Who is new Louisiana basketball head coach, Quannas White? All we know about Ragin' Cajuns' latest hire

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns have named Quannas White as their new basketball coach, the university announced on Monday. White will be formally introduced as the new Louisiana coach on March 17 at a press conference at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.

Since the Ragin' Cajuns' new coaching appointment was made earlier in the day, fans have been curious to learn more about Quannas White.

All we know about new Louisiana coach Quannas White

Quannas White was born on Jan. 21, 1981, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up with an affection for basketball and even played the sport when he attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans.

White continued to pursue a basketball career at the college level and enrolled in Midland Junior College, where he earned all-conference honors as a sophomore. He then spent his final two seasons of college eligibility playing for the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a degree in sociology.

In his first year at Oklahoma, White guided the team to the 2002 Final Four while averaging 7.6 points and 4.7 assists per game. He was also named to the NCAA Tournament All-West Regional Team.

In his final collegiate season, White led the Sooners to the 2003 NCAA Elite Eight while averaging 8.6 points and 4.1 assists per game. He declared for the 2003 NBA draft but went undrafted.

However, White carved out a professional career after the Sioux Falls Sky Force of the Continental Basketball Association drafted him in the first round in 2003. He also played in the NBA D-League with the Austin Toros (from 2005 to 2006) and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (from 2007 to 2008), while having stints playing in France and Germany.

White also juggled his coaching career while playing professionally. He led the Louisiana Dynasty AAU program to over 30 tournament titles and served as a private basketball trainer from 2005 to 2014.

White then spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Tulane from 2014 to 2016. He briefly worked as an assistant coach at WKU during the 2016-17 season before joining Houston as an assistant coach in 2017.

In 2023, White was promoted as Houston's associate head coach. During his time with the Cougars, he led the program to three American Athletic Conference championships, three American Athletic Conference Tournament championships and two Big 12 championships.

Now, it will be interesting to see how White fares at Louisiana next season.

A glimpse into Quannas White's personal life

White is married to his long-time partner, Leah. The couple has four children together: Jordyn, Anaiah, Asher and Asa.