By: Victoria White
 
    Freshman guard Kayla White is ready to add precision, intensity and confidence on the court for the Mustangs in her collegiate debut.
 
    "I want to bring a sense of confidence, because you've got to be confident in your game and confident in your abilities in order to do what you're trying to do," White said. "So, I just want to bring a lot of confidence to this team."
 
    The DeSoto, Texas, native, chose SMU because it is near her family and where she grew up. In fact, White will even have the opportunity to play on the same team as her cousin JaQuia, just as they did in high school.
 

Congrats to SMU signees Kayla & JaQuia White of Desoto High. Both great players and both top 10% in their class. #YouKnow pic.twitter.com/731TlFTBtb

— DFW Elite Basketball (@dfwelite) November 14, 2017

    "The proximity, most definitely," White said of why she chose SMU. "I'm about 20 minutes from home, so the fact that it was close to home was good for me. And then, I just felt Travis' vibe when he told me he wanted to change the program and put the program on the map. I agreed with his vision and the rest of the coaching staff, of course."
 
    In addition to leading the Lady Eagles to the third round of the state playoffs and a 2015 Dallas ISD/Coca Cola Classic championship, White averaged 13.7 points per game in her senior season and achieved All-District honors.
 
    This year, the 5-10 shooting guard is excited about the red and blue's potential.
 
    "[I'm excited] just to get started, just to start playing and see how great our team can be," White said. "To see what we're going to do this year."
 
    During preseason, White said the biggest adjustment from the high school to college game is the physicality of the players. 

    "The amount of strength, the level of strength," White said. "We lifted in high school, but we didn't lift as heavy as we do here. So, I just feel like we're going to be playing against older girls, girls that have been here for a couple of years already. So just adjusting to being strong enough or just the strength of other teams and other players."

    Practices have been challenging, but have helped the Mustangs improve in strength and strategy.
 
    "It's definitely a learning process. It hasn't been the easiest, but it instills hardworking qualities in all of us so I think it's good for us," White said. "It gets us in shape and we've learned a lot of new things, so I feel like it gets better the more and more we go."

    The National Honor Society inductee is no stranger to hard work. White said she has already seen herself grow during her time on the Hilltop and expects to grow even more throughout her freshman tenure.  
 
    "I definitely see myself growing as a player," White said. "I feel like I'm working harder than I ever have before, and so I feel like if I keep working and keep building my game, then I feel like my ceiling is up there. I feel like I'm going to be really, really good if I keep working hard."

    White is also looking forward to competing on the court with her cousin JaQuia.
 
    "We've basically been attached at the hip since birth," White said. "We played on the same AAU team. We went to the same high school, so you know, I know her better than anyone else. That's really fun as well, playing with somebody that you've played with before, that you've known your whole life."
 
    A member of the seven-strong incoming freshman class, White enjoys the camaraderie amongst her fellow newcomers.
 
    "It's really fun, actually," White said. "It's exciting because it's like we're all really, really good and we're probably one of the best recruiting classes that have come through here. It's really exciting to see all the talent that we have and  bringing it together as one, so I'm just really happy with our freshman class, and I'm really excited to see what we're going to bring to the table this year."