Noise from Mike White’s camp

What is the definition of insanity? If White stays and next year’s team performs worse than this year’s team, do you give White an additional year to correct things? If so, we are now two more years down the road with what is most likely the same average product with the same average results.

At what point in time do you feel a change in coaching should occur? Does White have to miss the NCAA tournament two years in a row? Billy raised the bar for UF basketball, and now it seems the administration is perfectly ok with lowering that bar to where the basketball program was before Billy got here. I don’t understand why as fans we should be ok with that.

 

Billy D teams were fun, fast, scrappy, talented and arrogant. Billy D teams won far more often than they loss. We’re there a few down years? Yes, but we all believed he’d recruit himself back on top. And he did (against all odds given how much others cheated).

White’s teams are, well, average. Maybe even slightly above average. They are wildly inconsistent. They are not overly talented, and they have no swagger. And after 7 years, the collective “we” do not have faith that he will recruit himself back to the top. Because he really hasn’t been to the top.

As for similarities, both Billy and White comport themselves with extreme professionalism and represent our school with pride. Both seem to be first-class, ethically blessed and very likable. I know I want White to succeed, because he seems like such a good dude.

But here we are, 7 years in, with a program sapped of energy and worse, lacking any real hope. Does anyone truly think we will rise to elite next year under White’s leadership? And the challenge is getting more difficult, as the rest of the SEC has now heavily invested in basketball, and half the league has surpassed us.

Something has to change. The program is gasping for change.

 

I agree 100%. We have been treading water too long and now several teams in the conference have passed us up. No longer are we competing with UK as a rival, they just look at Florida as two easy wins now. It’s a shame that this program has regressed this much in 7 seasons. We can do better, a lot better.

 

I agree with the lack of apparent growth by White.

The main reason I no longer have faith in White, which I am sure most people can guess, is the Oral Roberts game last year. The same issue White had multiple times in previous years with slowing down the offense too soon to milk clock and then losing a lead bit him in the ass again. It’s like he didn’t learn anything from those previous losses.

Some may point to UK’s coach slowing down his offense last game giving us a chance to get back in the game as an excuse for White. The difference is offense has always appeared to be a struggle for UF in recent years, as we seem to go through several minute scoring droughts with regularity. UK could score at will on us just by dumping the ball to their center. With our offensive issues, we should stick with what was scoring points for us until the other team stops it, not by us stopping it for them.

 

i respect your opinion.

 

I guess I was asking where is your line in the sand, so to speak? Are you ok as long as we are making the NCAA tournament with no scandals in the basketball program? What would have to happen for you to stop supporting White? Every fan has a threshold level of play they expect from the team they follow.

 

I’m not sure about elite, but only a handful of programs are elite. Not sure if top 5-7 national ranking is the realistic expectation for most good to great programs.

 

I see similar trends with the lack of growth and improvement too, so I'm also very curious what he sees because maybe there's something I'm missing.

would you explain more about what you're seeing as the White-Donovan comparison and positive recent trends, murph?

 

totally agree, nice post.

 

Really appreciate the class shown by our terrific NBN posters about a difficult issue. Way to keep it civil and in perspective, ..... Well done everyone.

 

The idea that 7 years isn't enough time for a coach is baffling.

 

I am of the opinion that Mike has established this type of season as his “floor”. And that floor is higher than the ceiling for nearly all of Florida’s history not named Billy Donovan.
The question is… why do I feel this is his floor, and not ceiling?
Well, because he has had these type seasons thru an astounding slew of injuries; despite two entirely washed out recruiting classes; while competing against known cheaters. I think each of those aspects have and/or will improve.
And I think Mike will grow as a coach. And so I look at a scenario in which the floor is annual bid and a win or two….. with the upside of a guy who works his ass off; seems to be finding his grove on the trail; a does things the right way.
I am willing to continue riding with those results until I’m convinced differently.

 

How about Top 25 and at least top 4 in the SEC? No home losses to “inferior” teams. Fewer inexplicable road losses to poor teams. Offense that doesn’t look stagnant for long periods of time. Not sweating it out on the bubble again.

Finishing as a top 25 team and/or top 4 in the SEC would solve the bubble issue, but that has only occurred in 2 out of the previous 7 years (Years 2-3 of White) where we finished 2nd and 3rd in the SEC, and got a 4 seed and 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, respectively.

 

I can see where you are coming from, if you are looking at things from a glass half full perspective. White has faced his share of bad luck regarding injuries. But since year 2 of White, we have slipped from finishing 2nd in the SEC to 9th this year. So I am not sure that level of optimism is warranted. White has finished 8, 2, 3, 8, 5, 5, and 9 in the SEC for the past 7 years.

Some of the issues you are citing are of his own creation. The two washed out recruiting classes are on him, as he recruited those players and was unable to keep them around. A coach has to balance egos and keep players engaged, and I am not sure White does that very well. If it was just a couple of players transferring, then that would be one thing, but multiple players from successive recruiting classes is another thing.

My glass half empty perspective is White hit his peak in years 2-3, and has trended down to average since then. This year was supposed to be a good year because White finally built his team through the portal, yet it didn’t materialize. And most likely he will need another 3-4 players via the portal to fill out next years team. It is hard to build team continuity via the portal.

 

We just have a differing perspective.
Those two washed out classes were his very first two.
Anyway- that’s my take. I understand opinions differ.

 

I think we should expect, and hold our coach to, the following program profile: That we are a team every year that is a very plausible Sweet 16 candidate, and which gets into the Sweet 16 three to five times a decade. If we match that profile, we would be in the thick of it for the SEC Championship every year, and we would win SEC Championships every three or four years, or maybe even every two or three years. Under this scenario, we would also have one to three plausible opportunities to win National Championships every decade.

That is a high, but attainable, goal for the program. Our program is not even close to that level right now and has not been that type of program under White. We need a change.

 

I find myself agreeing with most, if not all, you've written these last posts.

I've said I'll wait until the season is over to make my (irrelevant) decision but will continue to support the kids no matter who the head coach might be.

I've finally seen some change in Coach White over the last 8-10 games (actual use of timeouts, required ball movement, finally some DDO, benching players, etc.) . . . and hold out hope that if he's still the coach next year he can find an offensive-minded assistant that can generate even more change. The same defensive intensity with slightly better offense in some games and there's no discussion about the NCAA Tournament, except what Florida's seed would be.

It goes a long way for me that the kids absolutely will not quit and seem to really respond to Coach White.

I also share @Gatorhead's appreciation that this potentially hot button issue has been discussed very well and a lot of folks are enjoying the discussion.

 

I always knew you were one of the smartest posters to grace these forums.

 

Trading White for Grant. Meh.
We'd all be hoping he was all of a sudden fire.

 

Man seems most really like White but want to see better results, this is tough for most.
There are some it's easy for" he's got to go no question it's been long enough".
Me I want one more year, if it's the same then will agree he has to go.
I just feel he's so close like what's coming back and coming in.
It's great that we can have some deep talks on here and very little crap talk.
There are some very good posters on here who I don't know but I have respect for them.
Glad I joined and hope to be around next season.
Go Gators !!!!