First year Georgia basketball coach Mike White knows all about the history of the Bulldog basketball program.

He’s aware of its past, its successes, its struggles, and the difficult time his predecessors have had turning the program into a consistent winner in the SEC.

However, now four-plus months into his tenure as Georgia’s new basketball coach, he’s more convinced than ever that he made the right decision to accept the challenge of turning the Bulldogs into the team fans have been craving.

Earlier this week, White sat down with UGASports for an exclusive one-on-one interview. Topics covered included the reasons why he believes success is at hand, his thoughts on the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness, and of course, what he thinks of his inaugural Bulldog team.

Today, in the first of a three-part series, White explains the current state of the program, his goals as head coach, his thoughts on facilities, and some scheduling plans Georgia fans will be interested to hear.

When the season tips off in November it will mark seven years since the Bulldogs last made the NCAA Tournament.

But that little statistic means very little to White.

When asked about that lack of consistency, White quickly explained the past does not really concern him.

“Georgia basketball has already been successful would be my first answer. Not to the level, and that is often, as Georgia fans would like to see. Again, somebody was going to have this opportunity and we feel honored and blessed to have this opportunity,” White said. “We’ve got an incredible recruiting base full of some of the best AAU coaches and AAU programs, high school coaches and programs, in the entire country, to recruit to, an incredible college town and an incredible academic institution.

"There’s no reason we can’t be really competitive in this league.”

The current status of Georgia’s basketball facilities were also discussed.

One of athletic director Josh Brooks’ goals is to improve facilities for all sports. Some work has already begun with more planned for future years.

When asked about Georgia’s current facilities for basketball, White did not go into specifics but acknowledged that he’s discussed some ideas with the athletic administration.

“With every job, with all coaches taking over at new places, you’ve got some stuff that you’d like to see, to improve upon. You’ve got some areas for concern; I had areas of concern at my last two institutions where I was the head coach. It’s the same thing everywhere,” White said. “We’ve got some stuff that our administration is working on, and I’ve got every ounce of faith that Josh (Brooks), and Jere (President Jere Morehead) will do everything they can to support us and give us everything we need.”

White was also asked point blank his thoughts about Stegeman Coliseum, which opened for business in 1964.

Although there have been numerous renovations, including two over the past 12 years, many have wondered if the time has come for a brand-new facility, like many schools in the SEC have constructed in recent years.

“Every coach would be lying if they didn’t want to play in a brand new $100 million dollar arenas, right? That said, we signed seven guys this spring and I don’t know that Stegeman Coliseum was a factor in any of their decisions,” White said. “Again, I have faith that when the time is right for any facility enhancement in this athletic department, the powers that be will do what they need to do.”

In the meantime, White said there’s absolutely no reason Stegeman cannot become the proverbial house of horrors for opponents to come play.

He’s seen it first-hand.

“I saw Stegeman last year against Auburn, erupt. It was an incredible environment, and I’ve been in here a few times when it’s gotten really, really loud,” White said. “So, we’re not going to use Stegeman as an excuse or any other factor involved in the equation. We’re going to take pride in what we’ve got, we’re going to try and fill it, and play an exciting brand of basketball that’s going to make people want to come.”

White also shed some light on what his goals as Georgia’s coach will be. Daily growth is the key phrase here.

“For us, for me as a head coach in this organization, it’s about developing leaders for life through basketball. That’s what we’re doing as a staff, and we need to go to bed every night knowing that we are helping these guys develop in life,” White said. “Our daily goal in this program is growth, our season goal for every year with this team is to max out. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know if that means we’ll go to a Final Four or if we’ll be an eighth seed in the NIT. I don’t know. But we can control the attempt at maxing out, for sure.

"Obviously, you’re program goal – and you’re wasting your time if you’re not doing it – at the University of Georgia is to one day win a national championship.”

Getting as many Georgia fans as excited about Bulldog basketball is also a goal.

During Hugh Durham’s long tenure as Georgia’s coach, the Bulldogs often played at venues throughout the state.

In November, the Bulldogs will play Notre Dame at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, but hinted he’d be open to playing elsewhere across the state as well.

“We’d love to be a presence in Atlanta, and other parts of the state. We’d love for Bulldog fans who may not have the opportunity to consistently get to Athens, to come see us,” White said. “Maybe that attracts them to come to Athens more often. We also want as many home games as possible in Stegeman to build that homecourt advantage and consistent pride in that building.”

Playing other teams from around the state is also a possibility.

The Bulldogs obviously play Georgia Tech on an annual basis, but White said he’s more than willing to take on other programs from around the state as well.

“Absolutely. Yes. I’m very open to it,” he said. “In fact, we’ve had some conversations along those lines.”

Next Up: White on recruiting and improving relationships with high school, AAU programs.