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Mike White discusses high coaching turnover in SEC

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison10/19/22

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Rob Carr / Staff PhotoG/Getty

New Georgia basketball coach Mike White understands the pressure that comes with coaching in the SEC. He’s one of six new SEC basketball coaches, who also happened to move from one school to another, having previously been the head coach at Florida.

Mike White was asked about all of this coaching turnover, comparing men’s basketball to football in terms of the high pressure and demands being put on coaches.

“Well, a lot of thoughts you threw at me there and a lot of things to answer, I guess,” Mike White said. “We’re all chasing football to a certain extent, right, just like we are at Georgia. We’re trying to replicate what Kirby and those guys are doing, having an amazing run, of course.”

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“But it happens. Turnover throughout our league and many leagues throughout the country. You’ve got proud fan bases and you’ve got great opportunities, great programs. Our institution is very unique. It’s got a lot of promise academically. It’s a great college town. It’s a hot athletic department, and it’s a destination where a lot of people want to be. Happy to be at Georgia and very, very blessed. Excited about going to work every day in Athens.”

Later, Mike White was asked about the SEC meetings and what it was like to see so many new faces in one place. For White, it was a reminder about the challenges that he’s facing and the opportunities that the SEC provides.

“I’m not sure I would have anticipated that much turnover. What does it say? I really — we’ve got our hands so full with how we’re going to defend and how we’re going to score and the rebuilding of a program, I guess you kind of put me on the spot here because I hadn’t put any thought to it. I guess it says that you’ve got some great opportunities in this league, and you’ve got guys that are dying to jump toward this league,” Mike White said.

“In terms of why certain coaches left certain programs, you’d have to take them one at a time. Off the top of my head, I can’t even tell you which guys right now left our league last year. I would say it’s probably pretty prevalent, again, throughout high major basketball.”