Mike White sees promise, potential in Georgia Basketball

Georgia has long been considered a sleeping giant in the world of College Basketball. The Bulldogs just needed to get the right guy into Athens to make it that. The proximity to the hotbed of Atlanta, the strength of SEC sports, a passionate fanbase ready to burst with pride and so many other things have made it a job that many have considered one of the best in the sport. That’s why Mike White was willing to leave the comfort of Gainesville, Fla. where he made four NCAA Tournaments in seven seasons to take over a program that won just six games last season.

“I think you would agree, and all of the circles that you and I are intermingled with for 20+ years in the College Basketball media and coaching circles, Georgia has always been one of those, ‘Man that’s a really good one that hasn’t really gotten going to the level potentially – other than some pockets – that it will get going to one day,” White told Jeff Goodman on the Field of 68 Off the Carousel podcast. “At some point Georgia is going to get going to a whole ‘nother level. There’s just too much potential here.”

“We hope to be the staff that gets that done,” he continued. “I have a ton of respect that have been here. Coach Crean had some pockets. Obviously had a very good year or two and Anthony Edwards was incredible. Coach Fox was a really good coach and still continues to be a really good coach out West and did some damage as well. Tubby Smith had a really good run and took off to Kentucky. But this is a wonderful job. It (leaving Gainesville) had nothing to do with the previous place and had everything to do with Athens, the athletic department, the promise, the potential of this place and the hope of what we can help this place become.”

A big reason why so many see that promise in Georgia is the recruiting ground that is Atlanta, and part of reaching that potential means protecting that area. White and his staff have taken their first steps towards doing so as four of the seven newcomers that they’ve brought in have strong ties to the state of Georgia.

Frank Anselem, Jusaun Holt and Mardrez McBride played their high school basketball in the Peach State. KyeRon Lindsay‘s father is originally from Savannah.

“The talent per capita in this state is as high as any state in the country. Period. And we’re leaving a state of course, the state of Florida, that’s incredibly lucrative in that respect. Texas, New York, out West in California, there’s a bunch of states that have a ton of players, but none more so than the state of Georgia,” White said. “To compliment that, I think that you’ve got some of the best high school coaches and high school programs in the country, some of the best AAU coaches and AAU programs in the country. It’s not about offenses and people talking about, ‘We’ve got to get these guys.’ It’s about getting the right guys. There’s too many guys in this state, too many players in the city of Atlanta and too many people that I’ve learned in a short time that really want to help the University of Georgia that are from Atlanta, that are in this state that want to see their guys – whether it’s their nephew or their son or it’s a kid that plays for them in high school or AAU – that wouldn’t mind seeing them play, put on a Bulldog jersey and be right down the street, 45 minutes from Atlanta in Athens in a great college town. We’ve just got to get the right guys.”

White and his staff currently have 11 of the 13 scholarship spots filled for 2022-23 after at one point having as few as two players secured for the next season in Jabri Abdur-Rahim and incoming Longwood transfer Justin Hill. Kario Oquendo removed his name from the transfer portal, followed short thereafter by Braelen Bridges announcing his return for his super-senior season. Then came the wave of transfer portal pickups with Terry Roberts, Jusaun Holt, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Frank Anselem and Mardrez McBride all committing to Georgia. KyeRon Lindsay, a 2022 prospect, did so too, while walk-on starter Jaxon Etter removed his name from the portal and intends to return. Then, on Wednesday, White announced that the NCAA had granted an extra year of eligibility for Jailyn Ingram who suffered a torn ACL last season and missed most of the year.

“I think it makes situations like this more attractive potentially to the next guy where 10 years ago, maybe even five years ago, it was, ‘Boy, that might take a little bit of time to put your own stamp on things.’ Fortunately for us, we’ve been able to put our stamp on this roster and the direction that we’re headed very quickly,” White said. “We lost some good young men, some high character guys and we wish them all the best of course. We’ll be rooting for them like crazy, but at the same time, we’ve been able to bring in some guys that we feel really strong about. I think we’ve got an underrated portal class and also a very good high school player in KyeRon Lindsay from Dallas. We’ve gotten an ability to kind of speed up the process here if in fact they are the right guys. I feel like they are.”

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