St. Edward names P.J. White new boys basketball coach

St. Edward athletic director P.J. White had no intention of applying for the coaching job he landed on Tuesday.

As the committee formed to find the new St. Edward boys basketball concluded its final interviews late last week, school superintendent/principal Fr. David Peck and former principal Fr. Edward Seisser hit White with an unexpected request.

"They said, 'We have one more person to interview'" White said. "They looked over at me and said, 'We want to interview you.' "

White had the key attributes the committee was looking for - basketball coaching experience and a presence within the building - and was named St. Edward's new varsity boys coach on Tuesday, the school announced via fax.

He replaces Keith Chuipek, who stepped down last month after four years. White will remain the school's athletic director.

"P.J. knows the current system very well, and he brings continuity, stability and longevity to the program," Fr. Peck said in the release. "St. Edward High School is privileged to name P.J. to this position."

White came to St. Edward as a Health teacher in 2004, and became the school's athletic director two years later. He coached freshmen at Batavia for one season before taking over as sophomore boys basketball coach, a position he held for the last 24 years.

"It's going to be a big challenge, one I'm looking forward to, one that will be nice to do at St. Edward," White said. "Coach Chuipek and I were good friends, and he did a real nice job of laying a foundation, so to speak, and getting things going in the right direction. Hopefully, I can take over from there and keep doing the same things, improve on the things he was doing and get this basketball program back up as prominent as it used to be.

"They really wanted somebody in the building. They were looking for somebody that would like to stick around and be there for a number of years. And I think they liked the idea of somebody inside in the St. Edward family."

White will be missed at Batavia, where he helped prepare a generation of players for coach Jim Roberts' successful varsity program.

"For Batavia, it is a big loss," Roberts said. "P.J. has been with us since the beginning in 1985 and coached here with great passion, great pride and really got the most out of the players that played for him. He also conveyed that passion and pride to the kids who played for him. I think he'll do very well."