UF did at least 4 times in the past 20 years, with at least two different groups of players. So it can be done, and it has been done at UF. And for those arguing it was just Billy, that was the same argument used against UF football success before Meyer. That we would never find another Spurrier and we should be happy we got those good years with Spurrier. If you hire a good coach, they can win championships here. After 4 years you have an idea of the ceiling of the coach. And White has shown what his ceiling is.
Let's see. We lost the best player in the SEC, the possibly best big man in the SEC now we lose Jitobah. Think we miss them? Mike White is doing whatever he can to win but losing these guys has everything to do with losing and the same old naysayers keep popping up although a new generation is beginning. Be a fan or be a dawg.
It’s not like we were a high performing team with them. Ultimately this isn’t a one or two year reaction. We are 7 years in and the trajectory is not good. There has been more than enough time and more than enough evidence to say he is not up to the Gator standard. Nice guy, just not getting done. Tired of waiting around and hearing excuses for poor performance.
Maybe we lose those players to injury because White plays small ball all the time, which leads to our few big men getting beat up because they are being constantly banged on without any help. Especially since teams don’t seem to fear the three-point shot, so they collapse down on the interior. Expecting one true big man to carry the load on offense/defense is asking a lot.
This argument would work better if we had been playing consistently well before we lost Castleton and Jitoboh.
Funny - you explain our weakness this season saying we lost Castleton/Jitobah. Although we weren't doing great before they went down, you then talk about "the same old naysayers." How can people have been naysaying MW for years but your defense is Castleton/Jitobah? My naysaying (and I've only given up on MW this year), and I dare say that of most fans, has everything to do with MW's 7 year record little to do with the last 10 games. So should any defense of MW. It is only fair to recognize that the criticism is fairly based on MW's 7 year record. As for the snide "go root for the dogs"? Holding two competing thoughts in your head is a sign of intelligence. One can both root for the Gators and want a change of leadership that would make them better. MW is NOT the Gators, he is the Gators head coach making millions/year. He is fairly subject to analysis and critique. Also, if you believe a Gator coach could go 0-30 and anybody who criticizes them should "go root for the dogs", you might want to stay off message boards. They are a place where thoughts are shared...not just "Go Gators." Folks defending an 0-30 coach would be ridiculed. Those attacking a 30-0 coach likewise. MW's record is not above critique and ridiculing (go be a dog) those who believe he is not performing to expectations is not fair comment.
The problem with Mike White is similar to the problems with Ron Zook. If anything can go wrong, it will. Last season we lost Keyontae. This year we lost Castelton, and Jitoboh replaces him, and it finally looks like he's potentially a good player, but then we lose him as well. I like Mike White and know these issues are out of his hands, but the wheels are coming off, maybe already off. I don't think at this point in his tenure that he's going to be able to turn it around. I stated in a previous post that I think the results we've seen over the last few years would've been the same, even if the '04s made up the team. However, if he stays the coach, I'll still support them until it's turned around or he's gone.
Didn’t we lose to Texas southern at home with both of those guys? We are just a poor team trying to compete with a transfer portal patch roster. We are a long way from championship material.
Six years and actually took over a program coming off a losing season. And during that time UF is the only SEC school to make four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (and would have been five had not the 2020 Tournament not been canceled by Covid).
Coach White's ability to rally his teams during injuries, illnesses, and other hardship is commendable. It would have been very easy for him and the team to come out and lay an egg today. Most analysts would have excused it considering the lack of any real bigs. Instead, they came out and fought through adversity. Great adjustments by Coach White, and awesome effort by the players today.
And yet people can agree with it and still see the same deficiencies regarding the program. If anything the fact that we can hang or rally against any team but still lay eggs one after another against lesser competition illustrates the problem. I hope we turn it around amd limp into the tournament again. Even more I'd like for White to lead this team on a legitimate run to end the year or compete in the SEC tournament. Something. Anything different than the last 7 years but given our injuries that is a stretch. Where are the snarky remarks after texas Southern? Maryland? Etc etc or do we only take shots after wins? Jameis Winston threw for 40 touchdowns last year. Its his turnovers that lost him his job. Zook could best Georgia and then lose to miss state who at the time was one of the worst programs in football. You support White. Great. I want nothing more than to have a stable program with a respectable leader like white especially since he could potentially be here for years to come given his age. Some people act like he hasn't had ample time to correct some of the issues clearly laid out by posters here. Sure a couple have given the white hire a hard time from the beginning but most have supported him up until recent.
Not really. There's more than a few that meet the criteria, sadly. I know a few. It's the old " the end justifies the means" mentality
I'd categorize White as a good coach. He, in my opinion, is never going to be a great coach. His good qualities were on display this afternoon. My criticism is that he will never be more than what he is now. For some, that may be enough. On some days, it is for me, as I contemplate the lack of commitment shown to the hoops program. He may be the best we can hope to have. The other side of me knows that shouldn't be the case. We should be a Top 4 program in the SEC and get to the 2nd weekend of the NCAA tournament more than once every 7 years. We should be able to hold our own recruiting in state talent and not have to rely on grad transfers and projects to build a roster. One other thing, you overcome bad luck with quality depth. Sure, losing your best player is going to hurt. You shouldn't fall off a cliff because you didn't recruit well enough to hang on while he heals.
