Louisiana Tech head coach Michael White addresses his team at a game against UTC at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga.KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee’s search for a new men’s basketball coach to replace the departed Cuonzo Martin has turned its focus to Louisiana Tech coach Michael White, according to a report from CBS Sports.
The Saturday night report by Gary Parrish cited multiple anonymous sources.
The 37-year-old White, a former Ole Miss point guard from Florida who spent seven years as an assistant coach with the Rebels, just finished his third season with the Bulldogs. They lost in the 2014 Conference USA tournament title game to Tulsa after sharing the league’s regular-season crown with the Golden Hurricane, Southern Mississippi and Middle Tennessee State.
In three seasons in Ruston, La., White has compiled a 74-31 record, and Louisiana Tech is 56-15 with National Invitation Tournament appearances the past two seasons. The Bulldogs split the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title with Denver last season and lost to Texas-San Antonio in the WAC tournament.
According to Louisiana Tech’s official athletic website, White has used a “pressuring man-to-man defense and fast-paced, dribble-drive offense” to turn around a program that had losing seasons in five of the six before his arrival and last reached the NCAA tournament in 1991.