Theirs has been a competitive rivalry neither player probably ever believed would continue at the college level.
Five years ago both Derrick White and Eric Garcia were solid if somewhat overlooked basketball recruits out of Colorado who weren’t quite ticketed for the biggest stages NCAA basketball has to offer.
White, then a standout at Legend High School in Parker, needed a late growth spurt and a Division II All-American career at UCCS before finding his way to Boulder to play one season of Division I basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes.
Garcia, a frequent rival of White’s on the club scene, left Grandview High in Aurora as the school’s all-time leader in points and assists, yet he nonetheless settled for a home at the mid-major level at Wofford College.