Virginia Guard Jacari White Is Finding His Groove At The Right Time

Jacari White is finally starting to get back to his usual self and the sniper he was before suffering an injury that derailed some of the early-season momentum he built.

White missed a good chunk of the season after enduring a fractured wrist that sidelined him for a good chunk of the season. He suffered the injury vs Maryland on December 20th and didn’t return for nearly a month, when he got back on the court on January 13th vs Louisville. Head coach Ryan Odom gave the specifics back then when he went down.

"So, he has to have surgery tomorrow, a wrist injury, unfortunate play. It happened on the dunk. He kept playing through the injury and then, you know, we learned shortly after, he looked at me and was like, I got to come out, you know, with however many minutes left, took him out, and then after the game, they x-rayed and saw the unfortunate news there. But it's his off hand and so that's the best news that we could get in a situation like this and, you know, the strength of this team is the depth that we have and you saw it tonight with Elijah getting in there and playing, and we have options, you know, no different than we did when Devin was out to start the year and so, you know, we're confident overall in this group and we're confident in Jacari, you know, getting back. He's going to have surgery tomorrow and then be able to still see his family for Christmas and come back and be with us," said Odom.

On Saturday, he showed that he may be getting back to his usual self. White has been known as a marksman and a sharpshooter capable of exploding at any time. White is shooting 44.6% from the field and an impressive 43.6% from beyond the arc. He had a huge basket at the end of the first half that ignited the team and capped off a major run.

“We needed that basket. There's no doubt about it. They were on a major run there and had closed it all the way to a tied game, and we needed a bucket, and that's what winning and losing is: can you get the stop when you need it? Can you get the bucket when you need it? And going into the half, we certainly needed a basket there, and Jacari stepped up,” said Odom.

Part of what has made the Cavaliers good this year is their play off the bench from players like White and Chance Mallory. They are extremely efficient and consistent, which pays dividends when your stars don’t have great games. White added eight points on Saturday on 3-8 shooting and knocked down two three-pointers. A lot of people will get lost in the shooting percentage and the mere eight points, but it is bigger than that. White looks comfortable and composed and had no fear when shooting the ball. It was the first time he looked normal after the injury he suffered. White is valuable to the success of the Cavaliers moving forward and the potential for them to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.

“He's huge. You know, Jacari, we need him. We told him that a couple of weeks ago, as he was beginning to come back. You know, he's an important player. He was an important player in the preseason and in the non-conference season. If we can really get him playing in a positive way as he did tonight and in the last two games, it's going to be really helpful for our team and our overall depth,” said Odom.

More Virginia Basketball News:

•Updated NET and KenPom Rankings For Virginia After Their Win Over Notre Dame

•Stock Report For Virginia Following Their Win Over Notre Dame: Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory Rising

•The Good, Bad and Ugly of Virginia’s Overtime Victory Against Notre Dame

•The Snowmagedden Plus/Minus Part III: Virginia Basketball Triumphs over Notre Dame