There’s a saying amongst coaches. Don’t substitute the legend. Exchange the man who changed the legend.
It’s just a little simpler.
Former Florida males’s basketball coach Mike White by no means may come near residing as much as the coach he changed. That was two-time nationwide champion Billy Donovan, who took the Gators to 4 Last Fours in all and three Elite Eights amongst 14 journeys to the NCAA Match from 1996-2015.
White, 45, reached 4 NCAA Tournaments from 2017-21, however after a promising Elite Eight end in his second season in 2017, he by no means received previous the second spherical and failed to achieve the NCAA Match this previous season. Earlier than probably being fired in the end, he left contemporary begin as head coach at Georgia, which is clearly admitting lowered expectations.
White’s offense was additionally getting stale, some mentioned. Now, he simply must be higher than Tom Crean within the brief run. Crean was was 6-26 and 1-17 within the SEC within the 2021-22 season at Georgia, and his solely successful season in 4 years was 14-12 and 7-11 in 2020-21. Georgia has not reached the NCAA Match since 2015 beneath Mark Fox and final gained the SEC in 1990 beneath Hugh Durham. White is Georgia’s eighth coach since Durham left after the 1994-95 season. If he’s barely above common there, he’ll final.
In flip, new Florida coach Todd Golden is not going to must match Dononvan – solely White. He was employed Friday after simply main San Francisco to the NCAA Match and a 24-11 season. The No. 10 seed Dons misplaced to No. 7 seed Murray State, 92-87, in time beyond regulation Thursday evening in Indianapolis, and a day later Golden had a brand new job.
Murray State’s coach is one other rising younger star named Matt McMahon, 43. He could possibly be a brand new SEC coach as quickly as he loses within the NCAA Match as there are nonetheless 4 openings within the league at South Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi State and LSU.
McMahon has the well-named Racers (31-2) within the NCAA Match for the third time since 2018. Murray State performs Cinderella No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s (20-11) on Saturday (7:45 p.m. jap, CBS). The proud Peacocks simply beat No. 2 seed Kentucky on Thursday, which implies carry on eye on their coach – Shaneen Holloway, 45, in his first NCAA Match.
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin was watching that San Francisco-Murray State sport on TV late Thursday evening. He received one of many coaches earlier than anybody else did.
Humorous factor, although, Golden, 36, isn’t any extra certified and could also be much less certified than White was seven years in the past at age 38. Golden has been a head coach for simply three seasons. A 12 months in the past presently, he had simply completed an 11-14 season, together with 4-9 within the West Coast Convention. He was 22-12 and 9-7 in his first season with no event. He’s additionally extra of a defensive coach, which was the phrase on White recently as effectively.
However White had turned in three straight glorious seasons at Louisiana Tech with three straight WAC titles from 2012-15 – 27-7 and 16-2, 29-8 and 13-3 and 27-9 and 15-3 with three advances within the NIT.
Then once more, all Donovan had finished earlier than he went to Florida in in 1996 was go 18-9 and 10-4 and 17–11 and 8-6 at Marshall.
Then once more, McMahon would have been a greater rent than Golden now and White then.
Hiring coaches is a crap shoot, sure, however Stricklin might have been seduced by March Insanity. If Golden isn’t within the NCAA Match this season, he’s most likely not in search of a home in Gainesville.
Golden does have SEC expertise. He was an assistant from 2014-16 at Auburn beneath coach Bruce Pearl. Now that’s spectacular. Then once more, White had SEC expertise when Florida employed him. He was an assistant at Ole Miss from 2004-11 – the final 5 beneath coach Andy Kennedy when the Rebels had been aggressive within the SEC, and the primary two beneath Rod Barnes. Search for Kennedy, who simply received UAB within the NCAA Match earlier than a loss to Houston, to probably get an SEC job quickly as effectively.
“As we known as round, folks stored saying, ‘Hey, the man at San Francisco is absolutely good,’” Stricklin mentioned. “He checked all of the containers. From the connection issue, which I consider is absolutely essential, to embracing the cutting-edge analytical piece, which to me reveals an lively thoughts and somebody who needs to determine an put money into attempting to be completely different than others. He brings an impressive monitor report and a excessive degree of integrity to the job.”
Hmm. Was {that a} shot at White?
Humorous, when Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley employed White in 2015, he mentioned about the identical factor Stricklin simply mentioned about Golden.
“Michael White is somebody who got here to the highest of our checklist in a short time, and he checked all the containers,” Foley mentioned seven years in the past. “He’s a winner who has a excessive degree of integrity, performs an up-tempo model and has the respect of his friends and the basketball group. He has expertise in teaching, recruiting and enjoying within the Southeastern Convention and has a powerful pedigree. He has a sure authenticity with folks and isn’t afraid of challenges.”
Apparently, they’re cloning coaches, and Florida simply received a youthful one.
And the followers are excited for a similar factor they simply misplaced. Why? As a result of he’s new.