The Gainesville boys basketball team lost a lot of talent from last year’s 23-7 team that made a run to the Class 6A-Region 1 Final.
The Hurricanes (12-9) are benefiting from a key transfer from a local rival in 2023-24.
Former Buchholz Bobcat Cornelius White has made a huge impact with his new team.
White helped lead the Hurricanes to a 3-0 record last week by averaging 18 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
He has been recognized as the Pavlik Orthodontics Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 15.
His best game came last Saturday on the road at Columbia (Lake City) in a 68-51 win.
The junior scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. He was 7-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-4 behind the arc.
“Last week Corn played really well,” said GHS coach Mike Barnes. “I feel he has started to hit his stride. He played very aggressively last week, and I think he will continue to play well for the remainder of the year.”
White added 15 points and six rebounds in a 67-46 win at home against P.K. Yonge. He made five of his seven shots, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
In an 84-61 win at home the following night against Santa Fe (Alachua), White scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and added two assists and three steals. He shot 75% from the floor (6-of-8).
“He is always putting in the extra work, getting extra shots up, and watching film on his own time,” Barnes said. “He is a player who leads by example.”
He is averaging 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, one assist and 1.1 steals per game for the season.
“He is a force down low and has shown that he can step out and knock down the 3 ball,” Barnes said. “He has made some big-time plays for us this year and has had some huge games for us when we needed him the most.”
White becomes the 22nd athlete to be selected for the weekly award during the 2023-24 school year.
Last week’s winner was Nyima Gillyard of the Trenton girls basketball team.
The junior helped lead the Lady Tigers to a 2-1 week. She led her team in scoring (15.9 points) and field goal percentage (48%), while finishing third in rebounds (5.1) and steals (2.2).
Recent winners include Andrew Powell of the Oak Hall School boys basketball team and Kyler Lamb of the Williston boys basketball team.
For a complete list of winners, click here.
Coaches can email their nominations each week, along with stats, no later than Sunday night to mike.ridaught@mainstreetdailynews.com.