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Georgia

Mike White's 300th win a milestone led by those around him

Jeremy Johnsonby: Jeremy Johnson11/04/25JeremyO_Johnson
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Georgia head coach Mike White during Georgia’s exhibition game against Troy at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Conor Dillon/UGAAA)

Athens, Ga – Georgia head basketball coach Mike White picked up his 300th win as a coach on Monday night in Georgia’s 104-59 win over Bellarmine.

The win was his 56th as Georgia’s head coach. White began his head coaching career at Louisiana Tech. He then made his way to Florida before making the jump to Georgia.

Along the way, White has worked with good people. He credits that for growing his win total to 300 over his 14 years of coaching. It was a friend who reminded White of the impending milestone.

“One of my best friends texted me this morning,” White told reporters on Monday night. “A guy, actually, the first guy that hired me and got me into coaching at Jacksonville State, named Michael Flynn, and he said, ‘Hey, good luck tonight going for number 300’. I had no idea. No idea, I promise you. I saw that’d be pretty cool. I didn’t think about it again until after the game. I’ve just been really fortunate. I’ve got to coach, really good players, great people, and as much as anything, working with great people and working at three big-time institutions, working for great people as well. It’s just a great opportunity, and I’m really, really fortunate.”

Mike White gives the game ball away

White’s players were not aware of the milestone either. The game ball was floating around after Monday’s game. Georgia’s head coach got his hands on the ball and rewarded it to Brandon Klatsky, who scored five points in the late stages on Monday night. Klatsky was a former walk-on who is now on scholarship.

White wanted to reward the former walk-on for his work over his four years in Athens. Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks stepped in and requested that White keep the ball.

“My boss vetoed that,” White said with a laugh. “He pulled the boss card out. I’ve known Brandon since he was 12, 13 years old. He’s a phenomenal kid, young man. He’s great. We love his dad, love his older brother, Alex, who’s a grad assistant for us. He’s not a walk-on anymore. He’s a scholarship player now, but people on the outside don’t know how much those guys poured into the program and how big of a part of this culture and part of this rebuild Brandon Klatsky is, just like Jaden Newell, and so to see him go get five points was really cool, and I think everybody in the arena showed that they appreciate it.”

‘Players coach’

Klatsky is one of the few players who have been in Athens with White the whole time.

“I’m proud of him, and he deserves it,” Klatsky said after the game. “I’m sure there’s going to be hundreds more coming with him… Josh Brooks came in and gave him the game ball. That was great, but then he ended up actually giving it to me. I think I’m going to have to talk to him and give it right back to him (5:10) because I think his milestone is more important than mine. That was special for him.”

Klatsky has seen White undergo a transformation as a coach in a few ways.

“He’s a player’s coach, so he’s going to change whoever the tools and players are on the roster, and that’s just one of the things I think is so great about him,” Klatsky said. “He’s dialed his energy a little bit down and been more focused and more intentional. I think that’s something that comes, I guess, maybe he’s getting older, I don’t know, but I love it because I think he’s as sharp as he’s ever been. It’s something that each year he’s grown, just like he tells us that we’ve got to grow.”

Georgia and White will get to go for win 301 on Wednesday as the Bulldogs host Maryland-Eastern Shore.

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