Florida Gators Questionably Hire Michael White As Head Coach

Billy Donovan bolted for the NBA this offseason — you may have heard. The Florida Gators could have gone with a number of different coaching options. They certainly went with an interesting option, though, as former Louisiana Tech head coach Michael White will now be the new man for the Gators.

Florida hires Michael White as head men’s basketball coach, replacing Billy Donovan. White went 101-40 in last 4 seasons at Louisiana Tech.

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 7, 2015

You may be wondering who this Michael White guy is. Well, in his time with the Bulldogs, he managed to compile a record of 101-40. Not bad. Unfortunately, Louisiana Tech did not make the NCAA tournament during White’s time as head coach.

There will be plenty of fans out there wondering why Florida hired White. After all, Donovan turned this program into a powerhouse. That tends to happen when a team wins two titles (in back-to-back seasons) under one coach. As a result, fans probably wanted a big name to replace the great Donovan.

Names like Gregg Marshall, Richard Pitino, Archie Miller and others were all being linked to the Florida job.

White will have some massive shoes to fill and he will more than likely need to meet expectations in the first couple of seasons. If he can recruit top players, then Florida should have no problem staying relevant.

Under Donovan, Florida was consistently ranked in the top 25 and it consistently made the Big Dance. It is important to note that the Gators are coming off a very disappointing season, and they are losing some talent as well.

Regardless, this is a questionable hire by Florida, but it could turn out to be one heck of a decision.