The dark days of Washington and Lee men's basketball program are over. Talk about a huge White-out effect.

Thanks in large part to the White brothers, first Alex and now Zac, W&L hoops has transformed from being a veritable wasteland to status of viable contender in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

"It has definitely felt good to be a part of something that has changed so much," senior forward Zac White said. "It's been great, especially knowing my brother went through it when it was as worse as it could get.

"So it feels good to finally turn it around. And we still have high goals that we have yet to meet."

One year after shocking everyone but themselves by making the ODAC tournament championship game, in which they lost 66-62 to Virginia Wesleyan, the Generals (16-9) hope to begin another run tonight when they face Emory & Henry (4-21) in the first round at Warner Center.

Four years ago, such thinking would have been total heresy. At the time, the highly prestigious liberal arts college with strict academic guidelines was far from a hardcourt hit, producing an unsightly 13-60 record in coach Adam Hutchinson's first three seasons.

The big turnaround started during the 2006-07 campaign, the only college season in which the two brothers played together. At 6 foot 7 and 220 pounds, Alex was the team's most versatile player and a team leader.

Zac was a willowy 6-6, 185-pound freshman who got appreciable minutes off the bench.

"You can trace the beginning of that turnaround back to Alex White," said Hutchinson about a team that posted the program's best record in 16 seasons, going 11-14.

"His senior year, he was absolutely terrific, far better than one might guess from looking at his statistics. He was our best defender and we could put him on post, a perimeter guy, he can guard whoever. He's the guy who kinda set the tone for how we've been the last few years in terms of work ethic, in terms of commitment to the team, in terms of sacrifice to help the team."

While Alex has spent the past three years in law school at Georgetown, where he's on pace to graduate with honors, his younger brother has carried on with the W&L hoops case. Zac White's ability to do a little bit of everything has made him a pillar in a program that since has gone 47-33. This season, the versatile White ranks second on the team in scoring (12 ppg), third in rebounding (5.1) and assists (28), plus leads in blocks (53) and steals (34). Moreover, he's the No. 1 defender on a club that leads the ODAC in scoring defense (63.3 ppg).

"If you look at Zac, whoever the other team's best perimeter guy is we put Zac on him," Hutchinson said. "If it's the point guard, that's who Zac is guarding. We shifted him from the 3-spot to the 2 at one point and it took away offensive rebounding opportunities for him because we don't send our 2 to the glass. It put more burden on him defensively and required him to take on an additional ball-handling responsibility, and he never said, 'bull.' He said, 'I'll make it work,' and he went out there and did it."

Zac, who will graduate with a degree in economics in May, said he's treasuring the moment as his college career winds to a close.

"I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life and my athleticism is peaking right now," he said. "Now is the time."
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