Not wasting time: Mike White gets right into it putting Gators to work
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- DeVon Walker had his shirt off and his upper body (much bigger than it used to be) was lathered in sweat. For the third straight day, the Florida swingman attacked the goal hard, on command, and each time was beaten up -- sometimes with a body shot, sometimes a rake of the arm -- by the padded-glove hands of new Gators assistant coach Darris Nichols.
"Gonna have to hit me harder than that, Coach," Walker popped off after putting the ball in the basket. "That was nothing."
Next time, Nichols obliged. The time after that, too.
Meanwhile, the new guy in charge soaked it all in with a smile.
The scenes currently playing out at the UF basketball complex may seem (even sound) a bit surreal, but for the participating parties it's not only real, it feels right.
"It's been great," Florida coach Michael White said of his first few days on the job. "I think we've got a really solid group of guys. They're extremely compliant. They've worked hard, done everything we've asked and had a productive first week. We've gotten better along the way."
MIke White's news conference
Mike White was introduced during a news conference Monday as the successor to Gators coach Billy Donovan.
White met Monday night with the handful of Gators here for the first summer semester. Only hours before, the 38-year-old fast-tracker who led Louisiana Tech to 101 wins over four years officially took the office once held for 19 seasons by Billy Donovan.
It was a seismic event in the college basketball world, but the aftershocks have been minimal as White and his staff immediately went to work -- hands-on style -- with the nucleus of players they inherited.
"These coaches, they've been great. They're really encouraging and they get out on the court with us," sophomore forward Devin Robinson said. "The workouts are tough. High intensity. A lot of ball-handling and a lot of conditioning, as well. But I really like it."
"They've got a good pace, they've got enthusiasm and they're all really young," sophomore guard Chris Chiozza said. "It's like they come in with more energy and ready to workout as hard as we are."
It's been a dizzying few weeks for everybody associated with the program. The Oklahoma City Thunder fired coach Scott Brooks on April 22 and immediately the Donovan rumors began. On April 30, Donovan took the job. The ensuing week, naturally, was filled with a lot of anxiety and uncertainty, but the UF players banded together.
With school out between semesters, the players were scattered across the country and only knew what they were hearing from news reports or seeing on Twitter. They had a text message group to send notes of encouragement to each other. Yes, they talked about the rumors; shot some down, too. Donovan even hit them with texts saying to trust Athletic Director Jeremy Foley; that he would find the right guy for the job.
"We were just telling everyone to stay calm and see what we got before making any decisions; don't get any preconceived ideas," Chiozza said. "Whatever happened, we'd have to come in and had to see what the new coach had to say, how we would play, what kind of workouts he would have."
Then White's name surfaced.
"I Googled him. I did my research. I think we all did," Robinson said. "The more I read up on him, the more I liked him."
White was hired May 7 and introduced as UF's head coach Monday morning. He brought the players that were in town together for a first meeting that night.
"It was an abbreviated version of what will be our first meeting," White said. "Because, right now, we have an abbreviated team."
That first meeting lasted 10 minutes, but the takeaway was simple. Players must adhere to White's three rules:
1) Be on time -- Self-explanatory, as it relates to class, practice, meetings, commitments, etc.
2) Be loyal -- It's a trait White holds paramount. Loyalty to themselves, their teammates, families, high school coaches and the University of Florida.
3) Be a man -- Consider it a statement that encompasses everything; how they conduct themselves, how they treat others, how they hold themselves accountable.
The Gators are coming off a 16-17 season and are expected to return eight scholarship players off that squad, led by senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith. UF signed four incoming freshmen, but Atlanta forward Noah Dickerson asked out and was granted release from his national letter of intent. The remaining three signees, in-state forwards Kevarrius Hayes and Keith Stone, plus Arkansas guard KeVaughn Allen aren't due on campus until Summer B next month.
As White said at his news conference, he wants players who want to be here.
"I'm not into begging," he said.
And begging was not required of his players during the first week of workouts, with the hands-on assistants setting the tone. NCAA rules allow each player to be on the floor with coaches two hours per week during the offseason. Instead of two one-hour sessions, White broke the workouts into three 40-minute sessions.
Norris at WVU Whether it was Norris (the former West Virginia point guard) dishing out body blows, or Jordan Mincy (former Kent State point guard) playing in-your-face defense, or Dusty May (four years as a manager for Bobby Knight at Indiana) firing pinpoint passes to spot-up shooters, the workouts were spirited and productive.
"Anytime you go to a new place, you have to get out of your comfort level," said Norris (right). "Right now, it's about building trust and getting out here and sweating with these guys. This is all expediting the process."
"They work hard, they listen and they're coachable," said Mincy (below right). "They've done everything we've asked them to do and at the tempo we want to see."
That's a good base to work from; for both sides.
"It's really been positive so far. Those guys are really young and encouraging and give us a lot of confidence," junior point guard Kasey Hill said. "The drills are a lot different, with certain moves they have us working on. The opportunity to use them is going to pop up in games and we'll have the freedom in the offense to do that."
MincyWith regard to the system White ran at LA Tech, the Gators only know what they've read and maybe what they've seen via a YouTube clip here and there. Speed will be emphasized and defenses will be extended, which means a lot of action in the open floor.
Said Hill: "We've played fast here, but this will be a different type of fast."
The Gators are months away from finding out just how fast and exactly what White wants to do on the floor. But this is a pivotal part of a summer-long transition.
So far, so good.
The initial shell-shock of Donovan's departure has subsided and given way to perspective. Every player that walks into the UF gym dreams of one day being in the NBA, so none of them can be irked at their former coach for taking a stab at his dream.
"I'd have done it too," Walker said. "Florida was never going to be Coach Donovan's ceiling. This was something he felt he had to do for himself and his family, so we're all happy for him."
"Coach Donovan is gone and left a legacy behind that will never be forgotten," Hill said. "But you can't look back on that because right here, right now, we have to move on and look to the future."
That future has youth, has energy and a lot of passion.
That future is now.
