Ottawa-Glandorf Colin White celebrates with the bench after a win over Margaretta in the regional finals.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
OTTAWA – Throughout his four years of high school, Ottawa-Glandorf’s Colin White logged countless hours in the gym.
White always dreamed of someday playing basketball at the Division I college level. He also strived to lead Ottawa-Glandorf to the state tournament.
White led the Titans to the state tournament in all four years of his high school career. He’s also committed to Ohio State to play Division I basketball next school year.
This past Friday, O-G lost to Harvest Prep in a Division III state semifinal, 61-59. White led O-G with 32 points and 13 rebounds and went over 2,000 points in his career in that state semifinal game. The Titans ended their season with a record of 24-4.
Last week, White was voted Ohio’s 2024 Mr. Basketball by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association. He is already a two-time first-team Division III All-Ohio selection and is expected to receive that honor for a third time when this year’s All-Ohio teams are announced this week.
White, a 6-foot-6 guard averaged 24.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game this season (heading into the state semifinal).
Also, this season, White was named Division III Player of the Year on the All-Northwest Ohio basketball team. He was named the Western Buckeye League Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. White is the career scoring leader at Ottawa-Glandorf and the all-time scoring leader in Putnam County.
Along with the many accolades White has received this season, he was named the boys 2024 Player of the Year on The Lima News Dream Team for the second year in a row.
“I think the big thing is the impact that he has on the kids in our program, especially with the younger kids,” Ottawa-Glandorf coach Tyson McGlaughlin said. “They see the work that he puts in. I think a lot of fans see the games and the highlight reels, but they don’t see him hitting the gym at 6 a.m. They don’t see him putting in time after the game and things like that. That kind of stuff has resonated within our program.
“Our younger kids understand what’s going on. They realize that if you want something, you have to make it happen. I think that is kind of the mindset that he’s brought. He and (teammate) Caden (Erford, 6-4, senior) have been relentless in the gym, and our younger guys are doing that now. … That’s not because of me. That’s because of him (White),” he said.
White said he thrives on getting his teammates involved.
“A lot of teams try to take stuff away from me, but that opens things up for my teammates. And that is great for us. I love that,” White said. “Those guys (his teammates) put a lot of time in the gym and they’re confident guys. So they’re going to step up and take the big shots, drive to the lane, and take it hard to the rim. They have a lot of confidence, and I have a lot of confidence that they’re going to make the right plays. It’s really special to have those types of guys around.”
McGlaughlin points to White’s unselfish style of play as the key to his success.
“We understand, as coaches, that he kind of picks and chooses his time and where he needs to score,” McGlaughlin said about White. “He can average 35 points per game in high school basketball, but that’s not going to make us a better team, necessarily. But when the game is on the line and we need somebody to create something, he knows that it’s his time. He has that sense of urgency to take over and make plays when we need them.”
White is looking forward to playing at the next level when he takes his skills to Ohio State next school year.
“I’m super excited to go to Ohio State. I grew up as an Ohio State guy,” White said. “I’ve had Ohio State shirts on since I was a little kid. It’s such a special place. After visiting there and talking to the staff and everything, I knew it was the right fit for me. The staff is what really did it for me. Going there was like a dream scenario.”
McGlaughlin said that despite all the hype and publicity that surrounded White, his star player remained grounded and focused throughout his high school career.
“He’s still the same Colin. That’s what I like. He’s just a great kid. He has a good personality. He always has a smile on his face. The thing I think Colin has learned over time is that athletic ability can only take you so far. He really had to make a decision to really work on his game and improve it if he wanted to play at the next level, especially at a high level. So for the last two years, he’s been at the gym before school, three or four days a week. That hard work has really paid off,” McGlaughlin said.
White said he has been driven to take his game to the next level.
“I feel like you dream about that stuff (playing at a Division I college) when you’re a kid,” White said. “You just want to play for a college team. Once you get on the AAU circuit, you start to get calls from coaches, and it makes you work that much harder. You want a better offer. You want a high-major offer. You want to get an offer from Ohio State. … Stuff like that keeps you working hard. It keeps you driven. It keeps you focused on the task at hand.”
The other members of this year’s boys Dream Team are Cameron Elwer (Delphos St. John’s), Jordan Priddy (Lima Central Catholic), Beckett Bertke (Shawnee), Aiden Harris (Pandora-Gilboa), Shawn Foster (Lima Senior), Caden Erford (Ottawa-Glandorf), Carter Sudhoff (Spencerville), Zori Island (Elida), and Evan Angstmann (St. Marys).
