First Impression:Tra'vaughn White

By Steve DiMiceli

At the time I'm writing the bulk of this entry, I've only seen Tra'vaugh play twice because an eye injury kept him out of what should have been his third and fourth games. In those two games he's averaged 26 points and that's not adjusting for him leaving his second game early. Tra'vaughn can flat out fill it up. Since then, he played in two more games and that conclusion hasn't changed. 



Athleticism/Physical Makeup

We've seen White listed anywhere from 5'7'' to 6'0, but I would guess he's about my height putting him right around 5'10. He has a muscular upper body and is thickly built for a guard. White is very quick with an excellent first step, but he's also capable of physically mixing it up with players.

Tendencies

White can do it all offensively. He has a quick release and gets his shots up and over defenders quickly.  He can finish around the hoop and has a strong mid-range game and an easy three point jumper. He didn't set up his teammates much in the first two games, but did a little more since.

Effort to Output

Seemed very relaxed. He might have another gear but there is no need for him to use he. He did take a high volume of shots, but nothing outrageous.

Decision Making

He takes a lot of shots, but didn't take many bad shots. When he makes mistakes, he has a tendency to get trapped deep with no choice but to force one up. Often, those are the shots that get blocked.  I'm not sure about his vision just yet as he's drawn help defense in the post, but has yet to lay it off to the open man that I can recall.

Player Comparison


I don't think his game is all that similar to Derrick Colter, but I thought comparing them would be a nice frame of reference for Duquesne fans. Both are high volume guards and will likely require a lot a of touches to be most effective. Where Colter is more of a playmaker, I think White is more of a scorer. In general, Colter is a better passer but White is a better finisher.

White reminds me a little of a more strongly built Carl Jones. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor, he can handle the ball and get to the rack. He looks like he could take over a game and it would not surprise me if White managed to average 17 points a game in a season.

First Year Outlook

If White is half as efficient as he was in junior college, he'll be an above average A-10 guard and an immediate upgrade over last year. If he's 60% as efficient, he'll be an easy all conference selection. White should be an asset for the Dukes and could be one of the more underrated additions in the A-10. He looks comfortable playing the one or two and I suspect he will have no problem playing off Colter much of the time. I also think both guards will be able to get the touches they need as Duquesne should finish among the NCAA leaders in possessions per game.