McDowell-White Ready to be Completely Different Beast in NBL22

Reprinted from www.nbl.com.au

William McDowell-White reflected on last season feeling he took a backseat too much and is fired up to be a more aggressive point guard this season for the New Zealand Breakers as he tries to match the enthusiasm of his coach.

Coming back to the Breakers for a second season to share the playmaking duties with Tai Webster was a significant factor in McDowell-White signing on, which now won't eventuate, but the main reason was coach Dan Shamir and now he wants to repay that faith.

From the moment McDowell-White first arrived at the Breakers last season to play under Shamir and also assistant coach Mody Maor, he found their passion and enthusiasm infectious, and he can't wait to now build on that chemistry further.

"Dan was the No. 1 reason why I did come back. I really wasn’t looking anywhere else to go play to be honest and our relationship has been just unbelievable from the first day," McDowell-White said.

"He's always in my ear whether it's good or bad, and even having Mody here as well. He has been huge in the development that I've had in my short time with them. 

"Dan is always talking and is always energetic, and that's the kind of coach I need so I can perform at a high level. He just gives us so much energy and that goes straight down the line, and everyone else is trying to catch up to his level."

The 23-year-old played 20 games after arriving mid-season in #NBL21 for the Breakers and he had his moments averaging 7.8 points, 5.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds a game including putting up a rare triple-double of 13 points, 14 assists and 10 boards early on against the Bullets.

However, looking back and McDowell-White felt like he took a backseat and deferred far too much and now he plans on being a completely different player on the floor in the #NBL22 season.

"I think this year things might be a little bit different for me and I'll be trying to put more of my own imprint on the game," he said.

"I'll try to control the game a little bit more because last season I know I deferred a lot to everyone. I didn’t allow myself to get comfortable with the guys because I came in so late and being a younger guy, I didn’t want to step on any toes or ruin the camaraderie of the team. 

"So I just kinda came in to make everyone else happy and sacrificed a lot of what I could really do. This season from an aggression standpoint I'll be trying to play the game on my terms so that should be a lot different from last season."

Having started his NBL career as a rookie with the Sydney Kings before spending time overseas in Germany and in the G-League, McDowell-White always planned on returning to the NBL and making that his long-term career home.

He wasn’t sure where that would be and his hometown Brisbane Bullets might have been the obvious choice, but he was lured to the Breakers last season and now he could see it easily becoming his permanent home.

"I kind of always felt like when I look back on it and think I probably could have stayed here a lot longer than I did, but the main thing for me going away was just to get away and experience different things, and grow up a little bit and mature," McDowell-White said. 

"Then the plan always was that I would come back home and play in the NBL hopefully for a long time if I could. It really worked too and I grew up quickly in Germany. 

"Going from home cooked meals from your mother to working out how to use pots and pans, and everything else. I was only 18 at the time and really you know nothing about life, and I had to act like I knew what I was doing when really I had no club. But it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it."

While playing under the coaching of Shamir was McDowell-White's major reason to be so keen to return to the Breakers, playing alongside Tai Webster was another too.

That now won't happen and Corey Webster has elected to not return too, which has left McDowell-White a little unsure of exactly how things are going to play out but he has faith in his coach.

"Especially Tai, he was a huge part of why I came back. I kind of felt like he and I had unfinished business in a way because we only had a small window of playing together last season," McDowell-White said.

"Just about as soon as I came in he got injured and he was out for a lot. Then having Corey too with his veteran presence as a guy who can come in and just play his game, and can change a game instantly. 

"Those two were a big part of why I came back but now they are both gone and I don't really know where I stand anymore to be honest."

While still not quite free to roam freely in Auckland, McDowell-White is looking forward to restrictions easing up approaching the #NBL22 season and indeed during it but it's just the way of the world right now.

"I think just like everybody else, I'm looking forward to getting back to freedom and a normal life. The last year or year and-a-half has been tough and it can wear you down to be honest," he said.

"Even though New Zealand has done really good with COVID and was back to square one for about a month there, but things are looking on the up now and all of us are looking forward to getting back to normal life and doing all the things we usually could do."

The Breakers are in full swing of preparing for the season even without Jeremiah Martin and Rasmus Bach currently in Auckland with the squad. 

However, McDowell-White likes the squad the Breakers have, likes how their chemistry is building and predicts big things for them in the season ahead.

"It's obviously crazy to think about the season getting closer and we won't get our full squad until around the pre-season tournament that we're meant to have," McDowell-White added.

"We've made progression with the people that are here now and then we'll go to Australia and we'd have to almost start again with the two new guys. 

"Obviously Ras was with us last year so he will remember most of our stuff but then we're bringing in Jeremiah for the first time so it will go from this great preparation we have now to back to the beginning. It's going to be all over the place but I think we're ready for it.

"I think we can do a whole lot this season. We have a really good style that we'll play to suit us and we'll probably play a little faster than last year. We have a lot of guys on the team who might be more unselfish and I'm not trying to throw any shots on last year's team by saying that. 

"I just think we'll have a lot more continuity and we'll share the ball more, and we all are going to be happy with what we're going to get. I think that's going to go a long way to our success this year."

A big part of McDowell-White's off-season since things wrapped up for the Breakers was heading back to Queensland to take part in NBL1 action with the Red City Roar alongside brothers Darryl and Kobe.

That was an experience he'll always treasure and especially the moments where all three were on the court together and sharing the ball with one another are memories to last a lifetime.

"It was pretty special, it really was. Especially because when COVID first hit we had a bit of a state league there in Queensland and my younger brother Kobe played at a different association so we had to play against him," he said. 

"But last year it was pretty cool to play with both of them and there were times on the court where the ball would only touch us three on a possession before one of us put up a shot. That was pretty cool and they are both going to have really good futures and I'm just along for the ride."

Will, Darryl and Kobe aren’t the only members of the McDowell-White family making an impact on the basketball court either with sisters Jess currently at the University of San Francisco and Hayley part of the Queensland U16 state team earlier this year.

It's quite the legacy they are building and they are all proud of what they are doing in basketball having elected to not go down the AFL path where their father Darryl was a triple premiership winner at the Brisbane Lions.

"A lot of people think it's crazy after what dad did in the AFL and not one of us have decided to take up AFL, but basketball is working out pretty well for us," McDowell-White said.

"One of my sisters is in her senior year at college, another one has just been to nationals and everyone has been really successful in the basketball world. It's going to be cool to continue to see how it all unfolds with the younger ones coming up."

Now with pre-season training in full swing even if the Breakers are still down a couple of troops, McDowell-White can't wait to be part of the NBL Blitz in Tasmania next month alongside the JackJumpers, Bullets, 36ers, Wildcats and Taipans.

"I'm excited and we're all really looking forward to getting over there and to start playing some games," McDowell-White said. 

"Especially after being on either level three or four lockdown for a while it will be nice to get out of that. It's always an honour to play in your home country professionally and doing what you love, and we all can't wait to get out there and getting this thing started."