Mike White is 0-4 against UF

It's a famous utterance by Dick Vermeil.

 

Towards the end you don’t think the leash was short? I know he had built up some equity from the early elite 8 run, but I think everyone’s patience was worn thin at the end.

 

I guess it depends on your definition of short leash - I saw it more of a cumulative frustration and dwindling support on the fan side over his last 2 seasons .

 

White inherited a team from Billy D that had a losing record. White took that team to an Elite 8 without an Egbunu.

 

I'll just say that I'm glad that we get to be on the other side of the Mike White experience. He spoiled another strong crowd; they looked MISERABLE in the 2nd half. There was a 10-minute stretch where their offense didn't hit a single FG.

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

not that we can talk trash about it this year with the leads we’ve blown. But I would bet it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy for the opponents after all these years. They all know to just let MW coached teams let themselves run out of gas and go through their spell at some point, and that they will be in it late. Makes the idea of a lead seem less formidable and teams don’t have to press, just play their game. Makes them stronger at the end.

 

He mentioned this specifically in his press conference.

 

I hear what you're saying and part of me wants to agree, but another part wants him to do just well enough to keep his job a loooong time. If they turnover coaches quickly, they might actuallu stumble on someone good.

 

I was never a fan of MW as a coach, but always defended him as a person. And I don’t blame him for bolting before he got fired, it was best for both sides.
But to go to our biggest rival wasn’t a coincidence, and the way he accused fans of harassing his family on the way out didn’t sit well either. UF fans have never even been accused of doing that to a football coach’s family, let alone a secondary sport that half the city doesn’t even care about or expect to be NC level at.
Lost a bunch of respect for him.

 

Uh, UF fans are definitely known for harassing coaches and their families. Mullen’s wife talked about not being able to go to the grocery stores in Gainesville. Meyer talked about being boo’d going into a local restaurants. One of our analysts (not even a coach) was forced to shut down all of his social media accounts just this last year.

Judging by some of the vitriol spewed at white on social media, I have no doubt he and his family felt uncomfortable moving around in Gainesville.

Now I don’t think Athens is going to be any better, nor do I think any of this stuff is unique to Gainesville, but it most certainly happens. I wish it didn’t, but it does.

When I see players and coaches around town, I usually offer nothing more than a “Go Gators”. If they want to talk, they will. If they don’t, they keep moving. I know people who always try to push them, and ask stupid questions though.

 

I agree with most of this except that there is a loser contingent of sports fans everywhere and social media has given them a direct line of communication to players and coaches alike. I think it happens here but also think it happens everywhere. I do perceive his leap to Georgia as a response to his treatment here which is a slap in the face to the fans that supported him firstly as a quality person and secondly as a coach for most of his time here. He certainly caught some terrible injury luck but he had plenty of time to show improvement in areas he simply never did.

 

I was thinking more about his kids. And to your point, we definitely aren’t wider than anywhere else. It was a cheap shot excuse to leave.

 

I would not put it past some members of our fanbase. Definitely think it’s possible that kids they went to school with harassed them because of things their parents said. Again, I don’t think this is something unique to Gainesville. Fanatics can be fanatical.

 

White lost another one point game tonight.

 

I could very well be wrong, but I don’t think he ever made such comments. There was speculation as to his family enduring the noise of fan frustration, but I don’t recall and would be really surprised if White commented.
Do you have a quote? I’m not asking that as a “gotcha”, but honestly wondering if I missed it.

 

He didn’t say it publicly as far as I know. But all the insider boards said the same thing as to his reasoning. He clearly wanted it to get out without being the public bad guy.

 

I don't know if Mike White actually commented on it, but in terms of the public-facing accusatory angle, that came from media talking heads.

Here's what everybody's favorite/least-favorite writer Bianchi had to say:

Getting Dawged: Mike White just gave spoiled Gators hoops fans the middle finger

...

He wasn't the only media guy that had this type of view, but not sure others published their view. GATOR-fan-hating Pat Dooley yucked it up with his buddy Robby Andreu about the "Gidiots" being at it again over the airwaves.

They can't help their sensationalistic nature; Pat does this on the radio where one guy may come with an off-base remark, and he uses that perspective to stereotype an entire fan base. Can't tell if it's done out of ignorance or if it's just to get people worked up. No apparent understanding that the people who call in to such shows (let alone those who listen to them) are already the fringe of the fringe of a fan base.

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

Love Coach White for all he did while here in the face of adversity.

As I have said before......I wonder how things would have turned out had Keyontae played. What a screwed up situation to have land in your/our lap.

Then he transfers to K State and.....

• Julius Erving Small Forward Award Finalist
• 2023 NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team
• 2023 Third Team All-American (AP/NABC)
• 2023 Honorable Mention All-American (USBWA)
• 2023 Lute Olson National Player of the Year finalist
• 2023 NABC All-District First Team
• 2023 USBWA All-Region First Team
• 2023 All-Big 12 First Team (league coaches/AP)
• Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year [league coaches/AP]
• 2023 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List
• 2023 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot [15 finalists]
• 2023 Naismith Trophy Award [10 semifinalists)
• NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week (11/14/22)
• 5-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (11/14/22, 12/19/22, 1/9/23, 1/23/23, 2/27/23)

CAREER OVERVIEW

• Played his fourth season of college basketball at K-State in 2022-23 after playing 3 seasons at Florida (2018-21)… Was eligible for a waiver for another season of college eligibility in 2023-24 but opted to turn professional and remain in the 2023 NBA Draft.
• Was part of 100 wins and 4 postseason teams (NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019, 2021 and 2023) at Florida and K-State with a probable fifth cancelled due to COVID-19, including trips to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and 2021 and the Elite Eight in 2023.
• Saw action in 108 career games with 92 starts, including 36 starts at K-State in 2022-23… Played in 71 games at Florida with 55 starts from 2018-21.
• Finished his college career with 1,416 career points (13.1 ppg.) on 51.9 percent shooting (538-of-1037), including 38.9 percent (103-of-265) from 3-point range, with 713 rebounds (6.6 rpg.), 175 assists (1.6 apg.), 29 blocks (0.3 bpg.) and 117 steals (1.1 spg.) in 3,132 points (29.0 mpg.).
• One of just 12 players in school history to eclipse 600 points in a single season at K-State in 2022-23… His 627 points rank No. 9 on the single-season list… Eclipsed 1,000 career points while playing at K-State in a game vs. Radford (12/21/22).
• Posted 72 career double-digit scoring games, including 18 games of at least 20 points… 15 of his 18 20-point games came against high-major competition, including Baylor (1/25/20) when Jerome Tang was on staff and 9 times in 2022-23… His career-high of 28 points came at K-State, against Nevada (11/22/22) and at No. 6/6 Texas (1/3/23)… Scored in double figures in 34 of 36 games at K-State, including 10 games of at least 20 points.
• Totaled 19 career double-doubles (points/rebounds), which included 13 at Florida and 6 at K-State… Among those 19 double-doubles were eight 20-point, 10-rebound double-doubles… His first 20/10 double-double came vs. Arkansas (3/14/19) with 20 points and 12 rebounds at the SEC Tournament… Also had 22 points and 12 rebounds vs. St. Joseph’s (11/21/19), 24 points and 10 rebounds vs. Arkansas (2/18/20), 25 points and 11 rebounds vs. LSU (2/26/20) and 24 points and 12 rebounds vs. Boston College (12/3/20), all while at Florida… Accomplished the feat three times at K-State, including 20 points and 12 rebounds at Butler (11/30/22), 23 points and 11 rebounds vs. Nebraska (12/17/22) and 22 points and 12 rebounds at No. 8/8 Kansas (1/31/23).
• Grabbed more than 700 rebounds in his college career, including better than 200 3 times.
• Dished out 175 assists in his college career, including 77 at K-State in 2022-23.
• Had 117 steals in his college career, including 38 in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
• Connected on better than 47 percent of his field goals in each of his four seasons of college basketball, including hitting on 64.1 percent (25-of-39) in 2020-21… Hit on 56.4 percent (435-of-772) of his 2-point field goals… Has shot better than 64 percent from the free throw line in each of his seasons in college, including better than 76 percent in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
• One of the few players to play for and against one of his former schools, as he had a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) in the Wildcats’ win over Florida (1/28/23) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge… Also played against Jerome Tang while Tang was the associate head coach at Baylor, as the Bears defeated the Gators, 72-61, in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 25, 2020, despite a game-high 20 points from Johnson.
• Experienced a medical emergency on Dec. 12, 2020, during Florida’s game at Florida State that sidelined him for the remainder of his junior season (2020-21).
  
• Career-High Points: 28, twice (both times at K-State)
  • vs. Nevada (11/22/22)
  • at No. 6/6 Texas (1/3/23)
• Career-High Rebounds: 13 at Alabama (2/16/19) while at Florida
  Career-High Assists: 6, twice
  • at Texas A&M (2/12/20) while at Florida
  • vs. Kansas City (11/17/22) while at K-State
• Career-High Steals: 4, 5 times

AS A SENIOR AT KANSAS STATE (2022-23) | 17.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.1 APG | Game-by-Game Stats (.pdf)

• Was a finalist for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year award, while he was named to the National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award and a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy.
• Selected to a number of All-America teams, including the Third Team by the Associated Press and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and an honorable mention selection by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
• Was one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Award, which annually goes to the nation’s top small forward by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Chosen to the All-Big 12 First Team by the league coaches and The Associated Press… Also named to the league’s Newcomer of the Year by both.
• Named First Team All-District by both the NABC and USBWA.
• Named to the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament team after guiding the Wildcats to the Elite Eight… Averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists during the 4-game NCAA Tournament run, including a 22-point effort in the win over Michigan State (3/23/23).
• Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week 5 times (11/14/22, 12/19/22, 1/9/23, 1/23/23, 2/27/23), which was the most any Wildcat since Michael Beasley in 2008.
• Was the NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week on Nov. 14 after averaging 14.5 points in the first 2 games, including a near double-double (16 points, 9 rebounds) at California (11/11/22), in his first action since the 2020-21 season.
• One of four Wildcats to start all 36 games.
• Logged 1,228 minutes, which is the fifth-most in a single season… Averaged 34.1 minutes per game… Played 30 or more minutes in 30 games, while he played 40 or more minutes 3 times with a season-best 45 vs. Michigan State (3/23/23).
• Averaged 17.4 points on 51.6 percent (236-of-457) shooting from the field, including 40.5 percent (47-of-116) from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.1 minutes per game… Hit on 71.5 percent (108-of-151) from the free throw line.
• One of just 12 players in school history to eclipse 600 points in a single season at K-State in 2022-23… His 627 points rank No. 9 on the single-season list… Eclipsed 1,000 career points while playing at K-State in a game vs. Radford (12/21/22).
• Led the Big 12 in field goal percentage (51.6), while he ranked in the league’s top-15 in 6 total categories, including fourth in scoring (17.4 ppg.), fifth in rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and defensive rebounds (5.3 drp.) and minutes (34.1 mpg.) and 13th in free throw percentage (71.8).
• One of 2 Big 12 players (along with Kansas’ Jalen Wilson) to rank in the Big 12’s top-5 in both scoring and rebounding in all games and Big 12-only games… Finished fourth in scoring (17.4 ppg.) and fifth in rebounding (6.8 rpg.) in all games, while he was third in both scoring (18.1 ppg.) and rebounding (6.9 rpg.) in Big 12-only games.
• Collected 6 double-doubles (points/rebounds) during the season, including 3 games of 20 points and 10 rebounds… Those games included 20 points and 12 rebounds at Butler (11/30/22), 23 points and 11 rebounds vs. Nebraska (12/17/22) and 22 points and 12 rebounds at No. 8/8 Kansas (1/31/23).
• Scored in double figures in 34 of 36 games played… The 34 double-digit scoring games tied for the second-most in school history and the most since Jacob Pullen set the school record with 37 in 2009-10… Among those were 10 games of 20 or more points… Scored a career-high 28 points twice during the year, including vs. Nevada (11/22/22) and at No. 6/6 Texas (1/3/23).
• Led the team in scoring 15 times, including on 5 occasions in Big 12 play.
• Registered 20 or more points in the back-to-back wins at No. 6/6 Texas (1/3/23) and No. 19/16 Baylor (1/7/23)… Also had 25 points in the home win over No. 9/10 Baylor (2/21/23).
• Was second on the team with 47 made 3-pointers on 40.5 percent shooting… Knocked down at least 3 treys in 4 games, including a season-best 4 at West Virginia (3/4/23).
• Led the team in both rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and total rebounds (245)… Led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in 16 games, including 6 double-digit rebounding totals… Twice grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, including at Butler (11/30/22) and at No. 8/8 Kansas (1/31/23).
• Was third on the team with 77 assists… Dished out a career-tying 6 assists vs. Kansas City (11/17/22).
• Was third on the team with 37 steals… Has at least 2 steals in 11 games, including a season-best 4 vs. Nebraska (12/17/22).
• Started all 18 Big 12 games… Averaged 18.1 points on 50 percent (122-of-244) shooting, including 41 percent (25-of-61) from 3-point range, in league-only games with team-best 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 35.7 minutes per game… Connected on 71.3 percent (57-of-80) from the free throw line.
• Scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games with 6 20-point games.
• Ranked in the Big 12’s top-10 in 5 conference-only categories, including third in scoring (18.1 ppg.), field goal percentage (50.0), rebounding (6.9 rpg.) and defensive rebounds (5.61 drpg.) and seventh in minutes (35.7).
• Coached by Jerome Tang.

 

The reason he left is it was good for his career

If he stays at Florida he may get fired 1 or 2 years later. It’s a real chance. Then he’d have to move down a level or be an assistant

By jumping ship he gets a clean slate and a guaranteed 4 years at a P5 school.