WSU Basketball: 5 NCAA Tournament and NIT Coaches to Keep an Eye On as Bill Moos Searches for Winners

Jan 19, 2014; Hattiesburg, MS, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs head coach Michael White gestures to his players during the second half of their game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss won, 80-71. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Michael White – Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Ok, so you’ve never heard of this guy. I get it, I’m letting you down with my final choice! But before last season who had seriously heard about a coach out of Florida Gulf Coast? Speaking of #DunkCity, it’s too bad the Bulldogs didn’t make it into this year’s NCAA Tournament, because they were this years’ FGCU in my opinion. But Danny Manning’s squad knocked them off in the CUSA championship to earn their berth, leaving La Tech to fight for an NIT championship as a 3-seed instead. They’ll play Iona at 4:30 tonight if you want to tune in before March Madness gets going full-boar.

Back to White, he’s done stints with Jacksonville State for four seasons and then as an asst. for Ole Miss for seven more seasons before taking over the Bulldogs. He was pegged as one of the top assistants in the country during his time in Oxford, so he is a legit name to keep an eye on. Three winning seasons and two first place ties to go along with back-to-back NIT appearances isn’t bad at all. The most crucial potential pitfall with this marriage is that White’s team could be playing for a while, while Moos wants to wrap things up ASAP.