No brother, it’s not the curse of being ranked. I think the curse of a not so good coach is a more accurate statement.
If they had an emoji that had a finger pointed upwards instead of a thumb, that’s what I would give your post. And I’m not talking about the index finger saying you are number one.
I understand the frustration. I'd be lying if I said I won't miss you as poster. Be well . . . Go Gators!
I don't think so. He said he is done watching. That's not my path, but I won't judge the guy. We haven't always agreed, but I know he is a fan, and I have enjoyed him as a poster.
Looking at our comparative ratings, you say what other people on the board like to hear. I say what needs to be said. I was posting when Billy lost games during our championship years also. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? The difference is that Billy won a lot more games than White has. Perhaps when White starts winning consistently, you will see more positive posts from me. I doubt seriously you have read all of my 8,118 posts since 2007, or even 10% of them. So we'll just consider your comment a hilarious exaggeration.
Eh, disagree with this. The "negative" posters were here but they were happy with the results. We looked like a different team thia year effort, teamwork and defensively speaking. I'm on record as loving White as an ambassador and decreasingly hopeful some of the major flaws of his teams will improve. I'm not going to rehash the same complaints because we know what they are here but this type of loss beyond comprehension. I'd like to agree with AKA and say how this team responds will be very telling but the problem is it likely won't. They could respond with a great game or two but historically speaking his teams have never "turned the corner" because deflating unexpected performances keep derailing this program. Making the tournament and an early exit is better than where this program was once at and some of us can appreciate that but there hasn't been any growth year to year in some time now. Each years ups and downs are eerily similar. With the exception of losing to FSU we start out hot, have a signature win, have a skid, show signs of life, early conference tournament exit, eek in the tournament and out by the 2nd round. If that were the norm with the occasional breakthrough year I'd take it but it is literally the same struggle year in and year out.
That's pretty much where I am too. I love Coach White as a representative of the University of Florida. He doesn't cut corners, he does everything the right way. But every year is the same. The first few games this year had me so pumped that he had finally turned the corner. But then we started playing Mike White ball again. And not the good La Tech Mike White kind of ball.
His biggest flaw is that he is stubborn. He recruits primary smaller-sized players which is why we see us getting outrebounded by inferior teams like Texas Southern. He does not use his bench optimally. Why recruit high four-star players if you are not going to play them? The team shot 20% from 3 and 32% overall. Is MW telling me that Reeves, Lane, and Kennedy can't shoot 20% from 3 point land? And if that is the case, why in the world did he recruit and sign them? He gets above-average talent and athleticism but struggles to develop and utilize the talent in the right situations. For instance, if you are down double digits in rebounds, why not put in Jitoboh and Castleton and let Duruji or Flemming play the 3? Wouldn't another big body prevent some of the offensive rebounds and turnstile layups that have been a trademark of opponents when we lose? What is the point of having a 6'11" 300-pound space-eater on scholarship if when you need someone just like that to change the complexion of the game at home, you let him ride the bench? Was he sick? Was he suspended? Maybe I missed something. Someone do some research on games to determine how many times MW has had Castleton and Jitoboh in the game at the same time over the past two seasons (probably never). But this was not the first time that MW failed to utilize his bench in a way that would have eliminated the rebounding disparity in the game as well as the porous paint presence we had on defense. He is just not a good in-game stats man. He cannot make adjustments on the run based upon analytics that evolve in the course of the game. If I am down double digits and no one on the floor is hitting threes for an entire half, I am going to send in reserves and tell them straight up, "now is your chance to prove why you got a scholarship to Florida". Other than that, he's a great coach.
You are wrong but I respect your opinion. What was alarming about that game is that an 0-7 came in looser and more confident than a 6-1 team with big wins on their slate. This is lack of mental preparation and lack of leadership. Someone has to assume leadership of that team and demand (like Tebow) that the team refuses to lose to an inferior opponent. Yes, anything can happen on a given day. But this game unfolded by panicking in yanking starters with two fouls (preserving them made absolutely no difference in the outcome), by not appreciating the fact that they were dominating us on the offensive boards (because of the stubbornness and insistence of MW playing 3 guards when he could go big and play Jitoboh with Castleton (perhaps Jitoboh was hurt), and in not utilizing other bench players who probably could shoot at least 20% from 3 and 32% from the floor overall (which is what the 7 in the rotation shot). At worst putting in a freshman gives him valuable experience (development the lack thereof which has been the Achilles heel of the MW era resulting in untoward transfers out of the program). MW needs to learn how to take sensible advice from people. He is a damn good coach, and if he could just learn to be more flexible this team will surprise a lot of people as they already have.
It was not a 1% probability because no adjustments were made. If MW were to coach the game the same way he did on Sunday 100 times we would probably lose a significantly greater number of times than !%. This team is prone as have been ALL of MW's teams since he's been here for droughts and poor shooting performances. Thankfully, he has improved the defensive intensity, but when you are vertically challenged (as MW's teams are year in and year out [stubbornness]), having a poor shooting night is not always overcome by good defense if you can't rebound. MW needs to look at the game as 8 5 minute segments. After each 5 minutes, see what the pulse of the game is, what the other team is exploiting, what players are engaged on our team and which players on the starting 5 are just going through the motions, and then make ADJUSTMENTS. When you are being outrebounded, and your power forward, who at 6'7" happens to be one of the tallest players on your team, you have to make ADJUSTMENTS. You don't leave another 6'11" scholarship player on the bench when you are getting hammered on the boards. YOU DON'T!!!!! It is MW's inability to be flexible and to make in-game adjustments that have him teetering on blowing probably one of the best jobs in college sports. I support him because I think fundamentally he grasps what the goals are and brings in the talent to accomplish those goals. His implementation skills are severely wanting, and until he starts adjusting to the dynamics of the game, we are going to see mediocre season after mediocre season. There was a span where Reeves got hot in a previous game. He was coming into his own and getting comfortable playing on this level. We have not seen him since. You cannot do that to a young player who has hopes of playing in the NBA and who came here with the aspirations of using our program as a vehicle for getting there. PLAY REEVES!!!! Let him earn his scholarship. Let him fly! So what if other egos have to be put in check. Get him involved in the flow of the offense. Same with Kennedy. Lane might be too far gone psychologically to make a difference. He will inevitably transfer if he knows what's good for him, because in this program, there are people who are going to be allowed to f up on the floor and still get playing time, and those who make one mistake, and you don't see them for 3 games. That strategy has to stop. What does that say to an impressionable freshman when the team shoots 20% from 3 and 32% from the floor against a no-name team, and you don't even play? Common sense tells you you don't do that to your prize recruit. When are we going to see that from this coaching staff?
Take any loss, by any team, and you can dissect it to the finest detail and itemize everything the Coach did wrong. Even a 1-point road loss to the #1 ranked team can look like a complete coaching meltdown when presented in this fashion. The simple fact is they lost the game due to lack of execution. It was a poor effort all-around, but let’s not make it into something more than it is this early into the season.
Some real hot takes here. By 6’11” scholarship player, are you talking about Jitoboh? Surely, you don’t think that he was going to be our savior on Monday night. Reeves might be a good player down the line. Not sure he is as ready as you think he is. What are you basing this off of… a few good minutes? He’ll earn playing time as he develops. And NBA? Let’s pump the brakes a little bit. Does he even have NBA buzz outside of Gainesville, FL? Is he one of the top 60 draft eligible players in the world… to include overseas?
Fun fact: During the pregame announcements Coach White got a smattering of boos every game this season. Even after beating FSU and Ohio State. Classy.
