Lady Vikings Coach Brings Hope to Court

William White comes from a successful high school coaching background. He spent eight seasons at Boca Ciega, where he guided the team to seven district championships, three final fours and even a state championship game.

White’s overall record at Bogie was 193-45.

When he switched over to Northeast High School’s Lady Viking team, there was a definite need for something fresh.

“Having the new coach come in was pretty much a godsend,” said Robert Clemens, whose daughter plays on the team. “My daughter is doing things now that I didn’t even know she was capable of.”

Clemens’ daughter, Erica Callihan, is a junior at the high school and plans to play ball in college, which is one of Coach White’s goals with all of his players.

It isn’t as much about the playing basketball part as it is about the getting an education, White said.

“I’ve always believed that a coach’s main job is to prepare kids for the next level of their lives,” said the 37-year-old coach.

He says that each player is different and needs mentoring in a unique way. “Some need disciple. Some need motivation,” said White. “It’s about finding what they are lacking and then use the sport to help them improve themselves.”

As far as his first season with the Lady Vikings, White seems to be impressed. “These girls are some of the best kids I’ve ever been around,” said White. “They are working hard, they listen very well and they want so badly to continue to improve.”

Big improvements have shown White what the girls can really do. For instance, Northeast rival St. Pete High is known to beat the team by a hefty number. The average loss over the past five years was around 62-19. This year, St. Pete only won by six points.

Along with the team’s help, White set some goals for the season. One was to beat defending state champions Lakewood, for one quarter. Mission accomplished.

The highest bar was to secure 11 or 12 wins for the season. The team is at eight right now, which puts them in a solid position to reach that goal.

If the team wins 11 games, it would be the first time since 1999 and if they won 12, it would be the most since 1987.

The goal is within reach, but White says the girls must practice one more thing to make it a reality: “All they need to do is believe in themselves and trust their ability.”