Another senseless tragedy strikes the sports world. Fedonta “J.B.” White, a star Santa Fe High School basketball player who was committed to play for the UNM Lobos this season, was shot and killed early Saturday, police confirmed to the Albuquerque Journal.
Around 3:30 a.m., deputies from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls of a shooting in the Chupadero area, just north of the city of Santa Fe, where officers determined White had died of a gunshot wound.
White, 18, recently completed course work to graduate from school, principal Carl Marano said, and was planning on attending the University of New Mexico, which had offered him an athletic scholarship for the 2020-21 school year. The 6-foot-8 forward was scheduled to graduate in 2021 but reclassified as a senior in the spring so he could play for the Lobos this coming year.
“The whole thing is just surreal,” Marano said. “He was an incredible young man who was getting ready to fulfill his dream and be a Lobo.”
— Fedonta (JB) White (@JB_White_) July 29, 2020
White was offered a scholarship in the summer of 2018. He accepted in October of last year. He was preparing to move to Albuquerque next week.
Playing on Santa Fe High’s varsity squad, White was named to the Class 5A All-State second team after averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in 2019-20. He was classified as a Top 100 player in the nation by the website Rivals.com, although it was for the Class of 2021 at the time.
“Our entire community is shocked and saddened by the loss of someone whom we celebrated during his memorable time on the court and whose talent was a joy to sports fans across New Mexico. We are deeply shaken,” Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica García said in a statement. “We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and all who loved him. It is unspeakable to lose someone so young and with such promise for the future.”
He would have been the first Lobo player from New Mexico given a scholarship directly out of high school since Cullen Neal ahead of the 2013-14 season.
SFSO Juan Rios told the Journal the case is “still very active” and that no arrests have been made in regards to the shooting.
White is the fourth local high school student or recent graduate to be killed in recent months.