Coach Rob Murphy announced on Monday, June 13, that Benny White will be the newest addition to the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team’s coaching staff.
White is a native of Detroit who earned All-City and All-State honors as a basketball player at Northern High School, where he graduated from in 1972.
White is a 1976 graduate of Michigan State University with a B.A. in Urban Development. He earned four basketball letters as a Spartan, was named the Most Improved Player in 1973 and was the team leader in assists in his junior season while serving as co-captain for the team.
Upon completion of his program, White stayed at MSU as a graduate assistant coach under Jud Heathcote for the 1976-77 season when the team posted a 25-5 record and took a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. He then served as a part-time assistant coach for Wayne State University for one season before taking the position as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Detroit Mercy (1978-79).
White served as the assistant coach for Albion College’s basketball team (1986-89) before moving to the west coast where he was an assistant coach for San Jose State University (1989-91). White returned to Michigan and took the assistant coaching position at the University of Detroit (1993-95).
In 1995, White was named the head boy’s basketball coach at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in Detroit. Inducted into the Detroit Public Schools Coaches Hall of Fame in 2007, he spent 15 years as the head coach of the Crusaders, posting a record of 201-89 and sending numerous student athletes into the Division I ranks. In 2007 he was inducted into the Detroit Public School League’s Coaches Hall of Fame.
White was selected as one of four coaches for the Nike Inaugural Global Challenge Game after being named the 2010 state of Michigan Regional Coach of the Year. The team featured Greg Monroe (Georgetown University), and Kemba Walker (University of Connecticut). The team took home the championship after playing teams from Africa, Canada, China and Puerto Rico.
White has also held a number of positions outside of coaching. He worked as a regional scout for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons (2006-2009). While with the Pistons, White also served as the director for basketball youth camps run by NBA greats Magic Johnson, George Gervin, Derrick Coleman, Dave Bing and Rip Hamilton.
White had two stints with Bing Steel, working as an account executive (1980-86) as well as the safety coordinator/trainer (1995-99). He also served as a special education/substitute teacher for the Detroit Public Schools from 1995-2007. Most recently, White was the executive assistant to the Mayor of Detroit.
