Last Sunday the Bradley women’s team had an 8-PT win over Drake in the MVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Braves lost 3 straight games to finish February but won 5 in a row in March to get into the NCAA tourney for the 1st time ever. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Nyjah White about her fabulous father and making the NCAA tourney.
You were born in Michigan and grew up in Missouri: what made you choose Bradley? I had 2 offers coming out of high school: Bradley and Western Illinois. I liked the chance to be a part of something here that has not been done before so I joined the rebuilding effort.
You play for Coach Andrea Gorski: what makes her such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from her? She pushes us every day in practice and is 1 of the best leaders for us both on and off the court. 1 big thing I learned from her is to live in the moment and not take anything for granted, which has helped me grow a lot.
You set a school record last year with 22 wins: how devastating was it to end your season prematurely due to COVID? It was really hard for a lot of us: we were literally getting ready to board the bus to go to the MVC tourney so I felt very bad for our seniors. We had so much more to give.
You are majoring in graphic design: why did you pick that subject, and what is the post-graduation plan? I am really interested in art and had never done digital art before. I plan on using my extra year so hopefully I will get to play some more basketball!
What is it like to be a college basketball player during a pandemic? It is really tough. We are used to seeing fans in the stands but are still grateful to get to practice/play/compete. Even without the fans it is about who is more locked in at that point.
You had 3 straight losses to finish February: how were you able to get things back on track in March? Coach says that we are 1 of those teams where we play hard when there is something to fight for, such as winning a championship, so we were not going to give up.
Last Sunday you scored 10 PTS in an 8-PT win over Drake in the MVC tourney title game: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It was really exciting: I never won a state title in high school so to win 1 here when no other Bradley team had ever done that means that we will go down in history.
2 of your best players are Lasha/Mahri Petree: what is it like to have teammates who are sisters? It is really entertaining: you get to see the arguments and competitiveness but it has been fun to see them excel and I love playing with both of them.
Your father Albert was a 1995 McDonald’s All-American and played pro basketball for several years: who is the best athlete in the family? Obviously it is him: it is between me and him but he has a lot more accolades under his belt.
How do you feel about being a #11-seed, and what do you know about Texas? It is better than being a #16-seed! The Longhorns are a big team and have a soon-to-be-WNBA player on their roster in Charli Collier. We have to rise to the occasion against elite competition and I am excited.