Mike White would have been a great hire in 2015. He was among the hottest of mid-major coaches. He’d gone 101-40 at Louisiana Tech, winning three consecutive regular-season titles.
Fact is, Mike White was a great hire – or so everyone thought – in 2015. Needing someone to replace Billy Donovan, Florida believed it had landed the next Billy Donovan.
In his second season with the Gators, White appeared on track. His Gators went 27-9. They finished second to Kentucky in SEC play. They beat Virginia and Wisconsin – two of the harder teams to beat – in the NCAA Tournament. They crashed the East Regional final, which saw Florida and South Carolina, both SEC members, meet in Madison Square Garden. Frank Martin’s Gamecocks won 77-70 to make the Final Four.
