not only make himself better, but also make those around him better and that’s what you want in your marquee players.

“Also, it’s not just about what Isaac does on the court that makes him so valuable. He invested heavily into our community engagement programs last season, becoming a tremendous role-model for our junior players.”

White was also pumped about his return to the sugar city.

“The environment in Mackay at an NBL1 level is second-to-none and it’s a place I know I’ll continue to get better in the NBL off-season.

“The people drive the culture there and that’s really important for me when finding places to play.

“JK’s style of play also suits my game and I think that was well reflected last season. I felt like I made some big strides as a player which in turn helped prepare me for the current NBL season.”

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Isaac White is returning to the McDonald’s Mackay Meteors for the 2024 NBL1 North season. Photo credit: Kieron Place