A prominent fixture within the College of Staten Island athletics department was a key honoree on Thursday night when the Staten Island Advance hosted its annual High School All-Star Dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island.  Matty White didn't set any records as a player at CSI and you won't find his name in the list of all-time winningest coaches, either.  Instead, Coach White spent 17 years on the CSI men's basketball sidelines, assuming an assistant's role behind a trio of head coaches who are quick to deflect all of their achievements in his direction. Those years of service, along with an incredible basketball resume garnered him the Staten Island Advance's History Award, appropriately named annually for a sports pioneer who has positively contributed to the history of Staten Island.

White started at CSI in time for the 1988-89 season; the swan song season for-then head coach Howie Ruppert, one that ended with a 24-7 record, a CUNYAC Championship, and a trip to the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament.  The next year, CSI named former student-athlete Tony Petosa to the position, and the former pupil admitted leaning on White during the lean years.