As an athlete, it is crucial to receive support, motivation and inspiration from peers. Luckily for the White siblings, sophomore Kitty and freshman Harrington, their dominance on the basketball court comes from their unwavering dedication to the sport, which can be attributed to their parents. Raised in England, both of their parents participated in sports at a high level in their childhood. Their father, Marcus White, played rugby at the county level in his youth and has also completed six marathons in five days across the Sahara Desert. Their mother, Tessa White, was a competitive swimmer. Both parents have a strong work ethic and are incredible role models for the White siblings to look up to. Growing up, Kitty and Harrington were able to watch their parents as they trained for their respective marathons, ultra races and Ironmans, proving the favorable results of putting in work.
“[My kids] understand that if you want to do hard things, you need to put some effort in,” Tessa said.
Their parents’ involvement in their basketball careers is admittedly something that sets them apart from their competitors. Tessa and Marcus are huge supporters of Kitty and Harrington and remind them to stay focused because of where their own training took them.
Tessa acknowledges that each of their personalities play a significant role in their success. For Kitty, it is her overall care for her team and her pride in being a good teammate.
“[Kitty] takes as much pride out of a game where she doesn’t necessarily score a whole load of baskets, but she’s the one that assists a lot,” Tessa said.
Kitty’s undeniable care and priority for the sport helped her to be one of the only freshman on varsity last season. One of her coaches, Kayden Korst, was impressed with her skill set when she showed up to tryouts her freshman year. Korst was especially moved by Kitty’s dribbling, shooting skills and work in transition from offense to defense. Over the span of her freshman season, Kitty started in many games and scored an impressive 348 points.
“[Kitty has gotten] faster, bigger and stronger. She makes better decisions, [is a] better shooter, [is] more outspoken on defense and [has] better energy. Everything she brought to our team freshman year, she has doubled,” Korst said.
This development can be credited to Kitty’s hard work and her coachability.
“She’s just one of those kids where you see she makes a mistake and she knows she made the mistake. She knows what she can get better at,” Korst said.
Rather than dwelling on a mistake, Kitty actively tries to improve and learn from it. This has certainly brought her to where she is now.
Over the span of her freshman year, Kitty learned more than just basketball but also how to feel comfortable at Redwood.
“Being a freshman on varsity was a really amazing experience. [I was able] to make strong bonds with seniors and it was a really good way to get into the high school life,” Kitty said.
For someone like Kitty, her extra work is what has set her ahead of other players. Even when she was younger, Kitty was disciplined, arriving at Del Mar Middle School two hours before the first bell to practice shooting. Her mom explained that teachers would often send her notes regarding Kitty’s early appearance at school, making sure that all was well.
It’s not just Kitty who has this work ethic. Harrington’s motivation comes from his aspiration to be like the higher-level players he sometimes plays with. This will serve him well in this year’s season, as he is the only freshman on the boys’ junior varsity (JV) basketball team and has put in a lot of work to get there. On top of practicing every weekday with the Redwood team, he also plays with other basketball clubs including 24/8 Marin and North Bay Basketball Association. Ever since he started basketball in fourth grade, he has had a passion for the sport.
“[Basketball] has had a big influence on [my life] and has become my personality,” Harrington said.
Despite being just a freshman, Harrington aspires to play Division 1, overseas or even play professionally for the National Basketball League. To get there though, he hopes to improve by making himself even more of a team player and helping the JV team have a successful season. Harrington is only just starting his first season but has a promising future ahead of him.
The White siblings also have grown as players from practicing together. During COVID-19, they would workout together every day, whether it be an online workout or a team workout.
“They have been lucky to have each other and be [interested] in the same sports. It helps when your sibling can [compete] with you,” said Tessa. The White siblings are willing to put in the work, which will ultimately bring them success in the future and it isn’t going unnoticed.
“As a parent, it is a very proud thing to witness,” Tessa said.
