Mike White receives two-year contract extension from Florida

Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White and women’s basketball coach Cameron Newbauer had their contracts extended in May, Florida’s athletics association, in response to a Freedom of Information Act public records request, announced Tuesday.  

White’s contract now runs through April 2027 after he received a two-year extension, although the financial terms of the deal didn’t change. White will have an opportunity to make more money, considering the bonus portion of his contract is no longer suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. White, 43, will earn $3.083 million during the 2021-22 season and $3.208 million each of the following five seasons.

"Though he’s still relatively young by coaching standards, Mike has already established himself as a successful head coach,” Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin said. “Because of his work ethic, intelligence and competitiveness his career has such a high ceiling, and it’s going to be fun watching what his Gator teams accomplish for years to come."

The Gators have reached the past four NCAA tournaments under White, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2017 and into the Round of 32 the past three tourneys.

The Gators extended Newbauer, 42, through the 2024-25 season after he helped lead UF to a 12-14 finish and a second-round exit in the WNIT. Newbauer had one season remaining on a five-year deal paying him $500,000 annually. 

The Gators managed to compile a 7-6 record at home, but a 3-11 record in SEC play ensured the program would finish with a losing record and without an NCAA Tournament invitation after Florida showed promise during the 2019-20 campaign. 

However, there’s still plenty of promise on the horizon. 

Kiki Smith, the team’s second-leading scorer and the only player to start every game last season, is utilizing her extra year of eligibility and returning to the program for her final season. Florida will also return Lavender Briggs, the team’s leading scorer, next season for her junior campaign. Briggs averaged nearly 20 points per game before having to miss the final eight games of the season with a foot injury; UF went 2-6 without her in the line-up. 

And Gators once again signed a top-100 prospect in LaGrange (La.) guard Jeriah Warren, who on Thursday was named the Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year from Louisiana. 

Stricklin believes Newbauer is the right person to lead the program into the near future. 

"Cam is building his program the right way and making steady progress,” Stricklin said. “It’s important that he have the time needed to continue that progress."

Note: Florida men's basketball team will face Maryland at the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational in Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Sunday, Dec. 12, the school announced Tuesday.

Announced games for Florida's 2021-22 non-conference schedule also include two Thanksgiving week games at the Fort Myers Tip-Off with a field that includes Cal, Ohio State and Seton Hall. The Gators will also face USF in the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 18 in Sunrise.