Anyone who happens to walk by the Chaska High School basketball court in early mornings, before classes have started, knows it's no accident senior basketball standout Jake White entered the week ranked fourth in the state in scoring at 27.7 points per game.

The forward – who shoots baskets every day before school – lives the game with an intensity that has earned him a Division I scholarship with Wichita State, one of five offers he received.

"He's always in the gym," said teammate Adam Happ, who has played with White since they were kids in a traveling league. "He's the guy that does the extra work. He wants to be the best, and I think that's the kind of thing about him that makes him who he is."

That person is the kind of dynamic player capable of scoring in bunches – including a 48-point performance in a 75-69 victory over Apple Valley last month. He's a player who is a threat all over the court, and averages a double-double every night (with 13 rebounds). He's a leader who audibly directs and guides his team from every part of the floor.

"That's the thing about Jake, he can score from all areas; college coaches always talk to me about is how versatile he is on offense," said Hawks coach Dana Kallman of White, who at 6-8 has a rare gift for shooting from beyond the three-point line but can also go in the post and hit midrange shots – a skill set that creates matchup problems for many teams.

"When they put a smaller guy on him, we throw him inside, if they put a bigger guy on him, we pull him out," Kallman said. "He draws double- and triple-teams every time he touches it."

Because of that explosiveness and White's ability to change the dynamic of a game, he can also change the team's outlook. At the Timberwolves Shootout at the Target Center earlier this month, Chaska, plagued by poor shooting, was in a 15-point hole by halftime against Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Washington. But framed in the perspective that the deficit was only a third of what White is capable of scoring, things didn't look so grim.

"It definitely changes things," Kallman said.

White reeled off 18 points in the second half and brought his team back to within two points with seconds left on the clock. Ultimately, Chaska was unable to find the magic that night and fell 59-55. But while the team was visibly disappointed after the game, Happ acknowledged White was one of the reasons they were able to get back in it after such a slow start.

"It's nice knowing you have a guy that can score like that, where if things aren't going well, shots aren't falling, we can rely on him to finish," Happ said.

White is relying on himself for that, too. After he graduates, White won't be in the school gym every morning, but that doesn't mean he's going to let up for a second.

"Right now, I'm just trying to enjoy my senior season," he said. "Then, in the offseason, I need to put on a few more pounds of muscle and, of course, keep working on my shot."