The rise of Michai White has fit the summer’s broader theme: smaller guards making life miserable for defenses.
White, a 6-foot, 175-pound guard from Albany City Rocks and now at Prolific Prep in Florida, has pushed himself firmly into the national conversation as a Class of 2028 five-star. His game is built on pace, touch and pressure, and the offers have piled up accordingly. Auburn, Houston, Florida State, Providence, Virginia, Maryland, Louisville, Indiana, Stanford, Villanova, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern and several others are already in the mix.
White recently took an official visit to Providence, the same stop that also welcomed his Prolific Prep teammate, 2027 five-star Nasir Anderson. That pairing matters on the floor, too.
White and Anderson give Prolific Prep a backcourt with real juice, especially after the program added Bamba Tourey, a 7-footer in the Class of 2028 with shot-blocking and above-the-rim finishing ability. Prolific Prep also returns Luis Uvwo, who emerged as one of the top defensive players in the country this summer.
White’s summer started with a reputation for accelerating quickly, and he backed it up in EYBL play. He spent the previous season playing two age levels up, and this summer he looked even more comfortable attacking either side of the rim and initiating contact. At the midway point of the summer, the New Jersey native was averaging 21 points and five assists.
The signature performances came in big moments. White scored 15 straight points to help City Rocks beat AB Elite in overtime, toppling country’s top recruit in 2027 Beckham Black along the way.
He also put up 25 points and eight assists in a 91-90 overtime win over Drive Nation. Those kinds of outings helped cement his status as a Top-15 caliber national recruit.
The shooting has become another layer of the package. White has shown he can hit 3-pointers off the catch, in transition and from straight on, and that versatility has only sharpened his value.
Auburn and Louisville appear to be leaning hardest into the recruitment now, with Auburn head coach Steven Pearl and associate head coach Ira Bowman staying consistent in their approach with White and his father. White said the fit with the Tigers stands out.
“I really like the way Auburn plays,” White told ZAGSBLOG.
“They play fast, they really let their guards rock out and give them the freedom to play their game. That was the case with Bruce Pearl ’s teams as well.
They have a tendency of letting their guards play. They are constantly in the tournament, they were in the national championship two years ago.
I like what they have to offer.”
White has also been following the path of Jalen Brunson, whose historic 2026 postseason helped carry the Knicks to an NBA title. That success caught White’s attention as he settled into a more scoring-heavy role at point guard. Villanova reached out soon after, and White has done his homework on Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges during their run under Jay Wright.
“All of those guys played there and had success there,” White said.
“Again, they are another program that develops guards. Acaden Lewis had a great year for them as a freshman this past season.”
In Other News...
Louisville Saw Enough From Lincoln Keinholz To Fuel A Bigger Question
Lincoln Keinholzs first start for Louisville gave the Cardinals a real opening to assess where they stand at quarterback, and there was plenty to like in the way he settled in against Mississippi. The debut came in a high-scoring opener that asked a lot of him early, and he responded better as the game went on, showing clear progress in the second half as Louisville hung around in a back-and-forth matchup.
Jeff Brohm left the night with a familiar mix of encouragement and concern, praising the way his team competed while also pointing to the need for more plays against quality opponents. For Louisville, the bigger question now is not just what Keinholz showed in the opener, but how much of that performance can carry over when the schedule tightens and the margin for error shrinks. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Found A Quarterback Fans Can Dream On
Louisville came up just short in its Week 1 battle with Ole Miss, but the game still offered a glimpse of something the program has been searching for at quarterback. Lincoln Kienholz, the 4-star transfer from Ohio State making his first start, settled in quickly and gave the Cardinals a legitimate dual-threat presence, throwing for 307 yards while adding 69 on the ground.
The debut mattered because it showed Louisville more than survived a tough opening test against a ranked opponent, it found a passer who can tilt a game with both his arm and legs. Kienholzs production also put him in a rare category for the program, with the kind of early return that can change the feel around an offense even in a loss, and now the bigger question is how far that carryover can go once the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Took A Painful Recruiting Hit At Center
Louisvilles frontcourt recruiting board took a hit when five-star center Darius Wabbington backed away from the program, ending a run that had the Cardinals among his final six schools. Wabbington, one of the top centers in the country, had been scheduled to make an official visit on Sept. 11, but that stop is now off the calendar as Louisville loses ground in a pursuit that once looked promising.
The timing makes the setback sting a little more, because the Cardinals are still trying to stay active with another elite big man in Lewis Uvwo. Louisville has made a late push there, but Duke is currently out front, leaving the Cardinals searching for a way to recover from one miss while trying to keep another high-end option within reach. [Read more 🡒]