RRspin Sports "Take Five" with Jibrell Davis

Take Five is a short piece with Roanoke Valley coaches, players and former players. It is five questions that are on my mind, and what I believe the area would like to know about the individual and their respective programs. To keep the piece consistent I ask five questions and conduct a five minute interview, hence the name Take Five.

This week’s Take Five is with Northampton County Jaguars’ boys coach Jonathan White. Coach White is entering his seventh season as the head man at Northampton County. In his short time he has made the playoffs four years in-a-row, and he won three consecutive Northampton Holiday Classic championships from 2011-13.

I sat down with White to discuss the future of Roanoke Valley basketball, Jaquan (J.J.) Miles and more.

RRspin: Coming into the 2015-16 season, what are the areas of weakness you are working on?

White: Basic fundamentals, man-to-man defense- that’s all we played this summer, and just learning how to play the game of basketball right.

RRspin: This marks your third season in the Two Rivers Conference. What are your thoughts of the new conference from a competition standpoint?

White: From a competition standpoint, it’s really good with South Creek and Riverside, they’re well coached. I don’t like the officiating, it’s so much different when you’re in this conference on the road.

RRspin: Last year you lost to Northside in the first round of the playoffs, who had the No. 2 ranked power forward in the class of 2016, Edrice (Bam) Adebayo. What are your thoughts on playing against such a high caliber player?

White: As soon as you walk in the gym, the crowd is hype. I mean, they’ve got big fan support because his family is from there. It’s just a big buzz when you walk in the gym, a lot of people talking a lot of smack. They try to intimidate you, and I think my kids fell right into it because of the hype of his name. He really lived up to the hype. I didn’t know he could handle the ball as well as he does. He can handle the ball really, really well. He’s 6’8” and can jump out of the gym, and he’s strong. He’s built similar to Dwight Howard.

RRspin: No team in the Roanoke Valley has ever won a basketball state championship- a few have come close. What is it going to take to get the local teams over the hump?

White: First, we’ve got to have the talent. Secondly, kids have to have the skill set. And we’ve got to believe we can win it. Kids from our area have got to get a lot stronger to compete against the western teams and learn the game a lot better as far as the fundamentals. Fundamentals are going to beat talent every time.

RRspin: Junior forward Jaquan (J.J.) Miles has some buzz in the area. What does he need to do to elevate his game to the level you know he can reach? And without Barkim Moses, how big of a role will Miles play offensively and defensively?

White: Really, he (J.J.) has to get stronger and quicker. That’s what I believe separates him from the top notch state and national players. He’s not strong enough to play like they play. Hitting the weights, jumping rope, doing agility drills, eating better, and just getting more serious about the game will take him to the next level.

He’s going to be the main part if we’re going to have any success. Barkim led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots the last three years. J.J.’s scoring, rebounding, and assists are going to have to double. J.J. is going to have to improve on the defensive end as far as blocking shots and stuff. I’m looking for him to be a leader in the locker room, in the classroom, off the court, and all over the place this year.

Coach White, far right, and his team after winning their second Northampton Holiday Classic championship.