The wait is finally over for IU basketball fans.\nJunior forward D.J. White – who many Hoosier fans and scouts believed would jump to the NBA after this past season – announced Tuesday that he will be back with the squad for the 2007-08 campaign.\n“I believe it is in my best interest to return for my senior season,” he said in a statement. “I learned a lot from coach (Kelvin) Sampson and the rest of the coaching staff and really improved my game last year. I’m excited to take my game to another level and I look forward to a very successful season with my team.”\nLast season, White anchored the Hoosiers’ starting lineup with 13.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while also being named a second team, All-Big Ten selection. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native finished the 2006-07 season with three straight double-doubles, including 12 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks against UCLA in the second round of the NCAA tournament.\nWhite made an immediate impact on the Hoosiers during the 2004-05 season as a freshman. The 6-foot-9 forward garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and led all freshmen in the conference in scoring, blocks and field-goal percentage. \nWhite’s sophomore season, however, was a different story. The IU big man played in just five games after breaking and re-breaking his left foot.\nWhile many scouts believed White could be taken somewhere in the second round of this year’s NBA draft, the decision to stay – he said – was made by both him and his family.\n“Another factor in my decision is I want to graduate,” White said. “Getting my degree from Indiana University is very important to me and my family.”\nEarlier this offseason, Sampson said he encouraged White to explore his options and professional status. On Tuesday, though, the coach said he was pleased with White’s decision.\n“D.J. was one of our three captains last year and has been our leader in offseason workouts,” the IU coach said in a statement. “I think he made a wise decision. Not only is he going to improve on the court, but he will receive his degree as well, which is even more important.”
Hoosiers to host Ga. Tech\nThe IU Department of Athletics announced Tuesday that IU will host Georgia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge next season. It will be the third time in four years the Hoosiers will play a home game in the annual challenge. \nLast season the Yellow Jackets finished with a 20-12 record, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to UNLV. They beat Penn State in last year’s challenge. \nThe Hoosiers have not won a game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge since knocking off then-defending champs Maryland in 2002. That game was a rematch of the previous year’s national title game.
