The Mike White Era is something we have touched upon time and again here at Hail Florida Hail. White got off to a seemingly solid start, making the Elite Eight in his second season, and he won 21 games during his third season at the helm. But it was clear he had hit his ceiling, and Florida didn’t win 21 games again during his remaining four years before he departed for Athens after the 2022 campaign.
And after last night, as the confetti fell down on Michigan, it feels obvious in retrospect what the glue was that held the Gators together during those early years of the Mike White Era.
Former Florida assistant Dusty May wins the national title
Dusty May led Michigan to a national championship in just his second year on the job. May came to Michigan from FAU, where he led the Owls to a Final Four. FAU was also May’s first head coaching gig, and it’s his time prior to FAU that gives him a Gainesville connection.
May was an assistant for White and the Gators from 2015 through 2018. May had followed White after being on White’s staff at Louisiana Tech prior to Florida.
Looking back at those Florida teams from 2015 through 2018, it’s fair to wonder if May made White, not the other way around.
In 2017, the Gators were 14-4 in SEC play and made the Elite Eight. In 2018, Florida fell back a bit but was still 11-7 in SEC play and won a game in the NCAA Tournament. In the four seasons after May left, the Gators only topped ten or more wins in SEC play once.
This is, of course, an oversimplification of things. But it sure does feel notable that in the eight seasons since May departed White to go chart his own course as a head coach, May has been to the Final Four twice and now has a national title, while White hasn’t finished a season ranked.
May has 12 wins in March Madness in his eight years as a head coach, while White has just two since May left.
It’s just one more reminder of what an underachievement of the Mike White Era was in Gainesville, as in back-to-back years, his successor and his former assistant have gone on to win national titles.