During the offseason coaching carousel in recent years, several Blue Devil assistants have left Durham to build their own programs.
But the latest addition to Duke's coaching tree comes with little connection to head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Former Louisiana Tech head coach Michael White—the son of Duke vice president and director of athletics Kevin White—agreed to become the new coach of the Florida Gators Thursday. White had a 101-40 record in his last four seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs and replaces former Florida head coach Billy Donovan, who left Gainesville to become the next head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.
Louisiana Tech finished the 2014-15 campaign with a record of 27-9 and a 15-3 ledger in Conference USA. The Bulldogs were knocked out of the NIT by Temple in the quarterfinals after an overtime loss in the C-USA semifinals denied White his first trip to the Big Dance as a head coach.
White will be under pressure to get Florida back to the NCAA tournament next season and restore the program's status as one of college basketball's best after the Gators suffered through a 16-17 season. The Gators developed into one of college basketball's most successful programs under Donovan, winning back-to-back national championships in 2006-07 and four SEC championships in his 19-year tenure. Florida is just one season removed from a berth in the Final Four.
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