Hoop Dreams

Sammy White jokes that she wasn’t quite ready for the real world. After four years as one of the best defenders in NCAA women’s lacrosse, she could have easily left Northwestern on a high note.

But White ’25 had an unfulfilled dream — to play women’s basketball. Now a graduate student, she’s back in a Wildcats uniform.  

Her move is not without precedent. Pat Spencer ’20 MA, the nation’s best men’s college lacrosse player in 2019, spent one season with the Wildcats men’s basketball team and now plays for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

“When Pat Spencer did it, I thought, ‘Oh, it’s doable,’” says White. “I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to play basketball in the Big Ten.” 

White was a three-sport athlete (she played lacrosse, basketball and soccer) at Dulaney High School in Timonium, Md., where she was a point guard in basketball, scoring 1,000 points in three seasons and averaging 23 points per game as a junior. For Northwestern lacrosse, she was a tenacious defender who helped lead the Wildcats to four Final Four appearances and a national title in 2023. She was First Team All–Big Ten in 2025 and Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2022. (See White’s lacrosse accolades.)

“Her toughness and leadership are a great addition to the Wildcats,” says Joe McKeown, who is in his 18th and final season as head coach of Northwestern women’s basketball.  

Though she won’t have a stick to wield at her opponents, White says her defensive skills transition well to the hardwood. “Playing basketball in high school made my lacrosse defense so much better, because it’s the same movements,” says White. “Just keep the person in front of you. The hardest part is the fouls. In lacrosse, you can touch someone and deter them, but in basketball, if you put two hands on someone, it’s a foul.”  

The 5-foot-6-inch White anticipates playing shooting guard and small forward for Northwestern. “We have a lot of talent on the team,” she says. “I might not be the best one on the court, but my goal is to make the person next to me better. I am committed to showing up every day and giving it my best.”