Georgia hires Florida's Mike White as next men's basketball coach
Georgia has moved quickly in its search for the next men’s basketball coach of the Bulldogs. As first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Florida coach Mike White will take over the position left vacant after the firing of Tom Crean on Thursday.
DawgsHQ has been able to confirm Georgia calling a meeting of its executive athletic board at 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday night “to discuss and deliberate upon the employment terms and compensation of a public employee.” In said meeting, which included officials such as University president Jere Morehead and athletic director Josh Brooks, White was proposed and approved as the new men’s basketball coach, making it official.
White spent his last seven season with Florida, having the Gators as a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament since his arrival. Florida went 19-13 in 2021-22, losing to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament on Thursday to find themselves in all likelihood on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA Tournament but very much so still alive for the NIT.
Florida made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2017 to 2021 under White, the only SEC team to do so and one of 12 schools nationally. Furthermore, the Gators won an NCAA Tournament game in each of those appearances, just one of six teams in the country to do so. In 2017, White’s second season on the job, Florida earned a No. 4 seed and reached the Elite Eight before losing to SEC rival South Carolina.
White previously was the head coach for Louisiana Tech (2011-15) and an assistant at both Jacksonville State (2000-04) and Ole Miss (2004-11). He played collegiately at Ole Miss before a brief professional career with the New Mexico Slam of the now-defunct International Basketball League.
Overall, in his 10 years as a head coach, White’s teams made the postseason in eight of nine possible seasons. Louisiana Tech made the NIT three of four seasons, Florida made the NIT in White’s first season before making the four straight NCAA Tournaments.
White will take over a Georgia team that went 6-26 this past season, the most losses in a single season in program history and more than any other SEC program, with a 1-18 record against conference competition. The Bulldogs parted ways with head coach Tom Crean on Thursday following their Wednesday loss at the SEC Tournament.
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