Caleb White — one of the best high school basketball players in the country — has tragically died … after his family said he collapsed during an on-court workout at school on Thursday.
White’s grandfather, George Varnadoe Jr., announced the sad news in a series of Facebook posts … saying following the medical emergency, despite the best efforts of first responders at White’s Pinson Valley High School and doctors at a nearby hospital, the point guard was pronounced dead.
“Our whole family was really looking forward to his upcoming senior season and afterwards, playing for a D-1 school and then perhaps the NBA,” Varnadoe Jr. wrote in one of the social media posts.
“But……it wasn’t meant to be.”
The Alabama High School Athletic Association said in a statement Thursday evening it’d be providing grieving students and staffers with counseling in the upcoming days.
White — a first-team all-state selection as a junior — averaged 20.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season … and according to ESPN, he was the No. 3-ranked prospect in the entire state of Alabama.
Varnadoe Jr., though, said White was so much more than a hooper … calling the teenager “an honor student, very respectful, high intellect” and an “excellent role model.”
“RIP Caleb!” Varnadoe Jr. added. “I love you man!!!!” Rest in peace.
He was just 17 years old.
