LOS ANGELES — If you’re a USC basketball fan, you probably know Isaiah White for his energetic and physical style of play and fiery displays of passion.

Last year in his first season as a Trojan, he had an instantly iconic moment in the Sweet 16 when he hit a 3-pointer and turned around to stare down the Oregon bench as USC earned its spot in the Elite Eight.

But this past fall, the typically exuberant White was dealing with a new phenomena: struggling to stay awake during film sessions.

On Sept. 18, White’s wife, Jazmine, gave birth to their second child, Xavier. His daughter, Amari, was just over a year old. The demands of two young children and the responsibilities of Division I basketball would be enough, but White was also balancing the requirements of his Master’s program in communications management.

“This was like the first time in my life where basketball, I’m not saying it wasn’t my priority, but it was like there was so much going on,” White said. “I for sure wasn’t the priority. It was rough. I can’t even explain how I got through that or how I’m getting through it now.”

There are nights when White, a sixth-year senior who transferred to USC prior to last season from Utah Valley, doesn’t get to go home to his family after practice. Sometimes he has to go to class. Other days, he has to spend hours in the library for homework and studying.

But on the days he can go home, White takes a quick shower before tending to his children, to give Jazmine a little break and time to herself after a day of parenting.

“She is a superhero. She takes on a lot of the burden when it comes to kids,” White said. “It’s very rough to have me gone while I’m playing basketball or at school while she’s at home thugging it out with the kids, two newborns. She’s an awesome mom. I couldn’t even explain to you the experiences of being tired and what we’ve gone through, but we’re tough.”

Most parents will recognize this scenario: Xavier wakes up in the middle of night and starts to cry. White and Jazmine are immediately awake as they ascertain whether they need to get up or let Xavier fall back asleep. But then the newborn’s cries wake up Amari, and she is crying. Now both parents are up and taking care of the kids.

So in those early months after Xavier’s birth, White was getting 3-5 scattered hours of sleep while training camp was ramping up.

“He was trying to do his best at times, but you could tell he was just a step slow,” USC head coach Andy Enfield, himself a father of three, said with a knowing smile. “He wasn’t at his best at times early in the season.”

As a returning starter, White was putting pressure on himself to be better than he had during USC’s Elite Eight run. But with everything going on, White soon found his back and ankles tightening up, injuries he attributes to the stress he was enduring.

“When I’m here and I’m playing basketball, I’m not really focused on basketball. I’m worried about she’s at home with two babies in L.A. by herself,” White said. “And then when I’m over there, when I’m being a dad, I’m worried, like, ‘Man, I’m not getting my workouts in that I would usually get.’”

This was the exact situation White worried about last March when he was considering whether to stay at USC for his final season of eligibility. He already knew Xavier was on the way, and was ready to start his professional basketball career without the extra responsibility of school.

But his circle, led by his father, told White to stay for one more season.

“I wasn’t going to come back. But the degree, I needed it,” White said. “You never know how long you’re going to be playing for, but a degree, especially to be able to tell my kids, I went through all of this and still got my degree, so you’re definitely getting your degree.”

A former Damien High standout, White’s parents and aunts have helped with the kids as much as they can. Their presence was part of the reason White decided to transfer closer to his Rancho Cucamonga roots, though Jazmine’s mother flies down from Utah when she can.

And the basketball side of things has begun to work itself out. White isn’t a full-time starter anymore, but he’s healthy again and contributing defense and energy off the bench.

“I’ve been on teams where I was the best player but we were not good. That was, like, horrible,” White said. “I feel like we’re [25-5]. So that’s all I’m feeling about.”

Related Articles

Tuesday’s game against Arizona will be White’s last at the Galen Center, but Senior Night was held before the Trojans’ win over Washington State a week ago. White came onto the court with Amari in his arms as he shook hands with his teammates and coaches. Jazmine held Xavier as the young family posed for pictures with White’s framed No. 5 jersey.

“When Amari gets older and Xavier get older and they get to look back at pictures of their dad playing basketball at a school like this, I think that’ll be cool for them and for me, to tell them what happened, what was going on,” White said. “If I could do this year over again, I’d do it the same way.”