Georgia will hire Florida coach Mike White to be the program’s new men’s basketball coach, sources tell Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde. The news was first reported by CBS Sports’s Jon Rothstein.
White was not in danger of being immediately fired at Florida, sources say. His future with the school was expected to be discussed at the end of the postseason before any decision was made. But Florida officials were aware of Georgia’s interest in White.
White has spent the last seven seasons with the Gators where he’s compiled a 142–88 record and appeared in four NCAA tournaments. He’ll now replace Tom Crean, who was fired on Thursday. The Bulldogs sit at the bottom of the SEC at 6–26 this season while the Gators are 19–13.
Despite his consistent success in the regular season year to year, Florida fans have long grown frustrated with White. In all but one appearance—a run to the Elite Eight in 2017—White’s trips to the NCAA men’s tourney have ended in the round of 32. For a program that has long had national championship expectations, many Gator fans got their wish and will have a new coach for the first time since 2015.
