West Virginia senior quarterback Patrick White started his Heisman Trophy candidacy with a bang this week at Big East media days: Asked about playing his other sport this spring, he told a New York-based blogger, in a recorded interview Tuesday, that the Mountaineers' baseball program doesn't seek black players.

"In my knowledge of West Virginia baseball, there's not been many players of race on his team," White said of 14-year West Virginia Coach Greg Van Zant. "He's not too high on it."

White was a fourth-round selection in 2004 by the Anaheim Angels before he came to the Mountaineers. The Angels picked him again in the 27th round last June, and the Cincinnati Reds grabbed him in the 49th round last month even though he hasn't played baseball in four years.

Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York played his tape for West Virginia media, and White's comments were reported yesterday in the Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail. Van Zant declined comment.

"Every player I've talked to doesn't like him," White added. "He's not a well-liked coach, but I guess he has tenure so they never got rid of him. They're not successful at all."

Van Zant has 413 career victories at West Virginia with 29 draftees and 42 players who signed professional contracts, but his Mountaineers haven't earned an NCAA tournament berth since 1996. His 31-player roster last season, with 11 players culled from the state of West Virginia and nine from Pennsylvania, included no black players.

"The university is committed to diversity as evidenced by the development of the OneWVU program," athletic director Ed Pastilong said in a statement, referring to a campus initiative launched last winter to promote racial equality after men's soccer coach Marlon LeBlanc, the only black coach in school history, sought university-wide support in raising awareness after an incident involving one of his players.

"Our coaches and staff also are committed to an atmosphere of community for our student-athletes. I look forward to speaking with Pat more about his thoughts," Pastilong said.

The initiative adorned the home page of the university's Web site the day after former Mountaineers offensive coordinator Calvin Magee told the Post-Gazette Jan. 20 that he believed there were racial undertones in his final dealings with Pastilong and President Mike Garrison before Magee left for Michigan. The accusations were investigated by the university's Office of Social Justice, though a final report, if complete, has yet to be made public.