May 12, 2009

Jeff Fedotin
Special to Rivals High

GRANDVIEW, Mo. - From ages 5 to 8, James White used to jump off everything in and around Mary Brown's house ? balconies, porches and from the dresser onto the bed. Worried he would hurt himself, White's paternal grandmother used to yell at him to stop.

Brown, however, has since reversed her stance.

"I'm glad you did jump," she said. "I see what you can do now."

The Grandview (Mo.) High junior demonstrated his leaping ability at the Winnetonka Invitational in Kansas City, Mo., on April 21. White cleared 7 feet, 5 3/4 in the high jump, which broke a 25-year national high school record. To put that height in perspective, it would have earned him an eighth-place finish at the 2008 Olympics.

Grandview jumping coach Reggie Morris had planned for White to do three or four jumps, top out at 7 feet, win the event and then call it a day. But after seeing him easily clear 7-2 on his fourth jump, Morris knew White was poised for something special.

"I felt real good that day," White said. "I just gave it my all."

That historic day largely can be attributed to White's physical gifts. He possesses great explosion, flexibility, hip extension and strong leg drive.

The 17-year-old first started track during his freshman year under the guidance of Morris, who became the Mississippi state high school champion in 1982 with a high jump of 6-10. By the end of that first season, White had improved from 5-8 to 6-6 in the high jump.

"He's been blessed," Morris said. "I know at this point that he can be an Olympian. ? Before he's done he could be an 8-foot high jumper."

White has that kind of potential despite his 5-10 height, a stature far shorter than the elite high jumpers, who typically stand at 6-2 or 6-3. However, White's father, James White Sr., said he is still growing.

For the elder White, watching his son can conjure up surreal flashbacks. Now a plumber, White Sr., also high jumped at Grandview. He said he topped "6-something" in 1984.

"I thought that was something back then," James White Sr. said. "But he just took it and ran with it."

The record-breaking performance at Winnetonka was not the only time White Sr. marveled at his son's achievements. He set the Kansas Relays' all-time mark with a jump of 7-3 1/4. Perhaps his most impressive display occurred at a Lee's Summit (Mo.) North meet on April 24. White reached 7-3 on his third jump despite winds of 25 to 30 mph.

"There easily could've been excuses," Morris said. "He attacked as if it was a regular, normal day, and that's what I like about him. Regardless of the circumstances, he's consistent in what he does."

White, though, could attack the basket more on the basketball court. The leading scorer on Grandview's JV team, he does not use his jumping skill to slash to the basket and elevate over opponents - as one would expect. Instead he is a perimeter weapon with unlimited range. White sank nine 3-pointers during a win against Ruskin (Mo.) High this season. Morris, Grandview's assistant basketball coach and a former player at Creighton, said White has Division I-ability in basketball if he hones his driving and midrange game.

The basketball player initially took up high jumping so that he could learn to dunk. He has since thrown down jams from the free-throw line and with either hand during games. Next year the high jumper/shooting guard will serve as a focal point on the Grandview varsity basketball team.

Asked which sport he prefers, White and Morris laughed simultaneously.

"It's track now," White said, "for sure."

In addition to his athletic ability, White excels at both sports because of his work ethic. Each day he goes through a 30-40 minute, pre- and post-practice routine of stretching, strength training and plyometrics.

White begins the regimen by running a lap forward and then backward. In between his stretching, he performs abdominal exercises, pushups and bounding. Having strong abdominal muscles helps White contort his body over the bar. The exhausting jumping work increases his explosion, and the stretching improves his flexibility.

"A lot of kids don't want to do the stretches," Morris said. "He doesn't complain. He goes at it with the right attitude."

His father instilled that toughness and discipline. When his son was 4 years old, he would play catch with him and throw the ball with a speed typically reserved for adults. White Jr. still snared the ball regularly.

"If he's gonna play a sport, he's got to be into the sport," White Sr. said. "He can't be afraid of the sport."

White Sr., who also serves as his AAU basketball coach on the X Factors, said that his son could have become a very good baseball player but became bored with the pace of the game.

This summer, however, White Jr. will focus on track and participate at the Kansas State Wildcat Track and Field/Cross Country Camp, which should aid White's skill development. In addition to receiving instruction from a college coaching staff, he could benefit from competing with other elite high jumpers.

White plans to go to college for high jumping but has not compiled a list of prospective schools. Location of the school does not matter. White Sr. wants his son to enroll at the best track program he can and one that also has a strong academic background.

During college and the remainder of his high school career, White still needs to work on extending his neck farther back as he goes over the bar. By doing so, it would elevate his hips and give him an additional 3 to 4 inches on each jump.

"That's the only flaw I see," Morris said. "If we can get him to do that on a consistent basis on a warm, hot day, then the 7-7 shouldn't be any problem."

White already has bested Dothel Edwards, who set the previous high school record of 7-5 1/4 in Athens, Ga., in 1984, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the governing body for American high schools. Cuba's Javier Sotomayor holds the all-time mark of 8 feet, .46 inches, set in 1983.

"My top goal would be to break the world record," White said, "and compete in the Olympics."

Before taking on the world, though, he has the more immediate quest of winning the state high jump title. And oddsmakers would place him as the heavy favorite.

"I pretty much would bet his house and mine on it," Morris said.

Perhaps he would bet Mary Brown's house as well.

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