BASKETBALL
BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
TRULY in dear old Napoli, Traralgon’s Jack White will play for the Italian basketball club in the upcoming Lega Basket Serie A season.
Experiencing the heights of European basketball in the last 12 months, featuring in a Bundesliga championship for FC Bayern Munich, White most recently was a member of Mersin MSK in the top division in Turkey.
While the Carettalar were ultimately relegated by season’s end, with White averaging 10 points and five rebounds across the season, Mersin MSK went even better in the Basketball Champions League.
Advancing from the group stage of the FIBA European competition in dominate fashion, which pits the best teams from across all of Europe, Mersin MSK bowed out in a first round series sweep at the hands of French side Le Mans Sarthe.
White displayed unselfish play and elevated in the high intensity environment, averaging 11 points, six rebounds and a steal during the Basketball Champions League run.
Now arriving at an emerging team in Italy, Guerri Napoli missed the recent postseason by one win, and included Australian basketballer Nick Marshall for five games and former Melbourne United player Milton Doyle.
The recent announcement means White will extend for a second stint away from home shores.
Despite roster spots being available, White looked past an opportunity to return to his former NBL side in Melbourne, who have recently added the likes of long-tenured NBA player and Australian Boomer Joe Ingles and fellow Traralgon export Christian D’Angelo for the next season.
The 2026/27 Serie A season comes to a head in October, meaning White could again feature in the Boomers colours during its FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, which goes until March next year.
