Following the family script: ‘Jamo’ lifts East St. Louis, eyes Penn State stardom
Of the few people in the East St. Louis basketball gym last Tuesday taller than 6-foot-8 Flyers senior Jamison White, his father, Jahidi, was one of them.
At 6-9, he played parts of seven seasons in the NBA after being selected in the second round of the 1998 draft out of Georgetown.
The person everybody calls “Jamo” would love to one day wear an NBA uniform, but first things first: There’s still the matter of an ongoing season for the Southwest Division-leading Flyers, who carried a 16-2 overall record into Friday’s game at Edwardsville. And there’s a new chapter ahead at Penn State, where White recently committed after a spirited recruiting battle.
The elder White stopped short of making comparisons to his son beyond bloodlines, however, when asked if he hopes Jamison will follow him to the NBA.
“To me, I want him to enjoy basketball,” said Jahidi White, who starred at Cardinal Ritter in St. Louis before playing for the Hoyas and then the Washington Wizards and two other NBA teams from 1998 to 2005. “If there are things I can help him with, and see beyond the present because of my experience, I try to give it to him. Especially now, where he’s really understanding the game. He’s taking it more, because he’s looking for the information more. But that’s it, you know? Other than that, it’s his role.”
A self-described “late bloomer,” Jamison transferred to East St. Louis after three years at Chaminade. He has rejuvenated not only his own game but the Flyers’ fortunes as well.
Just 15-19 last season, Coach Mark Chambers’ team improved to 15-1 and 5-0 in the Southwest Division with a 74-63 win over Belleville West on Jan. 9. White had 29 points in the win and entered the weekend leading the team with 20.4 points and 13.1 rebounds per game.
Earlier in the week, White and his teammates have the Flyers’ gym rocking again.
Arriving anywhere near game time against Alton meant parking far from the school entrance. In the first three minutes, White brought all the blue-and-orange-clad fans out of their seats with a thunderous dunk. After the win, the 17-year-old was sought after for selfies, while his brother, Jahidi Jr.—also on the team—missed the game with an injury.
The week set up a heavyweight showdown with 12-1 Missouri powerhouse Principia at the Highland Shootout.
White had to sit that one out, though, because of a scuffle late in the Flyers’ win over West. Many close to the action, Chambers included, said White was not involved in the pushing and shoving, but was nonetheless ejected from the game, triggering a mandatory one-game suspension.
Without him, the Flyers fell to Principia, 88-54.
Go ahead and conjure any conspiracy theory about why White transferred to East St. Louis for his senior year: The “big school preys on smaller school.” “High school sports are becoming just as much business as college and the pros.”
For White and his family, they say, it was just time for a change.
“I love everybody at Chaminade. No hard feelings with them,” White said. “It was just time for a change. I feel like I needed to go somewhere where I was forced to be pushed. To get yelled at, and all that.”
Chambers said he had no idea a player of White’s caliber would show up over the summer. But, as evidenced in the game against Alton—in which he yelled at White for attempting a shot after a foul had been called—he hasn’t hesitated to push him.
“He’s just really at the tip of the iceberg, as far as how good he really can be,” Chambers said. “He’s buying into it. Our goal is for him to have success not only while he’s here, but to prepare him for the next level.”
White’s mother, Angela, describes him as outgoing and friendly, even amid the pressure of meeting expectations at 17.
“He’s always happy. Always happy,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s tough, probably, being the ‘big guy’ on the team. But he takes things as they come. We’re very proud of him, along with his two brothers and one sister.”
White plays on the wing during many Flyers possessions, but has the size and strength to play inside when needed. One thing that makes him unique as a big man is that he always looks for a long pass off defensive rebounds to teammates ready to run—leading to several easy buckets in the win over Alton.
“I feel like, facing the basket, I can get to the basket easier than if my back’s to the basket. But either way is fine with me,” White said. “When my brother comes back, it’ll be easier for me to also play down low.”
Before anyone assumes Penn State is a middle-tier school for White, the Nittany Lions lost by only two points to No. 1 Michigan on Tuesday and played in the NCAA Tournament as recently as 2023.
White admits it’s different having a prestigious college opportunity ahead while still battling in the unpredictable world of Southwest Division high school basketball.
And when he needs good advice? His NBA dad, who played with Michael Jordan in Washington, is always there.
“He’s been through it all. In the whole recruiting process, I was leaning on him mostly,” White said. “I won’t lie; at first, there was a little bit of pressure I felt, with him being my dad and playing in the NBA. But not now. He’s just there, as my dad.”
