SEC colleagues share what to expect from Mike White at Georgia
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — SEC basketball coaches and players gathered at the Grand Bohemian Hotel on Wednesday ahead of the 2022-23 College Basketball season. For new Georgia coach Mike White, it was a re-introduction to the league, only this time wearing red and black instead of orange and blue.
White spent his previous seven seasons coaching at Florida, and a couple of his SEC colleagues shared kind words about him as a head coach.
“First of all, he’s a terrific coach,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari, the league’s longest-tenured head coach at one school, said. “His teams will compete. They’re smart. All the stuff that you want in a coach, and he is a terrific person. He’ll be involved in that community. He recruits with the best of them. He’s good. He’s good. In the league, you have guys that you just enjoy being around, and he’s one of them for me.”
“Consistency, hard work. His teams are going to battle you hard. They’re not going to beat themselves,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, another veteran of the conference coming to Tennessee the same year White did to Florida, added. “Mike is a terrific coach. I thought he did a terrific job at Florida. He’s at Georgia now where he is going to — I’m sure he is going to do what he does. That’s what we all do. We understand how we want to play. He’ll make the adjustment he has to with his team until he can — as he continues to build what he wants to build it at Georgia. But terrific coach. Really is. I love the way he goes about his business in recruiting and a guy that, again, he’s going to be successful.”
During his time at Florida, White went 142-88 including a 72-52 mark in the SEC. The Gators played in the postseason every season under White with the exception of the COVID-cancelled 2020 year where Florida was on track to likely make the NCAA Tournament. Florida advanced in each NCAA Tournament appearance under White including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2017. He takes over a Georgia program that has not played in the postseason since 2017 and the NCAA Tournament since 2015.
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Speaking of Mike White’s time at Florida, one of his former players, Colin Castleton, was on hand in Birmingham to speak with media members at SEC Tipoff ’23. A fifth-year forward and a preseason First-Team All-SEC selection, Castleton shared on his time playing for White in Gainesville.
“I am forever grateful for him,” Castleton said of White. “When I transferred from Michigan, he gave me the opportunity I’ll always be grateful for. Nothing but respect for him, and I wish him good look – unless we’re playing them. He’s going to do a good job there, and I’m excited to see what they’ll do.”
“He’s a good guy, good coach, somebody like I said I’m forever grateful for. He’ll teach them good things,” Castleton continued when asked what message he would share with Georgia players that are getting set to play for White this season. “… He was definitely defensive minded. It’s something he took a serious approach about. I feel like that’s something they’ll definitely be able to learn a lot more.”
Georgia officially tips off basketball season on November 7th with a home game against Western Carolina to open up the new regime. Mike White is working with a group of Bulldogs that will be fresh faces even to UGA fans with nine newcomers and just five returnees on the roster.
