Alabama high school senior basketball star Caleb White died unexpectedly on Thursday. Officials said the 17-year-old senior at Pinson Valley High School in Birmingham was pronounced dead after being transported to the hospital, shocking the school.
Caleb’s mother, Charlette Varnadoe White, released a statement.
“Caleb was loved by so many,” she continued. “Not only was Caleb a great athlete, he was a great kid. We have received an outpouring of support from the community, his high school and AAU coaches, the Administrative staff at Pinson Valley, the colleges that have recruited or shown interest in him even his barber! We are processing this tragedy as best we can.”
Gone Too Soon
According to reports, first responders were called to the school to perform lifesaving efforts that were “immediately started,” per a statement from Pinson Valley High School Principal Michael Turner. The students’ families were notified of the incident in a letter from Turner.
The Jefferson County Board of Education Public Information Officer John Huddleston said medical officials used an AED or automatic external defibrillator on White but to no avail.
On Facebook, White’s grandfather, George Varnadoe Jr., also announced the news.
“Our whole family was really looking forward to his upcoming senior season and afterwards, playing for a D-1 school and then perhaps the NBA,” Varnadoe Jr. wrote in the post. “But……it wasn’t meant to be.”
Alabama’s Next Sensation
White averaged 20.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game last season and was selected to first-team all-state as a junior. White, a point guard, was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the entire state of Alabama and No. 43 in the country, per ESPN.
“Heartbroken..No words can be gathered to provide comfort to a family and community experiencing the loss of young life,” Pinson Mayor Joe Cochran said in a social media post.
“Please lift Caleb’s family and friends along with the entire PVHS community in prayer for the hours, weeks, months and years ahead. I was honored to know Caleb personally and loved the spirit he carried. Life is fleeting, enjoy every day as the treasure it is, I know Caleb did.”
White’s friends shared an outpouring of grief on social media.
“He was a phenomenal player,” Richele Crawford, a fellow Pinson Valley High School senior, told Birmingham ABC affiliate WBMA. “It was mesmerizing to watch him. He was fun to watch all the time.”
Last season, White helped lead Pinson Valley to win its first 28 games before falling to eventual state champion Buckhorn in the Class 6A Northwest Regional Final. White played 78 games across three seasons with Pinson Valley.