Eastern States 1947 — Sherman White

Long Island University basketball great Sherman White, who was closing in on the National Collegiate Athletic Association scoring record when he and teammates were arrested in a point -shaving scandal in 1951, previously made his mark in high school tournament play at Glens Falls.

Seventy-five years ago, White “paved the way to victory” as Dwight Morrow High School of Englewood, N.J., won The Post-Star championship trophy at the 1947 Eastern States Basketball Tournament, held that year at Glens Falls Junior High School.

White, individually, won the Hubert C. Brown trophy for Most Valuable Player in the tournament and The Glens Falls Times trophy for most successful foul shots in a single game.

The tournament, held annually at Glens Falls from 1920 through 1955, with the exception of a few years during World War II, featured top high school basketball teams from along the eastern seaboard.

“White, using his six feet, six inches of height to perfection, was invaluable off the board and clicked on the pivot,” The Post-Star reported on March 31, 1947.

White might have increased in stature after the tournament win.

Reports of the college play consistently report he was six-foot-eight.

But he lost favor in the sports world.

White was imprisoned for 12 months at Rikers Island jail and was permanently banned from playing in the National Basketball Association as punishment for his role in the point-shaving scandal.

Post-Star sports writers in 1947 touted White in pre-tournament reporting as a player to watch.

“Metropolitan District sports writers who have seen the Englewood outfit in operation grow lyrical in their praises of the squad as a whole and Sherman White as an individual ace,” The Post-Star reported on March 20. “Individual scoring records took a beating this season from the lanky pivotman.”

White scored 490 points during the regular season, successfully making 196 regular baskets and 98 foul shots.

“Many a coach would feel happy if his entire team came through with that many baskets in the season,”

In the first round of tournament play on March 27, Dwight Morrow defeated defending champion Emerson High School of Union City, N.J., 48–47 in overtime.

It was a traditional-rivalry without a home-court advantage for the two schools that were only about 20 miles apart.

Ray Bernardini of Emerson, who later played for Georgetown University, kept White from his usual high-scoring play for much of the game, but White “managed to shine” in overtime, The Post-Star reported on March 28.

“Sherman White, towering center for the victors, was the hero of the game as he came through with two quick field goals in the extra session to provide the margin of victory.”

In the second round, Dwight Morrow defeated Sommerville High School of Sommerville, Mass. 57–31.

White, “snaring rebounds, dropping shots from all over, and clicking from the charity line,” scored 27 points and “was the whole show,” The Post-Star reported on March 29.

In the championship game, about 1,600 people watched as Dwight Morrow defeated Staunton Military Academy 53–44.

Other teams in the tournament were Greensboro High School of Greensboro, N.C., All Hallows Catholic High School of New York City, Suffield Academy of Suffield, Conn., and Seton Hall High School of South Orange, N.J.

Jack Kiley, of Seton Hall, went on to play two seasons for the Fort Wayne Pistons of the NBA.

After the 1947 tournament, Post-Star sports writers kept track of White as he advanced through college-level play.

“The name of Sherman White will probably be soon familiar to metropolitan sports fans, for sharpshooting Sherm is rated as one of the key figures in Long Island University’s court hopes for the next three campaigns,” Post-Star Sports Editor Sheldon Nulty wrote on Nov. 20, 1947.

White frequently was mentioned in Eastern States Tournament coverage, at least through 1953.

“Eastern States Tournament talk is starting to circulate. And a former tourney star, Sherman White, New Jersey ace now playing for LIU, is doing better than alright in college ranks,” The Post-Star reported on March 7, 1950. “In a recent game Sherm poured through 63 points as LIU thumped John Marshall 119 to 82. That effort set a new metropolitan scoring record.”

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