Finalist - 2009 Coaches of the Year powered by Critical Reload

Michael White has been instrumental in returning the Rebels to prominence twice. A four-year starter at the point, Michael White helped captain the Rebels to national prominence in the late 1990s and returned to the program as an assistant coach in 2004.

Since returning as a coach, the Rebels have shown consistent improvement including capturing a division title in 2007 and recording the second-most wins in school history in 2008.  The 2009 season started off bad for the team with injuries to three key players.  Despite the significant losses, the Rebels were a constant threat in the SEC and won more games than anyone thought possible after the injuries.

White works closely with the Rebel backcourt and is a key figure in the recruiting arena.  White has helped Ole Miss haul in some of the best signing classes in program history during his tenure. The incoming class in his first season back was ranked as high as third in college basketball by recruiting publications, while the last two classes have both been rated top 25 in the country.

Playing point guard for the Rebels from 1995-99, White entered the starting lineup in the eighth game of his freshman season and missed only one start at the point the remainder of his four years in Oxford.

Over that span, he helped guide Ole Miss to one of the most successful stints in the program’s history, earning consecutive SEC Western Division titles, three straight NCAA Tournament berths and the Rebels’ first ever Tournament win in 1999.

Before returning to Oxford, he spent four years on Mike LaPlante’s Jacksonville State staff, helping coordinate the Gamecocks’ recruiting efforts for three seasons. His time in Jacksonville, Ala., included the school’s first-ever league tournament victory in 2003 en route to JSU’s winningest season in its Division I history. He was promoted to associate head coach prior to his final season there.