Caleb White, a 17-year-old high school basketball star, has died after collapsing during an on-court scrimmage with teammates on Thursday.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced White’s death just hours after he took the court for the final time with his teammates. He was coming off a breakout season at Pinson Valley High School, scoring nearly 21 points per game as a junior.
- Caleb White stats (2022-’23): 20.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.1 SPG
White was in the midst of a scrimmage with his teammates on Thursday, preparing for his senior season at Pinson Valley. He suddenly collapsed, with trainers rushing to his side and paramedics called. Despite life-saving efforts at the school and the hospital, White was later pronounced dead on Thursday.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Caleb’s family, his classmates and basketball team and extended school family. He was an outstanding student-athlete who played in the North-South All-Star Basketball Game last month. He was an outstanding student-athlete and role model.”
AHSAA executive director Alvin Briggs on the death of Caleb White
White joined Pinson Valley as a freshman in 2020, per MaxPreps, averaging 8.4 points in his first season. By his sophomore year, White was averaging 17.3 points per game and averaging more steals (2.6) than assists (2.1) per game. After his breakout junior season, White was a finalist for the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 6A Player of the Year. He also earned first-team all-state honors this past year.
“My heart is extremely heavy. My grandson, Caleb White, was working with his team a short while ago. He collapsed on the floor. They tried resuscitating him. When that didn’t work, he was then transported to the hospital.”
George Varnadoe Jr. on the death of his grandson, Caleb White
White’s mother Charlotte told Alabama.com that her son’s death has been initially ruled as cardiac arrest. However, further testing will be done and an official cause of death hasn’t been released to the public.
While White was not among the top 100 players in the 2024 high school recruiting class, he was rated as one of the best basketball players in Alabama and was expected to generate significant interest from colleges during his senior season.