Fast, intense, physical: Commonwealth Games’ breakout sport as played by Team Scotland’s tallest man

Born in Seattle but with roots in Ayrshire, White has his eyes on a gold medal in Glasgow.

He’s reckoned to be the tallest member of the squad and may even tower above all of the other 176 athletes in Team Scotland.

“I've seen a couple of big guys walking around, but, you know, it'd be pretty cool if I was the tallest one here, yeah,” he said with a grin. “Maybe [team-mate] Fraser Malcolm might be the same height as me, but I like to think I've got an inch or two.”

‘I think we can win a gold’

White and Malcolm are joined by Kyle Jiminez and Owen McCormack in the Scotland men’s squad who will compete in the fast-paced 3x3 Basketball competition at the SEC. It begins on Friday for the Scots men who will take on Guyana, Cayman Islands and Australia in their first three group games, before returning on Sunday to play New Zealand and Nigeria.

“I think we can win a gold,” said White, 33, who plays for Cheshire Phoenix in Super League Basketball. “I mean, getting a medal would be great, but, you know, you want that gold medal, so that would be awesome.

“We've got competitors on our team, and, you know, we all want to win, and I think we can do it.”

Basketball has taken White around the world and he has had spells playing in New York, San Diego, Portugal and Norway. But it is with Scotland that he will make his international bow.

Roots in Seattle and Kilmarnock

“I'm originally from Seattle. My dad is from Kilmarnock - he was born and raised there. I came over to England to play professionally for a team in Surrey, met my wife down there and then kind of never went back. And I've made my home in Cheshire now: two kids, dog, all that.”

Playing 3x3 will feel like a throwback for White. It’s a format inspired by street basketball and, as the name suggests, there are just three players on each side, playing towards one net. The first team to score 21 points wins and if no team has reached 21 after 10 minutes, the team in the lead is declared the winner. Scotland will also have teams in the women's event and both wheelchair competitions in Glasgow.

“I think it's really cool,” said White. “I mean, I grew up playing 3x3, like, in the streets and at the park, and to see it as an official game is awesome.

“It's way faster [than regular basketball]. It's shorter games, it's kind of playground style. It's way more intense, it's way more physical. You can't really hide on the court. You have to be locked in at every moment of the game, and I think it's just going to be really exciting to watch.”

White has played in a couple of finals with Cheshire Phoenix and made history with them earlier this year when he became the club’s all-time leading scorer in three-pointers, his tally of 259 breaking a 23-year-old record. But winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal would be something to cherish.

“I played in a couple of finals, played at the O2 twice, you know, won a trophy, but I think if I can get a gold medal or even a medal, this would be up there, I'd say.”