Quannas White, a New Orleans native who is regarded as one of the nation’s top recruiters while at the University of Houston, was named the 15th head coach in Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Men’s Basketball history, in an announcement on Monday by Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Bryan Maggard.
The 44-year-old White, who is currently in his eighth season at UH, including the past two years as the Cougars’ Associate Head Coach, will be formally introduced on Monday (March 17) in a noon press conference in the Stadium Club at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.
“I am extremely excited to announce Quannas White as our next head Men’s Basketball coach,” Maggard said. “A proven winner, both as a player and coach, Quannas is a man of high integrity, character and faith. He’s an elite recruiter and regarded as one of the best player development coaches in the industry.
“It’s with tremendous pride that we welcome Quannas, his wife Leah and their four children, Jordyn, Anaiah, Asher and Asa to the Ragin’ Cajuns family.”
Serving under current UH head coach and mentor Kelvin Sampson, White joined the Cougars as an assistant in 2017 before being elevated to Associate Head Coach in 2023. Their relationship goes back nearly 25 years when White played for Sampson at Oklahoma (2001-03), helping lead the Sooners to the 2002 NCAA Final Four and 2003 Elite Eight.
White, represented by Mike Harrison and Harrison Sports Management, has played an integral role in the overall success of the Houston program, currently ranked No. 3 in the country with a 27-4 overall record and 19-1 in Big 12 games. In UH’s second year in the Big 12, White has been a part of UH’s dominance with a 34-4 league mark, including wins in 33 of its last 35 games.
During his time on staff at UH, White has been a part of teams that have posted a combined 235-43 overall record, including a 123-22 mark in conference play with eight conference titles and seven consecutive trips to NCAA Tournaments, including the 2021 NCAA Final Four.
UH, currently ranked No. 3 in the national polls, has also reached national prominence by being ranked in the Top 25 in the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for seven consecutive years with Top 10 showings in each of the last four seasons prior to 2024-25.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named the next Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Louisiana,” said White. “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to University President Dr. Joseph Savoie and Athletic Director Dr. Bryan Maggard for their trust and belief in my vision for this program. This is an opportunity I do not take lightly, and I am fully committed to building a championship culture that reflects the pride, passion, and relentless work ethic of this great university and community.”
White takes over a tradition-rich Ragin’ Cajuns program which has made 11 trips to the NCAA Championships, including their last visit in 2023. Louisiana has earned 12 conference regular-season titles dating back to 1964 along with eight conference tournament titles, including seven Sun Belt Conference tournament crowns.
“To the players, fans, alumni, and Ragin’ Cajun family—get ready,” White said. “We will play with toughness, discipline, and heart. We will compete at the highest level and find a way to WIN! Together, we will create something special, something lasting, and something that makes all of Louisiana proud.
“The journey starts now, and I can’t wait to get to work. Geaux Cajuns!”
In 2023-24, White helped UH advance to the program’s fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, a school record. The Cougars posted a 32-5 overall record and captured the Big 12 regular-season championship by two games over its closest competitor in its first year in the league, despite starting 1-2 in conference play.
One of White’s pupils – point guard Jamal Shead – was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year to become the first player in league history to win both honors in the same season. Shead was a unanimous consensus First-Team All-American and was recognized as National Defensive Player of the Year by the Naismith Awards, National Association of Basketball Coaches, Field of 68 and Andy Katz.
In 2022-23, White helped lead the Cougars to a 33-4 overall record and a 17-1 record in American Athletic Conference play. UH ranked among the nation’s Top-Six leaders in both national polls for the entire season and spent eight weeks at No. 1 for the first time since 1984.
The Cougars competed as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1983’s national runner-up team and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 or farther for the fourth straight season.
Following the season, guard Marcus Sasser was taken in the First Round of the NBA Draft with forward Jarace Walker. It marked the first time since 1984 that a pair of Cougars were chosen in the First Round.
White also played a key role in the Cougars’ historic 2020-21 season. With a 67-61 win over Oregon State on March 29, the Cougars returned to the NCAA Final Four, the program’s sixth Final Four appearance in school history.
Guard Quentin Grimes was named The American Player of the Year and collected similar honors at The American Championship. For his performance in the NCAA Tournament, guard DeJon Jarreau was named the Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player.
White helped return the UH program to new heights in his first season in 2017-18, helping lead to the Cougars to a 27-8 record and a second round appearance in the NCAA Championships for the first time in over 30 years.
Before joining UH, White served as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky during the 2016-17 season. There, he helped lead the Hilltoppers to 15 wins and played key roles in the recruitment of Louisiana native Mitchell Robinson, Josh Anderson and Pancake Thomas, and giving the Hilltoppers a national Top-10 recruiting class.
Prior to WKU, White served for two seasons as an assistant coach at Tulane from 2014 to 2016.
White led the Louisiana Dynasty AAU program and worked as a private basketball trainer for eight seasons from 2005 to 2014. During his time with that program, he guided the Dynasty to more than 30 tournament titles and developed several players who competed at the NCAA Division I level.
He began his coaching career at OU, serving as a graduate assistant for the Sooners during the 2003-04 campaign and received his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2004.
White was an award-winning student-athlete at Oklahoma from 2001 to 2003. He helped lead the Sooners to the 2002 NCAA Final Four as a member of the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team after posting 7.6 points and 4.7 assists per game and was named to the NCAA Tournament All-West Regional Team.
One year later, White led Oklahoma to the 2003 NCAA Elite Eight with 8.6 points and 4.1 assists per game.
In addition, he was the starting point guard for the Big 12’s undefeated All-Star team that played a foreign tour in Scandinavia against teams from Sweden, Norway and Denmark in 2002.
Before joining Oklahoma, White played two seasons at Midland (Texas) Junior College, where he earned All-Conference honors as a sophomore.
White averaged 17 points and won a LHSAA Class 5A state championship as a senior at New Orleans’ St. Augustine High School playing for legendary head coach Bernard Griffith. There, he was a backcourt teammate of Oklahoma All-American Hollis Price, who currently serves as UH’s director of player development.
He had stints in the NBA D-League with the Austin Toros (2005-06) and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2007-08). He also played professionally in France and Germany.
White and his wife, Leah, have four children: daughters, Jordyn and Anaiah (pronounced Uh-Nye-Uh), and son, Asher and Asa (pronounced A-suh).
Story: Tom Perpetua, Associate Director of Athletics Communications, Louisiana
