Canton’s humble hoops star White honored for career achievements
B. Artis White is pictured with family, friends and former coaches during a ceremony that honored his accomplishments with the Canton basketball program.
Excelling in a sport generally dominated by giants, 5-foot-11ish B. Artis White’s love for basketball fueled his court career to stratospheric heights — both at Canton High School and at the next level at Western Michigan University and the University of Richmond (Va.).
White was honored Friday night during the break between Canton’s girls-boys hoops doubleheader for his impressive list of career accomplishments as a Chief.
Not only did White (who was 5-foot-5 as a freshman at Canton) finished his four-year varsity career with 1,175 points — second only to Dietrich Lever — his 291 assists is third all-time in school history.
White’s 207 three-point makes are also a record at Canton.
He loves getting his teammates involved
While his shooting accuracy — both from beyond the arc and on slashing drives in the paint — was off the charts, White said he received just as much satisfaction from the assists he accumulated.
“It’s surreal being back here in the presence of my family and all my friends,” White said, moments after receiving a plaque that recognized his 1,175 points. “It’s just a good feeling to be back home.
“As far as the assists go, I loved seeing my teammates thrive and seeing basketball bring them as much joy as it brought me.”
White is the son of Benny White, a former star point guard for Michigan State University in the mid-70s and a successful basketball coach, both at the high school and collegiate levels.
Dad was No. 1 hoops mentor
“I was born into a basketball family, so it was easy for me to pick up on things,” White said. “My dad taught me so much about basketball. A lot of times he probably thought I wasn’t listening to him when I was a kid, but he found out later that I was listening to him the whole time.”
White said his dad taught him all of the intricacies it takes to be successful in basketball, but his extraordinary hops — he can dunk despite his right-around-6-foot height — came from his mom, Staci.
“She was a dancer, so I think I got my jumping ability from my mom,” he said, smiling.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from WMU and a master’s degree at Richmond, White said he still yearning for a chance to play professional basketball.
Ready for return to court
He had surgery on his hip earlier this year and is heading into the homestretch of his recovery period.
“I can’t wait to get out on the court again,” he said.
In addition to his impressive basketball resume, White is a social-media star with over 1 million followers on TikTok.
White said he is currently working with mentally ill youth at a group home.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
