Via UNC Athletic Communications:
CHAPEL HILL – Stilman White, who started at point guard for the University of North Carolina in a pair of NCAA regional games in 2012, is returning to school and the men’s basketball team. White missed the last two seasons as he participated on a Mormon mission.
White played in 34 games as a freshman in 2011-12 as a backup to Bob Cousy award winner Kendall Marshall. Marshall suffered a broken wrist in UNC’s third round win over Creighton and White became the starter for the next two games. He had two points, six assists and zero turnovers against Ohio in the Sweet 16 and a season-high four points and seven assists without a turnover against Kansas in the South region championship game.
For the season, White had 29 points, handed out 32 assists and committed only five turnovers in 196 minutes.
“We’re glad to have Stilman back in school and with our team,” says UNC head coach Roy Williams. “He had to make his first two collegiate starts in the middle of the NCAA Tournament and performed well. He has not played much basketball the last two years and is coming off an ankle injury so he has some work to do to catch up. But he will give us additional experience and depth in the backcourt.”
White, who will be a sophomore next season, attended Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C.
UNC will have five point guards on the roster next season but I am guessing only three will see significant minutes. White returns after spending two seasons away completing his Mormon mission. The last time we saw the sophomore he was putting up seven assist versus zero turnovers in UNC's Elite Eight loss to Kansas in 2012. White did an admirable job filling in for the injured Kendall Marshall but it wasn't enough to get past the Jayhawks.
The question, now that White has returned, is how the scholarships will play out? Going into the 2014-15, UNC has 11 "recruited" players slated for next season's roster. That means there will be three players, White, Jackson Simmons and Luke Davis for two scholarships. Davis and Simmons will be seniors so it may make sense to allow them to finish their UNC careers on scholarship. Then again both of those players were brought in as "preferred walk-ons" while White was given a scholarship offer straight out of high school.
In the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge deal just a decision Roy Williams will need to make.
