White’s focus set on June 26 NBA Draft

D.J. White is just two months away from achieving a life-long dream: to play in the NBA.\nThe NBA Draft will take place June 26 in New York City, but White has been preparing since the end of the NCAA tournament. White is flying to Phoenix today to work out with a personal trainer his agent hired. White said he is ready to get away and focus on the transition from the college game to the NBA.\n“I like to be away and isolated because this is the biggest time of my life,” White said. “I’ve waited for this all my life.”\nLeading up to the draft, White will attend private workouts with several NBA teams and will meet with general managers and coaches. It is a new experience for White, who said he turns to his parents for advice and includes them in every meeting and decision-making process.\nFor more specific NBA advice, White said he consults former Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson, now an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.\n“I still talk to coach Sampson sometimes,” White said. “He’s in that league now, so he knows a little bit more about it.”\nDraft-projecting Web site www.nbadraft.net­ has White going as the first pick in the second round, No. 31 overall. White said he has heard he could go anywhere from No. 18 to No. 35. \nA high number of underclassmen have declared for the draft, but White is still confident he can prove to teams that he is worth drafting.\n“It’s still early,” White said. “A lot of people can take their names out. A lot of people have declared early, but I feel confident in myself to be among the best of them. I don’t look at that.”\nWhite would have been projected higher, but he stands at just 6’8”, which makes him an undersized post player in the NBA. White said he isn’t concerned about his height, pointing to several undersized NBA players who have succeeded in the post.\n“It’s been proven that guys who aren’t 6’11” have been fine in the NBA,” White said. “I really don’t think height has anything to do with it.”\nWhite said he expects to play a supporting role when he starts out as he adjusts to the style of the NBA.\n“I figure to be a role player,” White said. “I don’t think I’ll be coming in and starting right away, but I think I can come in and contribute in a number of ways.”