Mike White earns respect of competition with Notre Dame win
ATLANTA — Mike White’s Georgia Basketball team picked up its biggest victory to date on Sunday with a 77-62 win over Notre Dame. The first win over a Power Five opponent during White’s short time in Athens, it was one that meant a lot to White. His father was the athletic director at Notre Dame, his brother played there and the Fighting Irish’s coach – Mike Brey – is one that White has huge amounts of respect for. After the game, Brey expressed that same respect back, saying he believes that Georgia made the right hire.
“I’ve got the utmost respect for Mike. I think he’s the next generation of coaches for us and can be a leader for coaches,” Brey told reporters in his postgame press conference. “He is a great role model, he does it the right way, he’s a positive guy. I wanted my son to play for him. Certainly his father took care of me and hired me 22 years ago and hired me at Notre Dame. Special spot in my heart for the White family. The man can really coach, and I think it was a great hire by Georgia. It kind of came out of left field if you don’t pay attention, but when I saw that back in the spring I was like, ‘Wow! That’s a grand slam.’ Just a great hire.”
White’s hire certainly took some by surprise. After all, he was at Florida and had taken the Gators to four NCAA Tournaments in seven seasons, even with one being canceled entirely in 2020. Georgia on the other hand had only been five times since 2000 with its last coming in 2015. Why would White make the move?
Well, that’s been well documented. He’s a believer in the high ceiling that the program has in one of the most talent-rich areas of the country just down the road from Atlanta. And on Sunday, White took his team into that Atlanta area and beat a Notre Dame team that has demanded national respect over the last two decades with Brey at the helm, making nine NCAA Tournament appearances with back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight in 2015 and 2016.
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“Notre Dame, an institution and a basketball program that we’ve got a ton of respect for. Mike Brey is one of the best in the business” White said after the win. “This team is incredibly difficult to defend and they’re a very good team, so obviously for us is a really big win.”
“It’s cool to compete with him and compete with that university,” White added when asked specifically about his family’s relationship with Brey, who is father hired at Notre Dame in 2000. “It was great for our guys. Really cool for them. Yeah, we had a quick exchange before the game like normal and after the game. I’ve always admired him, and my brother loved his experience playing for him, my father loved the experience of working with him. He’s extended family, and I’ll continue to follow the Irish as our entire family does.”
Georgia Basketball is back in action on Wednesday as the Bulldogs take on the Chattanooga Mocs. Tipoff time for Stegeman Coliseum is set for an early 3:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
