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CHAMPAIGN — Tre White called his arrival at Illinois this spring a “big deep breath of relief.”
A venture back into the transfer portal after spending the 2023-24 season at Louisville came with some trepidation.
That particular move didn’t work out.
White earned Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors at Southern California, opted to transfer to the Cardinals and then hit the portal again after Louisville coach Kenny Payne was fired after winning just 12 games in two seasons.
Illinois provided a chance at a fresh start after Louisville’s disaster of a season. That White already had a relationship with the Illini coaching staff was important. So was the fact their vision for what he could do on the court — as in take advantage of his combination of size and athleticism as a 6-foot-7, 205-pound guard who averaged 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds last season at Louisville — aligned with his.
All of that mattered. So did the feeling White had when he arrived in Champaign this past spring on a visit.
“When we first pulled into Champaign, the energy just felt super clean, super calming and relaxing,” White said. “Going into the portal, the way I was thinking, I want to make this my last stop and make this my best fit. Be a winner. Be a part of that culture. I feel like everything here about Champaign kind of fits.”
White has only been in Champaign a few months, but he appreciates what he called a “slower, family vibe.” Embraced it, really, by making sure he gets time away from Ubben Basketball Complex — and basketball altogether — to decompress and relax.
That’s when you can find White at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana or Dana Colbert Park in Savoy. Fishing. It’s a hobby he enjoyed growing up in Dallas and one he’s taken up again after landing in central Illinois.
White usually has a sidekick with him, too. Where you find the 6-7 guard you’ll also find 3, his American Bully dog.
“I haven’t been fishing since I was like a little kid, but I’ve been going fishing every other week,” White said. “I’ve been trying to catch bass. I’ve caught a couple bass, but it’s usually just crappie and stuff like that at Crystal Lake. I feel like the bigger ones are smarter. They know people are fishing there.”
White isn’t breaking out his rod and reel just to kill time in the slower summer months with fewer people on campus. He finds value in the time away from basketball given the schedule and routine he’s kept since arriving at Illinois.
White doesn’t shy away from the work necessary to keep improving his game. He said he’s in Ubben three to four times a day. But getting away for some time alone makes it easier to keep going back.
“For me, unwinding is a good way to make sure I can go 100 percent in here,” White said. “Working out three to four times a day, going hard, it gets kind of mentally challenging after your second workout or third workout trying to come back in the gym and go hard again. It’s having little things to take your mind off your soreness, take your mind off working out.
“I feel like my dog really helps with that, too. Just to have something else to focus on and chill so when it’s time to come back into the gym, I’m fully relaxed.”
Staying consistent with that routine of regular workouts is how White wants to finish out his first summer in Champaign. It’s how he believes he can fine-tune his game to become a high-level shot maker, defender and playmaker. All of his workouts have been tailored to meet those goals.
“My main motto and mantra I tell myself is, ‘Day by day,’” White said. “Try to do the little things, and over a year, you make great leaps. I know for sure I have goals for myself, but staying consistent in my routine is how I’m going to get there.
“I want to win. I want to compete. Being a couple years into college, I feel like everybody eats once you win. I feel like if we make it to that last, main stage, that’s an opportunity for everybody.”
Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
