In Syracuse’s forgettable season, freshman Sadiq White proves he’s a keeper
Sadiq White fought through a shoulder injury in Syracuse's 15-point loss to Louisville Tuesday but returned and finished with eight points. Adam Mouchrani | The Louisville Cardinal
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sadiq White walked off the court like a soldier walking off the battlefield. There was 5:19 left in the game, and the Orange had just cut their deficit to 11, the lowest of the half.
Yet White could barely move his dominant left arm. He dribbled and passed the ball with his right arm, leading to an eventual Nate Kingz dunk. Seconds earlier, he held his left arm in pain, signaling to the bench for a substitution. White fought all he could.
That’s what he came to Syracuse to do. As the Orange’s season plummets, White is finding his stride. He won’t stop now.
Despite Syracuse’s (15-15, 6-11 Atlantic Coast) 77-62 loss to Louisville (21-9, 10-7 Atlantic Coast) Tuesday, White showed yet again he’s making strides late in his freshman campaign. He fought through a first-half left shoulder injury to score eight points on six shots. The performance built off his ACC-best 12 points just three days earlier against Wake Forest.
As ESPN’s No. 28 prospect in the 2025 class, White is the exact player head coach Adrian Autry desired for his tenacious, defensive-minded vision. As Autry and SU’s goals crumble, White is peaking right on time for a potential late-season miracle.
“I love his energy. He’s actually rebounding more. That was something that we challenged him on,” Autry said postgame of White. “I love his talk. I love the way he moves the balls on offense. He screens, he’s a great screener, rolling. He’s been really good the last three games for us.”
Sadiq White rises for a push shot in Syracuse’s 15-point loss to Louisville Tuesday. White had eight points and four rebounds in the contest. Courtesy of Dennis Nett | Syracuse.com
Autry wants toughness. He made it clear in the offseason and even clearer after Syracuse’s loss to Wake Forest Saturday. He said the word, or a form of it, 12 times. How’s this for toughness?
With under 90 seconds to play in the first half against Louisville, White jumped sky-high in hopes of collecting a rebound over four Cardinals. The Orange trailed 39-18. Amid the scrum, White’s left arm caught Ryan Conwell’s mid-air. White came down rolling in pain, staying on the ground until play was stopped on the other end.
He left for the locker room with help from Syracuse’s training staff, barely moving his left arm. After halftime, White came out with a heavily wrapped left shoulder under his jersey and was questionable to return per an SU Athletics spokesperson.
Louisville kept its lead around the 20-point threshold until White checked in with 12:51 to go. He immediately snagged an offensive rebound and ignited a 12-5 run to bring Syracuse back. Though it doesn’t stop there.
White slammed home a breakaway dunk, secured a steal and collected more rebounds. Then the shoulder injury returned. He snagged a rebound but immediately signaled to the bench, prompting Autry to move Donnie Freeman to the scorer’s table for a substitution. Wincing in pain, White inbounded the ball on the next possession with his right hand. He stayed in a few more possessions before checking out.
“Sadiq has been making strides, even just his mindset and just the maturity in the role he’s grown into, just as a freshman,” point guard Naithan George said postgame. “He’s been an excellent leader, and that just goes to show on the court, and it’s being shown, he’s been playing phenomenal.”
White substituted in with just over a minute to go, finishing out the game with a minus-four plus-minus mark in 16 minutes. The tally was one of Syracuse’s best.
After SU’s loss to Wake Forest and Autry’s ensuing rant, White pointed to the Orange hanging their hat on defense to get back on track. He acknowledged that everyone is frustrated, saying they all want to win despite the poor results.
White quickly assimilated into Syracuse’s energizer bunny. He turned heads in practice by becoming a vocal leader despite his youth. It’s led to an increased role as the season progresses.
“I feel like my energy from day one is going to set the tone and be able to be a separator,” White said at SU’s media day on Oct. 15. “Just coming and being me. I know my game. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. I came to Syracuse to tighten up my weaknesses, but also continue to play on my strengths.”
Autry brought in White to match his system. The reality is Autry might not be in charge of Syracuse in the near future. No matter who the head coach is once the transfer portal opens, it’d be wise to convince White to stick around. Tuesday’s fight amid a blowout further proved it.
