Where would you rank Florida's ability to attact top basketball coaches as compared the SEC?

I agree with you, Florida should be the 2nd most prestigious job in the SEC.

 

It doesn't matter anymore, it is all about money imo.

 

I think really good.

 

This is a plum job, one of the best. The flagship university in the nation's 3rd-most populous state. Huge recruiting base. Huge alumni network. Deep pockets. A new NIL office (at least for football). Two National Championships, five Final Fours, and more Elite Eights and Sweet Sixteens than you can shake a stick at. One of the best practice facilities in the country.
We should be right there with Kentucky.
The student fan base, sadly, has grown more lackadaisical over the years. A lot of that is a failing of a string of gutless, money-grubbing university presidents. The U of F is a land-grant institution, founded to serve the citizens of Florida first. It's now more interested in bringing in out-of-state and foreign students in order to charge more for tuition. And the foreign students just aren't that interested in traditional American sports.

 

I think the longer we get away from Billy D without much success the lower we sink. We need to turn the current situation around either with or without White or we are going to dig ourselves a hole similar to before BD.

 

I think you can make a valid case that it’s the 2nd best job in the SEC. Florida’s history has proven you can win big here. It’s also a place where you can get good recruits. Some want to knock the fan support. That’s fine. But it’s not that different from any other SEC team not named Kentucky.

 

When Billy left, we were the best job in the country that was open that year.

When Mike White leaves after this year, there may be a handful of jobs that are more appealing to coaches. But unless we are willing to hire a big name, we will get another up and comer, and the problem with that is they don't all pan out.

Archie Miller was the hot name when we hired Mike White, he got a chance at Indiana a couple years later and failed to make the tournament for four years and got fired.

Chris Mack was another of the hot names, he got the Louisville job a few years later and lost his only NCAA tournament game. They probably would have done better in the cancelled tournament from 2020 but we'll never know. Currently they are 5th in the ACC.

 

Two things: 1) Win more games 2) More hot Asian chicks in the stands = championship

 

And to @HallGator's Q: I'm with you and the others who understand that UF should be second to UK only. There should be no reason we can't attract the best coaching talent available.

 

I am a MW fan but I do agree that as far as recruiting and hiring a 'name coach' UAA can pull in the talent, I hope Mike turns things around because I believe he really does things 'the right way' if he is axed we should open the vault and hire the next great Billy D

How Pearl and Wade are still allowed on an SEC court is beyond me... SMH

 

That’s the chance you take with an up and comer. Florida hit the lottery when they hired Donovan and was hoping to do the same with White. Lightening didn’t strike twice. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t potentially another young coach that could fit and be successful. Vetting candidates won’t be easy but that’s the position Florida is gonna find themselves in the near future.

 

It depends. I'd say the Florida job is top 3-4 in the SEC. The problem at Florida is the fan support is putrid. Even for weekend home games. Besides the Rowdies, the rest of the crowd is pretty lame. Arkansas is probably the second best job in the SEC behind UK. Then you have schools like Tennessee and Auburn. UF is about on par with those schools. Auburn has the best home court advantage in the SEC. They built Auburn arena based around the OLD O'Dome. After we renovated, the former House of Horrors is a library.
UF and the UAA does not do a good job of selling the basketball program or trying to get people excited about hoops. Most of that is because of the apathy for Mike White and the program It is always "groundhogs" day with UF hoops because you pretty much know how it's going to end.
This program has fallen HARD. Only way to build it back up is to start over with a new coach and new voice.

 

Not to hijack, but the first step in vetting the mess known as major college basketball is to get the NBA/NBAPA to agree to get up and running a real G-league. That way they can get rid of the O-A-D rule and implement the baseball rule (go pro out of HS or spend a minimum of 3 years in college). Otherwise all we are going to do is get in line with the LSUs and Auburns with a checkbook.

The real problem, IMO, is that no one is an All-star switch hitter in college sports. You pick your poison and you live with the consequences. Kentucky will never be an elite player in football because they chose basketball. Bama is looking decent but again it depends on the quality of the coach. I think everyone except Kentucky is going to have undulations in any given year.

So I would say the UF job has the potential to be the second best job (probably the third with Arky second) but it is nowhere close to being a given. My guess is it will continue to be an upper tier hopeful and that is as good as it will get, unless another Donovan comes along. And as an aside, I still believe the reason he left was less about wanting to test the NBA skills than how out of whack college ball has gotten. He wasn't getting those players anymore.

 

The court's ruling on NIL has radically changed the landscape. I don't like it, but it's the new reality, and puts us on an even court with the LSUs and Awbrins that were already paying players under the table.

 

Correct, it is all about how much are we willing to spend versus what we are going to spend in football. And in that light, unless there are some well healed basketball only fans out here (and methinks the attendance figures say not really) I have to think we are going to have to find the next Billy and THEN the money/support will flow.

 

Not Anymore and I know you know that.

Auburn, LSU, Alabama, KY, are way ahead of us and I think others are even if not better.

 

The program is without a doubt top 2 or 3 as far as performance history, probably top 3 or 4 as a job as well depending on what kind of support the AD is willing to give. Stricklin has alluded to some major renovations to the practice facility. Personally think the O'Dome reno was a mistake, but we do have a fairly nice basketball arena. I think given the increase in revenue forthcoming there's going to be plenty of money to commit to a staff. I'd probably put UK and Arkansas ahead of us as jobs, but no one else should be.

 

I’m talking about the program, not our current position in the SEC standings for this season. Every school has ups and downs, even blue blood Kentucky last season. But just because Kentucky was down last season doesn’t mean that the job wouldn’t be one of the premiere jobs in the country. Same for Florida, just because they aren’t very good this season doesn’t mean that the head coaching position isn’t the second best in the SEC.