Hannah White’s basketball journey took a major step forward this week when the Wheeling Central senior announced she gave her verbal commitment to Cleveland State University for the 2020-21 season.
The Vikings are a mid-major program in Division I’s Horizon League. Second-year coach Chris Kielsmeier just led CSU to just its third 20-plus win season in program history. The program is on the upswing.
White now gets to be a part of that, an opportunity that was in major jeopardy after a knee injury in a January 2019 game against Parkersburg Catholic required surgery and months of rehab.
It wasn’t just that White injured her knee that was problematic. It was when.
Not only did she miss the remainder for the 2018-19 season for the Maroon Knights, but the all-important junior-to-senior year offseason of AAU basketball, ID camps and recruiting visits.
Timing Is Everything
Coaches would be narrowing down their lists of prospective recruits and making offers. Did they really want to hold a scholarship and roster spot in hopes White recovered fully, especially when that question couldn’t be answered until the final stags of recruiting for the class of 2020?
Kielsmeier answered that question for White when he and his staff kept in contact with White throughout her recovery.
White was pretty sold on CSU after a recruiting visit her sophomore year. That family atmosphere and never leaving her side, interest-wise, throughout the rehab process made White’s decision all the easier.
“Cleveland State has always been one of my top choices since I first stepped on their campus,” White said. “They were just so welcoming and I felt comfortable. I have built a great relationship with the staff and we kept in contact throughout my entire rehab process.”
White joins her teammates Kaylee Reinbeau (Bucknell) and Eden Gainer (Columbia) in advancing to the Division I level. For anyone doubting her ability to recover from injury, this announcement was the exclamation point after an impressive senior campaign offered a resounding yes to any injury-related questions.
Hard Work Pays Off
“It’s such an amazing feeling knowing that all the hard work I have put into my comeback has paid off,” White said. “At the start of my rehab, I didn’t know if I could ever be the same, but seeing the progression in myself and now, accomplishing this is just a surreal feeling and I’m so blessed.”
Battling back is another trait White shares with her soon-to-be coach, albeit in a different way. Cleveland State announced on March 11 that Kielsmeier had been diagnosed with COVID-19. He immediately removed himself from the university to keep quarantine and started to seek treatment.
Kielsmeier is on the road to recovery and posted a video on YouTube recently, thanking the staff at the Cleveland Clinic, among others, for his quality of care and helping him to get where he is now.
“When I first met him and his staff, I loved all of their personalities and their coaching tactics, and they made me feel so welcome,” White said. “They are like a family. Coach Kielsmeier is so involved, not just with basketball, but with so many other aspects of his players’ lives. He has really turned Cleveland State around. He led them to a very successful season this year and I’m so excited to have the opportunity for him to coach me.”
How She Fits In
White average 17 points, seven boards and five steals per game as a senior in leading the Maroon Knights to the OVAC Class AA championship and a trip to the West Virginia state tournament. She earned second-team All-W.Va. laurels for her efforts, as well at first team for The Intelligencer’s All-Valley team.
But those are just stats and honorary achievements. What the Vikings are getting is a capable offensive threat from both the perimeter and off-dribble penetration, a tenacious defender and a player who has routinely proven she can push through major adversity and come out the other side showing no worse for wear.
White said she hasn’t talked exact positions with Kielsmeier yet, but being a 5-foot-8 guard, the backcourt is her home.
The Vikings are also bringing in 5-10 guard Destiny Leo from Eastlake North High School in Ohio. She was named Cleveland.com’s Player of the Year and runner-up for Ms. Basketball. White has already started getting to know her new teammate and believe they will work well together.
“Destiny is a great player and I can’t wait to play with her,” White said. “We have been getting to know each other and it seems we have a lot in common. I can’t wait to build a stronger relationship with her this year and I’m excited to get to know the other players as well.”
The Vikings finished 21-11 and 9-9 in Horizon League play this season, falling to eventual conference champion IUPUI in the conference tournament semifinals after upsetting Wright State in the quarterfinal round.
It’s the team’s best mark since finishing 21-12 in 2010-11 when the Vikings won the Horizon League and its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, only to fall to Skylar Diggins-Smith (then just Diggins) and Notre Dame, 86-58 in the first round.
Gone from this year’s team will be first-team all-Horizon guard Mariah Miller, along with fellow guard and started Jade Ely. The team returns three starters, including league Defensive Player of the Year Mariah White at guard. Down the stretch Kielsmeier started games with four guards plus forward Nadia Dumas, so the opportunity for minutes is there.
How the School Fits
White plans to major in biology as a gateway to attending medical school. She’s picking a great city to start that journey as Cuyahoga County is home to both the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, well-respected names in medical care and innovation worldwide.
The greater Cleveland area gives White a far enough cushion away from her hometown while being close enough for family and friends to visit and come watch her play.
CSU’s campus is in the heart of downtown, within walking distance of Rocket Mortgage Arena, Progressive Field, and popular spots like the Westside Market. It’s a bit of a change from Wheeling’s less than 30k population. But it’s one she’s ready for.
“It’s going to be very different for me because I’m so used to the valley and knowing everyone. But with that being said, I think change is good. I’m excited to experience new things and get a feel for the city life. I loved how Cleveland State was right in the heart of the city. I think this is a great opportunity to expand my horizons and experience something different.”
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