Hoops: Barrie’s White picks Babson

‘‘At some point in late February 2007, Eric started to hint about the possibility of his playing at the next level,” Barrie coach Jack Mitchell said. ‘‘I personally believe that after Eric saw the success that his former teammates Ian Masone [Steven’s Institute of Technology, an NCAA Division III school in Hoboken, N.J.] and Jeff Whitaker [Goucher College, a Division III school in Baltimore] were having as freshmen at their respective colleges.

‘‘At that point, I think that Eric started to gain more confidence that he could, in fact, successfully compete at the collegiate level.”

Despite the late change of heart, White was able to hook up with Babson College, a Division III program located in Babson Park, Mass., after already having been accepted to the school. White learned of the school and its strong business program — ranked as one of the top-25 business schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report — through Sharice Welch, Barrie’s Dean of Collegiate Development.

‘‘Once Eric indicated his interest in playing ball at the college level, I contacted the Babson Coach, Stephan Brennan, and told him about Eric and the fact that Eric had already been admitted,” Mitchell said. ‘‘Coach Brennan, needless to say, was extremely interested in Eric and at that point began recruiting him.

‘‘Having coached at the Naval Academy, I know how difficult it can be for a college coach at an academically elite school, such as Babson, to successfully recruit a point guard that can first and foremost qualify academically to be admitted into the school and secondly, have the basketball skill sets.

‘‘We were also able to get Clark, Tufts and Brandeis involved with Eric. Eric, however, really didn’t want to explore the other hoops options that were quickly coming his way. His commitment was made to the strong national reputation of Babson’s business school,” Mitchell added.

White was three-year varsity starter and one of the team’s best players the past two seasons. As a junior, he helped lead Barrie to the Potomac Valley Athletic Valley’s North Division title through a 13-4 league record. The Mustangs won 18 games overall that season before falling to eventual champion Grace Brethren in the semifinal round of the PVAC tournament.

Despite the loss of several key players from that squad, White, who finished his career with 1,019 points, keyed the team’s return to the semifinals by averaging 16 points, six assists and six rebounds a game as a senior. Barrie compiled a 19-12 record, falling, 77-55, to Grace Brethren in the tournament semifinals.

‘‘During my four years as the head coach at Barrie, Eric has always been a key component in the rise and success of our basketball program,” Mitchell said. ‘‘As he matured and took on more responsibility and leadership, Eric quickly became part of the cornerstone of the team that won the PVAC North Division title in 2005-2006 and the leader of last year’s team that came within one game of repeating back-to-back division championships.

‘‘Eric’s a very determined and committed young man. Babson is getting a heck of great student-athlete that I’m sure that they are going to be proud of as they watch him excel in their classrooms and on the college hardwood.”

Babson, which compiled a 16-10 record a year ago, plays in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference. Brennan is a four-time conference coach of the year and has won nearly 200 games during his 12-year career.