Jennifer White came to the hilltop from the PlayStrong division of Ironsmith Corporation in Austin, where she developed her skills. PlayStrong has received national and statewide recognition for its basketball training and conditioning programs for clients that include coaches and athletes from the junior high to professional level at Harvard, Yale, Boston College, Dartmouth, University of Minnesota, Texas A&M, Bentley, Trinity, Bethel College and the ABL Colorado Explosion.
White’s education and playing experience began in 1979 at women’s basketball powerhouse Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La., where she was a member of the 1981 AIAW Division I and 1982 NCAA Division I National Championship teams. In 1983 she earned her undergraduate degree in physical education and was awarded an NCAA post-graduate scholarship. White went on to earn her master of science in Physical Education from Louisiana Tech in 1985. She was then hired as a full-time assistant coach by legendary coach Leon Barmore and spent 1985 through 1990 with the Lady Techsters. During that time, the team posted an impressive 153–15 record, including four Final Four appearances and a national championship in 1988.
In 1990, White accepted an assistant coaching position at UT–Austin under Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Member Jody Conradt. She spent the next three years recruiting new talent, and coaching the Lady Longhorns on the defensive end of the floor.