Some people say one of the things wrong with today’s society is the lack of personal responsibility.

Rickey White is familiar with responsibility. Not only that, he accepts it. Good thing, because he’s shouldering quite a bit of it lately.

He already knew he’d be counted on to be a University of Maine men’s basketball team leader, on and off the court.

He delivered in both areas, leading the team in scoring and finishing as the ninth-leading scorer in the America East Conference as well as being the team’s emotional leader.

White will likely return to the team next season as he gains en extra year of eligibility if he graduates this May.

If White’s typical days the last few months haven’t been busy enough for the senior forward from Topsham, who’s been balancing the demands of earning a communications degree and being a veteran leader for a team considered a conference title contender, they became even more so recently.

The 23-year-old White became a father at 1:30 a.m. Saturday after his girlfriend, Melissa Christie, gave birth to 8-pound, 2-ounce Daraun Terrell White.

A weekend doesn’t get much more emotional, hectic, and demanding than the one White just had. In addition to being present for the birth of his son, he also had a little thing called the America East tournament going on in Boston, where his fourth-seeded Black Bears were preparing to play No. 5 Northeastern University on Sunday.

“It’s been quite an experience. This is my first-born and it’s mind-blowing,” White said. “I was there for the delivery and there for the whole thing.”

The smile he couldn’t wipe off his face even if he wanted to disappeared just 381/2 hours later, however, as White went from the ultimate emotional high to a humbling low.

He and his teammates were stunned after being dealt a crushing, 71-68 defeat.

“I really don’t know what to say, you know?” White said with a pained, drained expression on his face after the game.

When someone tried to console him with the idea that he’d have a little time to deflate, now that the season was over, White was quick to temper that with thoughts of responsibilities.

“I don’t have any time to deflate because this isn’t really my senior year. Next year is my senior year on the team [eligibility-wise],” said White, who, as a Proposition 48 player ruled academically ineligible his freshman season, can gain that year back and play another year on scholarship as long as he graduates in four years.

That means White must graduate this year.

“I’m right on track. I just have three more classes to get my degree with a concentration in public relations,” he said. “Then I’m going to go to grad school and be able to concentrate on what I want to do and I can do that under scholarship for my last season.”

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound forward also plans to work a lot harder this offseason.

That’s saying a lot, considering his typical day last summer went something like this: Get up, pedal a bike 12 miles from Brewer to Orono to the UMaine gym, shoot 200 to 300 shots, then practice foul shooting before doing ballhandling exercises. After that, he’d get back on the bike and ride home.

And he thinks he needs to do more?

“It’s all about the offseason. If you don’t work just as hard in the offseason as you do during the season, then you won’t have a very good season,” White explained. “I felt like I didn’t work as hard as I should have in the offseason and it showed this year because I felt I could have done more.”

Talk about being your own worst critic. League coaches thought he did enough to earn AE all-conference first team honors after averaging 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, two assists, and 1.6 steals a game in 23 regular-season games.

As White talked about working harder in the offseason, Northeastern coach Ron Everhart was rushing out through a door to Walter Brown Arena, saw White, and abruptly stopped. He looked over at White and waved to him.

“Rickey, good game and good luck … and congratulations, you’re definitely a first team all-league player,” Everhart said.

White said it’s that kind of moment that not only makes it worth the effort, it makes him want to work even harder.

The hard work isn’t easing off either as the new challenge of fatherhood looms.

“I’m ready for it,” he said simply. “I’m ready for all the challenges put in front of me, whether it be stepping up to be a father or stepping up in a game to put the whole team on my shoulders. Anything… I’m up for a challenge.”

Maine soccer gets two recruits

Maine men’s soccer coach Travers Evans announced he has received National letters of Intent from Gabriel Germano of Sainte Foy, Quebec, and Justin Stockford of Scituate, R.I., to play for the Bears next fall.

Germano is a 5-9 forward who was the CGEP’s (Canadian junior college’s) leading scorer the last two seasons and two-time team MVP for FX Garneau. He was a member of the all-Canada team in 2002.

Stockford is a 5-11 junior forward who played at Dean College the last two years. He earned first team NJCAA All-New England honors and was an NJCAA All-American in 2001. Last season, he was MVP of the East regional after leading Dean to its first NJCAA National Finals berth.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or aneff@bangordailynews.net