By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The first time James White walked into the Armory Fieldhouse at the University of Cincinnati and told Jim Schnur he wanted to join the track team, Schnur didn't hesitate to welcome him aboard. After all, he had seen White play basketball for the Bearcats.

James White, a forward on the University of Cincinnati's basketball team, is also on the track team. (Tony Jones photo)

White, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Kensington, Md., then proceeded to jump 7 feet, 1 inch in practice on that first day, not bad for a guy who doesn't really know how to high jump.

"In the high jump, he's not really doing it the right way," said Schnur, who coaches the jumpers on UC's track team. "He has a problem bending over the bar. The problem he doesn't have is jumping."

White, known for his acrobatic dunks as a guard and forward on the UC basketball team, has never had a problem jumping. It comes as naturally to him as breathing does to most people. "God gave me the ability to jump, and I'm able to take advantage of it with this," White said.

White has yet to jump 7-1 in a meet, but he did jump 6-10 3/4 in his first meet as a Bearcat. That was at the Miami University Invitational on April 10. He not only won the meet but qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regional on May 28-29 in Baton Rouge, La.

He added the long jump to his repertoire at the All-Ohio Championships April 16-17 and jumped 25-7 1/2, good enough for first place. That jump, which was wind-aided, did not qualify him for the NCAA regional, but his third-best jump of the day, which was 24-1 3/4, did.

Until this spring, White, who transferred to UC from Florida in the fall of 2002, hadn't competed in a sanctioned meet since the spring of 2002. But he wasn't surprised that he did so well right off the bat, despite his poor form.

"I still have the jumping ability," he said.

Jumping higher than 6-10 3/4, though, has been a problem. He admits it has been a struggle refining his technique. If he learns to lay over the bar properly, Schnur said, White could add 6-8 inches to his jump.

"That's the next step," White said. "That's something I'm working on."

Form isn't so crucial to success in the long jump.

"You just jump as far as you can," White said. "It has more of a natural aspect to it."

White said he planned all along to join the track team when he arrived at UC. He had competed in a few meets at Florida but had to give it up because it was conflicting with basketball and the coaching staff there wasn't very flexible.

UC basketball coach Bob Huggins has been more understanding.

"I went to him first and asked him to give me permission," White said. "He said as long as I get everything done with basketball, he didn't care. He's been pretty lenient about it as far as if I miss a workout or something. He knows I'm not out here just playing around.

"I still lift three times a week (for basketball). We work out right now. We don't play as much as we usually do. I do that stuff in the mornings. In the evenings, I come here on Tuesdays and Thursdays and get my jumping in. The meets are on the weekends."

White takes a lot of kidding from his basketball teammates because he walks around in track tights so much, but Schnur says he blends in well with his fellow track athletes.

"He's a regular guy," Schnur said. "He does not put himself above everybody else."

As a track athlete, White competes before much smaller crowds than in basketball games and had to endure an 11-hour bus ride to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Drake Relays, which he won along with high hurdler David Payne. When the basketball team travels, it flies and stays in the finest hotels.

"I don't really care about all of that," White said. "I just want to come out here and have fun and compete."

How James White stacks up

LONG JUMP

White's personal best at UC: 24 feet, 7 1/4 inches

UC record: Al Lanier, 1973: 26-4 1/2

NCAA winner last year: Leevan Sands, Auburn: 26-5

NCAA meet record: Erick Walder,

Arkansas, 1993: 27-11.82

Collegiate record: Erick Walder,

Arkansas, 1994: 28-8.09

HIGH JUMP

White's personal best at UC: 6 feet, 10 3/4 inches

UC record: Rodney Johnson, 1973: 7-3

NCAA winner last year: David Jaworski, Southern California: 7-5 3/4

NCAA meet record: Hollis Conway, Louisiana-Lafayette, 1989: 7-9.7

Collegiate record: Hollis Conway, Louisiana-Lafayette, 1989: 7-10.09

---

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com