Shooting for the Top : Despite Success, Jackie White Still Has Goals to Achieve

Jackie White had accomplished everything and earned all the honors she wanted in basketball at the Division II level.

She was named Division II player of the year in 1983 after leading Cal Poly Pomona to the national championship. She was chosen the final tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and was twice an All-American and All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. pick while playing for the Broncos.

But those achievements weren’t enough for White. She wanted similar success in Division I.

She transferred to Cal State Long Beach and, after sitting out last year, is a starting senior guard for the third-ranked 49ers, who will take their 8-0 record against top-ranked Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., Monday night.

When White was at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno--where she averaged 25 points a game her senior year--she set three main goals for her college career. She wanted to be an All-American, to win a national championship and to earn a degree.

She realized two of those goals at Pomona, but considers them just steps on the way to her ultimate goals.

“I couldn’t see myself staying at the Division II level when I had always looked at myself as a Division I player,” she said. “I was recruited as a Division I player and had other goals that I couldn’t reach at Division II.

“People said that playing at Pomona was lower than Division I, and to some extent, it is. That bothered me a little, and I wanted to at least try to play at a Division I school.”

White actually began her college career at Louisiana State, a Division I school. She was infatuated with the Tigers’ program, which she said had plenty of financial backing, but soon grew disenchanted with its coaching and her lack of progress during her freshman year.

She also had a touch of homesickness, and returned to California. She chose Pomona, a smaller school with a big basketball reputation, and became an instant success.

“I averaged 18 points a game there, but that doesn’t reflect how I played,” White said. “I could have scored 25 a game, but there was no need to. I had the rest of the team to score. A lot of people said I dominated there, but I didn’t. I just played at the level necessary to win.”

White was an all-around guard at Pomona--shooter, dribbler, playmaker and defensive player--but she was a bit confused about what her role would be at Long Beach.

“I thought I’d only be a playmaker here, but that isn’t my game and my stats show that,” she said. She is averaging 12.6 points, but scored a season-high 22 against San Jose State Wednesday night. She is Long Beach’s third-leading scorer behind Cindy Brown and Kirsten Cummings.

“Now that I’m familiar with my role on the team, it’s all coming back to me. The year off affected my shooting and thinking, but I feel good now. I feel confident.”

White wasn’t as optimistic two weeks ago when she ran into some personal problems that she said affected her performance on the court.

She was having car problems, which interfered with her commute from West Covina, and she didn’t have the money to make the necessary repairs. Worse, she learned that her grandfather was dying of cancer.

“For a moment, I didn’t know if I wanted to quit basketball and go out and get a job,” White said. “Since I’ve been in college, I’ve never had to ask people for help, so I didn’t know who to turn to. I wasn’t playing well, and I wasn’t being a cheerful person, and Joan (Bonvicini, the Long Beach coach) saw that. She took time out to think about one of her players.”

Bonvicini helped White get a $150 loan from the Recreation Dept.--White is a recreation major--to fix the car. White also got a job on campus during the winter break and will start next Monday. She plans to move into a Long Beach apartment before the spring semester.

“Things are looking bright and clear now,” White said. “I’m glad I stuck it out, because quitting would have been the biggest mistake of my life.

“In the last game (against San Jose), I felt I had no problems. I’m feeling like Jackie again--my game is coming back and I’m a much happier person on and off the court. The only problem that can’t be fixed is my grandfather’s.

“Other than that, I now have everything I’ve always wanted to have. I’m at a Division I school and this is the first time I’ve ever been captain of a team. Everything is just falling in place for me.”

A victory at Old Dominion Monday night would be a big boost to White and her 49er teammates. White said the game is more important for her than the 1983 Division II national championship game.

“This is my first big Division I game,” she said. “We really haven’t played any of the top teams this year, and Old Dominion is No. 1. It’s like a championship game for me, because if you beat the No. 1 team, you’re No. 1.”

The Lady Monarchs (11-0), who have not lost at home since 1981, are led by All-American forwards Medina Dixon, who is averaging 17.2 points and 9.2 rebounds a game, and Tracy Claxton, who averages 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. Center Dawn Cullen (14.6 points) and guard Marie Christian (10.2 points) also are averaging in double figures.

The 49ers counter with forwards Brown, averaging 22 points and 9.8 rebounds, and Cummings, averaging 18.9 points and 11.1 rebounds. Long Beach has averaged 89.9 points a game this season while allowing its opponents an average of 58.5 points.

“I think we match up well, size-wise, but they have one major advantage in playing at home,” Bonvicini said. “They beat us pretty good here last year (75-51), so we want to get our pride back. But we have to play 10 points better than we normally do to beat them.”

Added White: “If we can beat Old Dominion, we can beat any team in the country.”