The 23-year-old has so far been restricted to limited game time in his second season in Wollongong, however, the Hawks' busy upcoming schedule of four games in a week - starting on Saturday against Perth - could open the door for more opportunities for White.

It's a situation that the former Stanford Cardinal is familiar with. White was stuck mainly in a bench role until mid-season in 2020/21, when a strong performance (16 points and four rebounds) against Adelaide sparked a change in fortunes.

White went on to provide plenty of spark in Illawarra's charge towards the finals.

He now hopes that history will repeat. Earlier this week, Goorjian had an open discussion with a group that White describes as "the role guys" - including himself, Emmett Naar, Akoldah Gak and Alex Mudrjonja.

"We've got a little clique where we all love working, so we get into the gym and practise and get after it a bit. But I think everyone whose been in this business know that people get hurt quick and things change fast, and I got a taste of that last year," White said.

"'Goorj' had a chat to us role guys and said basically what I echoed that things change, guys get hurt and you've got to be ready. But at the same time, he said that it's not going to just come, he doesn't owe us anything - and that's true. We've got to prove ourselves at practise and prove why we should be on the floor. To quote him, he said 'you've got to make me look like an idiot for not playing you' and I take that to heart, and I honestly do think about that at practise.

"I'm always trying to show him my value so I can get on the floor, but I'm sure everyone's the same. And four games in eight days is a lot, so there might be chances for guys like myself to get out there and produce a bit."

Read more: Harvey calls on Hawks to lift defensively ahead of Perth clash

White got another taste of game time on Sunday, getting around three minutes on the floor in Illawarra's 88-84 loss to Melbourne United.

That brief chance left him hungry for more.

"You want to be on the floor, it still sucks not being able to help your team and be as involved, but it comes down to me proving myself at practise. We've got a talented roster, I've got to be better than some really good players to get on the floor so I understand the challenges that come with that," White said.

"The way I forged myself last year was defensively in the full court. Even though it was a couple of minutes on the weekend, I did pressure the ball up the floor and I'm trying to prove that's where I can add to the team. Obviously I can shoot the ball, but we've got a lot of shooters, so I think if I get a run, I've got to make the most of my opportunity to get up the floor and inject a lot of energy into our defence, and slow the opposition down.

"But it's up to Goorj. He'll call me whenever he wants to call me, and I've got to be ready."

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