Just finished watching the fsu game on espn+ on demand and wow is this team is scrappy. Love the new additions. They complement each other well. Also, after seeing Mullen’s arrogance and unwillingness to work hard, specifically recruiting, I have a newfound respect for Mike White and am happy with his accomplishments (especially at his age) and the way he represents the program. I really think he can be one of the better coaches in the country as he grows in his career.
I am super jealous that you got to watch that game for the first time (I would love to see it fresh!). After last season's periods of "soft" play, the game was REALLY enjoyable. If they keep up that effort, it's gonna be a fun ride -- even in losses.
I watched it last night after listening to it on the radio real time. I was very impressed about what I saw. You can't see the hustle and defense on the radio, even though Mick and Lee certainly mentioned it. If we start shooting a little better, watch out.
I have been a huge MW critic, but doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s a good man and am rooting for him. This is really his most important year. I think we have 6 seniors? So if he can’t get momentum out of this group he will be in trouble. But early returns have been good.
Haha I’m speaking as if I know it to be true because you told me. Still have been too lazy to verity because I have the plus setup on my Apple TV.
People said the same thing about Mike White too, though. Not arrogance, but not being able to recruit. Also said he is in over his head and can’t coach. I have been a big supporter of Coach White, here, and it’s kind of amusing to see all this love for him after one victory over FSU. Just shows how fickle the fanbase is, and why an AD can never make decisions based upon the sentiments of a vocal minority.
I watched it a second time. Very even game and then UF finally "broke" FSU late. I'm trying hard to temper my enthusiasm but given the opponent and the way we looked, we have to be excited about this team!
For real. It’s miserable over there which is unfortunate bc SG is usually one of my fav time wasters.
I was quite impressed with the fight in our team as well. And the defense! Unfortunately, it is quite possible that FSU isn’t as good of a measuring stick as might be expected. Barely got by Tulane last night, 59-54. Tulane vs. Florida State - Game Recap - November 17, 2021 - ESPN
I was thinking the same thing about White after the Mullen debacle. White is an incredible embassador for the University of Florida and so easy to root for. White tirelessly works to make the team better and is killing it in recruiting and the transfer portal. He's still really young and has been getting us to the tournament yearly and now maybe he can improve on some of the late game collapses and this Gator basketball team can break through and at least make the Sweet 16 or beyond. We may have found a coach who will be very successful and be around for a long time.
This is a great question. I would say I've mostly been a supporter, but there were times 2 or 3 years ago that I questioned the direction of the program, but White has continously made neccessary changes to improve the team. There were games where the Gators lost big leads, some of them where White slowed the team down that people just wrote him off. 2 years ago the Gators were ranked in the top 10 in the preseason, but the team struggled especially the first half of the season. They decided right there that he stunk as a coach. This past summer, White was written off with a lot of the team leaving for the Draft or another school, but once he got McKissic I started to feel that White might put together a really good team this year. Sure enough 3 more transfers later and White had the type of team that suits his style well.
Anytime a team loses, you can nitpick the coaches or players, and every little mistake seems like *the* one that cost us the game. It takes analysis to figure out whether it is fixable or not. Coach White's biggest mistake over the past couple of years was that he miscalculated how certain players would operate on the court. We got some high profile players in the program, but they weren't the right ones for us. Nembhard: Solid PG. A bit too deliberate in his early years, but definitely a good 4-year player. The problem is that he thought he was a one-or-two-and-done lottery pick. He's doing well at a successful Gonzaga program, but really... what did he gain by transferring? Nothing. He was arguably more high profile at UF and likely it would have been him drafted in the first round instead of Tre Mann, had he stayed with us. I don't fault Nembhard for the slow style of play. I don't fault the coach's philosophy, either. Coach's problem is that he thought that his personnel could play fast, but they couldn't/didn't. Lewis: Good guy, average college player, but also thought he was better than he was. He has a lot of talent, but lacked confidence. This was probably largely due to him correctly understanding that his offensive game was not as developed as it should be. The typical SEC defender he faced was better at defense than he was at offense. Keyontae: Nothing bad to say about KJ. I'm only mentioning him, because people forget that he went down last year. Coach White might have had an Elite 8 or Final Four team with KJ, and would definitely have a title contender this year with him. Basketball success, and even football success, can sometimes come down to just one player. Take Noah off our championship teams, and we likely don't win those back-to-backs. The Warriors were a lottery team without Curry. He comes back at full strength and they are back on top. They didn't even need Klay back. Curry is that good. We make too much fuss about coaching ability and tactics. It's always the players and talent first in sports. The coach needs to put it all together and lead them.
I watched the fsu game this AM. I was very impressed with the "true grit" of McKissic. I did not think much of him nor the team going into the season, but there was one spot that told me a lot. With UF way out in front and, as I recall, about 2 min left and Duriji dives on the floor for a loose ball. Who does that ? A gritty team.
Yeah I don't think they're as good as they typically are. With that said, I was impressed we beat them by 16 when you look at our fg % (and 3 pt fg %). I think that is what makes the win against them so encouraging.
It's hard to overestimate a scrappy veteran who's tough mentally and has heart. We appear to have several this year it's kinda blowing my mind.
Ha , you are so right ! The fan base will want to run him out of town when and if we lose a game everyone thinks we should have won, especially since we know all coaches have voodoo dolls of their players and have the power to make them win any time they want. It 'll start with a subtle comment, followed up by someone who will bring up past "history" . It will then go to who was available when Mike was hired and who we could have hired. Then the flavor of the month will emerge and how much we can hire him for. It'll conclude much like Mullen's is looking right now: the villagers marching toward the castle with pitch fork and torch in hand.
