Advertisement

Highly touted New Mexico basketball commit Fedonta 'J.B.' White shot and killed at 18

Fedonta “J.B.” White wanted to make a statement by playing for New Mexico. (Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
Fedonta “J.B.” White wanted to make a statement by playing for New Mexico. (Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

Santa Fe High School basketball star and University of New Mexico commit Fedonta “J.B.” White was shot and killed early Saturday morning. He was 18 years old.

Santa Fe High principal Carl Marano and the Santa Fe sheriff’s office confirmed the news. The shooting took place around 3:30 a.m. in the Chupadero area north of Santa Fe. No arrests have been made. SFSO’s Juan Rios declined to provide further details of the shooting to the Albuquerque Journal.

“The whole thing is just surreal,” Marano told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “He was an incredible young man who was getting ready to fulfill his dream and be a Lobo.”

White wanted to prove ‘everyone wrong’

White was slated to graduate in 2021 but reclassified as a senior so he could play for the Lobos this fall. A 6-8 forward, White was rated as as a 4-star prospect by Rivals. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds last season while leading Santa Fe to New Mexico’s 5A quarterfinals.

According to the Journal, White was the first New Mexico high school player to accept a scholarship from the Lobos since 2014. He also received offers from Marquette, Utah and San Diego State.

“I feel sometimes people look down on our state and people in it,” White told the Journal in 2019. “I want to be a part of proving everyone wrong.”

More from Yahoo Sports: