Eastern Illinois men's basketball coach Marty Simmons has announced the addition of guard Demetris "Meechie" White to the Panthers roster for next season.
 
White (6'1", 175) played the last two seasons at Three Rivers CC where this past season he helped lead the program to its first NJCAA National Tournament appearance since the 2012 season.   White averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game earning All-Region 16 honors and first team All-Missouri Community College Athletic Conference honors.  In the Region XVI Tournament, he averaged 21.5 points per game.
 
"Meechie is a play maker that can both score and set up his teammates to score with his ability to distribute the basketball," said Simmons.  "He has been a proven winner at both the high school and junior college level and this past season helped Three Rivers reach the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time in a number of years.   We look forward to him helping our program and being part of our EIU family."
 
White is originally from Louisville, Ky., where he helped lead Male High School to back-to-back regional championships during his junior and senior years.  He was a second team All-Region and second team All-MCCAC selection as a freshman at Three Rivers CC averaging 9.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
 
White joins incoming high school players Luke Beickman (6'2", 180, G, Owensboro, Ky.) and Markus Blackwell (6'1", 180, G, Detroit, Mich.) along with transfer post player Nazareth Fisher (6'10", 220, F, Washington, D.C.) and junior college guards JT Elder (6'7", 200, G, Tucson, Ariz.) and Preston Turner (6'6", 185, G, Ellsinore, Mo.) as part of the Panthers 2025-26 class.