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Penn State Basketball

PSU adds transfer forward Jalanni White from Canisius

Photo from Canisius Athletics: Jalanni White

Few college basketball programs in the country have been as heavily impact by the transfer portal as Penn State. The Nittany Lions have had nine different players enter the portal, and Friday, they added a fifth incoming transfer.

Penn State announced the addition of 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward Jalanni White, who played four seasons at Canisius and will join the program as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

White started all 11 games he played for Canisius last season and averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game. He averaged 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds while starting all 30 games two years ago.

For his career, White has appeared in 98 games and started 50 for Canisius. So he has a lot of experience and will be counted on to provide depth in the front court by coach Micah Shrewsberry.

“We are excited that Jalanni decided to join our family,” Shrewsberry said in a university release. “He is an experienced player who will fit in nicely with our current group. His toughness, skill, length and athleticism will help us become a better team on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.”

Here’s more information on White, from the PSU release:

White, a New Haven, Conn. native, saw action in 98 games and made 50 starts throughout his career with the Golden Griffins. He owns a 50.5 percent career field goal percentage, with career marks of 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

White started all 11 games he played as a senior in a Covid-19 shortened 2020-21 season, after starting 30 contests during his junior campaign. The forward averaged 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the field, a mark that ranked eighth-best in Canisius single-season history, during the 2019-20 season.

He earned MAAC All-Championship Team honors as a sophomore after averaging 13.5 points sand 5.0 rebounds per contest in two MAAC Tournament games, including a perfect 7-for-7 effort from the field in the Golden Griffins’ quarterfinal contest. White made an immediate impact upon arrival as a freshman in 2017-18, becoming the first true freshman front court player to start a season opener for Canisius in 10 years.

White attended Notre Dame-West Haven High School in Connecticut where he helped lead his team to the school’s first-ever undefeated season (22-0) in 2016-17 while averaging 12.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as an All-Area and All-Conference performer.

Penn State previously added four players from the transfer portal: F Greg Lee (Western Michigan), G Jalen Pickett (Sienna), G Jaheam Cornwall (Gardner-Webb) and F Jevonnie Scott (South Plains College).

The nine PSU players who entered the transfer portal have been: G Myreon Jones (Florida), G Jamari Wheeler (Ohio State), G Izaiah Brockington (Iowa State), F Seth Lundy (stayed at PSU), F John Harrar (stayed at PSU), F Trent Buttrick (UMass), G Patrick Kelly (Fordham), G DJ Gordon (Fordham) and F Abdou Tsimbila (undecided).

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