Summary

• Lacrosse stars Sammy White and Emma LoPinto, both All-Americans and national champions, are using their final year of NCAA eligibility to switch back to basketball at Northwestern and Boston College.
• Despite not playing basketball competitively since high school, both were 1,000-point scorers and are embracing the challenge with strong support from coaches and a focus on growth through discomfort.

Merely 6% of high school athletes play their respective sport collegiately. Fewer succeed, let alone win big. Sammy White at Northwestern and Emma LoPinto at Boston College did both, with All-American honors and National Championship rings to prove it.

LoPinto finished her career with over 350 points split between Florida and Boston College, while White anchored Northwestern’s defense with over 100 career caused turnovers.

They step away from lacrosse at the top, and instead of savoring their success, they will use their last year of eligibility to start over. This season, they will remain in Boston College maroon and Northwestern purple, but are trading comfort for challenge: the lacrosse field for the basketball court.

“When I committed, I was like ‘it would be cool to play basketball again if it ever came up’ and then Pat Spencer did it the year before I came to Northwestern,” White recalled.

In 2019, Tewaaraton Award Winner Pat Spencer used his fifth year of eligibility to switch from Lacrosse at Loyola, to Northwestern basketball. Spencer wasn’t the first to switch sports in college, but his story broke the unspoken rule that athletes should stick to one. Spencer ultimately became an NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors after college.

Both White and LoPinto began to seriously consider the possibility of returning to basketball during their junior years.

“I played in a summer pool basketball league after my junior year just to play against other people since I haven’t played basketball competitively since high school," White added, "after that summer I decided that returning to basketball was something I seriously wanted to do.”

White helped propel Northwestern to their eighth lacrosse National title in 2023, leading the team in ground balls and caused turnovers.

White and LoPinto credit their lacrosse coaches not only for supporting their dream, but helping them put it into motion, reaching out to the school’s basketball programs. For both, their resumes were hard to look past.

These athletes aren’t just talented players taking a shot at basketball: they were stars on the court long before playing collegiate lacrosse.

Both were 1,000-point scorers in high school— an impressive statistic alone, compounded by the fact that it was their second sport.

They earned this opportunity, and their experiences at Northwestern and Boston College gave them the guts to start from scratch in the first place.

At Northwestern, it wasn’t just championship weekend White was tested; it was every single day.

“You have to play the best to be the best… and that’s part of the reason why I loved playing against players like Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall. If they beat me, they are the best of the best, so how can I not be getting better?” White said.

White will bring depth and championship experience to Joe McKeown's Northwestern squad, having averaged 23 points per game in her final year of high school.ts

This environment provided White with unavoidable growth, but more importantly, perspective on that growth — that it has to come from outside the comfort zone, and with inevitable losses and pressure along the way.

“Being comfortable being uncomfortable… that’s one thing with basketball that I've really had to hone in on because it is uncomfortable. I haven’t played basketball in four years, but I am trying to push myself in those uncomfortable situations,” White articulated.

At Boston College, Emma LoPinto also carries lessons from her lacrosse career onto the court, expressed through a different motto: “Dream Big.”

Prior to playing under Head Coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein at Boston College, LoPinto played two years for the Florida gators.

“I think what led me to play basketball was Acacia putting the 'Dream Big’ mindset in my mind and understanding what it truly means to dream big. No dream is ever too big, and if you want to do something, put your mind to it and work hard and get there,” LoPinto explained.

For LoPinto, that mindset pushed her to turn a long-time thought into reality.

“Returning to basketball is something I've thought about since I was in high school, and now living that moment is something that I think about every day and something that I'm beyond grateful for,” LoPinto added.

Make no mistake—although they are grateful for this opportunity, White and LoPinto have not lost their competitive edge. If anything, they have sharpened it.

“I’m someone who really doesn’t like to lose. I’m okay with not being the best, but something about not giving my best effort and not putting my best foot forward, why am I even doing it at all? I might as well compete at the highest level, push myself to be the best,” White explained.

Though neither has played basketball consistently since high school, the most impactful qualities players can have — effort, competitive drive, energy — translate to every sport.

“I love the energy a person can bring to the floor, whether on the court or bench. I love to have fun, and I love to bring that energy,” LoPinto explained.

Both players have been on the biggest stages— the kind of moments athletes spend their careers chasing, the kind of moments you get goosebumps just thinking about.

“My basketball teammates have been asking questions about ACC championships and being at the Final Four and at the National Championship. When you’re in those moments, you don’t think about it, but now I’m looking back like ‘oh wow, not a lot of people get to experience that,’” LoPinto explained.

Emma LoPinto dominated collegiate Lacrosse, winning a national title and scoring 261 goals, the second most in the nation.

These moments don’t perfect technique or shooting form, but give LoPinto and White an edge that can’t be taught — composure and steadiness in high pressure moments.

“In the National Championship game this year, when we walked off that field, it didn’t feel like we lost because we were surrounded by the girls on the team that loved each other, and put everything into this season, and fully gave it their all,” White explained.

Winning a National Championship gives LoPinto and White perspective, but so does falling short. White’s memory of the National Championship loss is a testament to the fact that even the lowest moments can be redefined through gratitude and team culture.

What makes White and LoPinto unique isn’t just their success, but their outlook; focused on growth, resilience, and the understanding that there are countless ways to impact a team.

For White, this means leaning into strengths she knows she can bring to the table.

“I know I can play defense…. I’m excited for the opportunity that even practice presents, being put on some of our best players, trying to make them work. I love watching film and deciphering what attackers like to do… anyway I can help the team, I’m more than willing,” White added.

Their ability to remain grounded in perspective and gratitude, and their willingness to embrace discomfort will help them live out an anomaly of a dream.

“I told my coach when I committed that I will do anything. Whether they want me to start, to sit on the bench and just cheer, I will do anything for this team…people dream about this and to be able to live this out is super special,” LoPinto emphasized.

They may be newcomers on the court, but they carry the same mindset that earned them championships on the field. For White and LoPinto, there is only one way to approach this season.

All in.