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recruited her to Purdue, provided a chance for her life to go full circle even before White has reached middle age. Yet the experience of winning the WNBA title was very different than her college experience. In college she was able to enjoy it for days and weeks with her teammates. When the Fever won it all last fall, the team dispersed 24 hours later. But there was one thing that was very much the same between the Boilermakers and the Fever. ���We weren���t the most talented team at Purdue when we won the championship and we weren���t the most talented team in the WNBA last year,��� White said. ���But (in both instances) we had the best team.��� It is hard for White not to keep an eye on her alma mater, and she admits the Boilermakers��� late-February swoon has been surprising. Yet, ever the can-do person, she looks for Purdue to rebound in time for March. ���They have to re-establish the swagger and confidence that they expect to win, and I think you can never underestimate what that mentality brings night in and night out,��� said White, who was part of two regular-season Big Ten title teams as a Boilermaker. ���I think that the area they have to get better in the postseason is being more consistent and taking care of the basketball. If they do that, they can finish the season strong.��� Words to live by from someone who has traveled that road of finishing strong a time or two. j Tom Campbell White, who was injured late in the national title win over Duke in 1999, relishes the ability to be a champion at the college and professional level, though the experiences were quite different. to bring him when I���m going somewhere where that���s possible. ���But when it���s not, it is awfully difficult. I don���t know how coaches or people who travel all the time for work do it.��� White relies on family and friends to help when she is working. She has built up a pretty staunch network. As a player, the West Lebanon, Ind., native always used all her resources at her disposal, and as a mom she is no different. Technology has come in handy. ���I don���t know how they did it before Skype and Facetime,��� she said. Her coaching gig with the Fever has her on the road, but the fact that it is just a 34-game schedule (in the regular season) with 17 games at home makes that manageable. The fact that White���s work schedule is focused on December through March and then late May through mid-September allows her some needed time off as well. White didn���t achieve the lofty status as a player without constant improvement. She feels the same way about her broadcast career. She knows it is necessary not to sound too much like a coach on the air and that you have to ask questions that fans might want to know, and not focus just on things interesting to you. Like with raising Landon, there is a balancing act in the analyst role as well. ���It is a very sensitive subject when you are in coaching and a former player to point out little things that you are critiquing,��� White said. ���You always want to be positive when you are in that situation. A lot of times you have to be positive, yet provide constructive criticism at the same time.��� Having won a national title at Purdue in 1999, White���s championship ride with the Fever last summer was a chance to do it all over again. The fact that her boss on the bench is Lin Dunn, the coach that GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com David Boudia, Olympic gold medalist Respect Relationships helped me reach for the gold. My family, friends and coaches guided me along the way to become who I am. My bank is my mentor, too, as we dive in tandem into the financial world. Corporate HQ | 101 Main St. | www.LSBANK.com / 742-1066 Gold & Black IllustrateD ��� volume 23, issue 4 ������ 51