The Grambling community is planning a vigil next week for Henry White, the Grambling State student-athlete who died at 4:15 a.m. Wednesday at LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport.White, 21, was a junior criminal justice major and a first-year member of the university’s basketball team. As of press time, there had been no information released on the cause of his death.
White became ill on Aug. 14 after conditioning exercises on campus. He was taken to Northeast Louisiana Medical Center after his collapse and transferred to LSUHSC in Shreveport.
Assistant coach Steve Portland acknowledged being on hand when the incident occurred, but said he could not comment on the matter.
Men’s basketball coach Rick Duckett told The Gramblinite, “It is not yet determined what may have caused Henry’s condition to be severe.”
Duckett called White “a great kid”, the” type of person that lights up a room when he enters.”
A hospital official initially confirmed that White’s condition upgraded from critical to serious. White was then pronounced dead early Wednesday morning.
“The university community is deeply saddened by the loss of one of its promising student-athletes, and our deepest sympathy is extended to his family,” said Grambling President Horace A. Judson in a prepared statement.
The statement said the university is investigating the circumstances of White’s death.
GSU students are saddened by the sudden loss.
“I’m just shocked that something like this could happen. My heart goes out to my family,” said Cory Robinson, a junior from Oakland, Calif.
“You don’t realize how important life is until something like this happens,” said Danielle Brown, a senior from Los Angeles.
“The Grambling family is heartbroken to learn this morning of the passing of an athlete, a scholar, and our fellow Gramblinite,” said Steven Jackson, student government association president
“Anytime the life of a fellow classmate comes to a premature and tragic end, it brings sadness to a student body and emotional disparity among the student body, faculty, staff and all others associated with our University.”
White was expected to be a phenomenal addition to the with Grambling State basketball program.
White was a high school headliner at Washington High in Milwaukee. In college, he played his freshman year at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa and later transferred to Hill College in Hillsboro Texas. White signed with GSU over the summer and had two years eligibility remaining this season.