Johnny White - coach

Can I ask if anyone knows anything about an Australian coach Johnny White? Last year he was appointed Head Coach at BBL side Plymouth in the UK. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/basketball/36846845

The Plymouth Raiders originally said he had been Assistant Coach for 5 years at the Melbourne Tigers in the NBL before admitting the information they had been given was not correct. They then stated he was Assistant Coach at the Melbourne Tigers in the SEABL in 2016.

I'm still struggling to find any information about him as a coach on the net but I am aware there is a different Jonathan White who has held a position with the Melbourne Tigers.

It's now been announced that he is no longer returning to the UK next year and the club maintain his credentials are genuine https://plymouthraiders.com/news/club-statement-jonathan-white/

Can anyone shed any light? My email is [email protected] - thank you

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Anonymous
Years ago

You will find he may of been impersonating this guy who was employed by the Melbourne Tigers for a period of time.

http://www.dandenongbasketball.com.au/News/john-white-signs-as-seabl-head-coach

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Anonymous
Years ago

There was a John White who coached with the Tigers in the NBL, but unless he's changed his appearance dramatically, it's a totally different guy. http://tigers.gearbox.performgroup.com/article/id/1nx4en8b1rry111j3e8lboljba

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Visa laws
Years ago

Wouldn't Corletto have called him out the moment he stepped off the plane if he was impersonating a guy he had claimed to know for years?

Seems this comes down to a question of his employment status with the Tigers, namely is he in a paid role or a volunteer role. If in a volunteer role that may have broke the Visa rules that are required for the Plymouth role.

Stupid law really, if you can coach you can coach, who cares if he was paid or not at Melbourne. Still lying on a visa application isn't a great move.

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Anonymous
Years ago

He told them NBL according to all of the BBC's info. That is a clear fabrication. The basketball community is small in Australia, so someone on here should know who he is. I've been around the basketball community for a long time and I for one have never heard of him. I was also a Melbourne Tigers Junior.

Has anyone on here actually heard of him before this?

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Anonymous
Years ago

Is this the guy who used to run Loft in Melbourne? He assisted a lot of nbl players off the court there for sure!

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Anonymous
Years ago

This guy?

https://twitter.com/mrjohnnywhite

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Anonymous
Years ago

Corletto was there before White. So was Corletto in on it? Unless there was another J White with Tigers NBL as assistant at one point, which I doubt? As this pic here http://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/36846845 does not match how the J White who was with Tigers looked like?

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Hydra97
Years ago

The Johnny White in question did indeed run Loft nightclub and was a promoter/DJ. He also coached Big V at Bulleen (maybe?). Happy to stand corrected on this.

I remember he was a volunteer assistant/gopher around the Al Westover Tigers days (maybe mid 2000s?). He certainly wasn't an assistant in any official capacity with the NBL team. I remember Westover had Giddey, Simon Mitchell and Vince Crivelli at various points as his assistants before Ian Stacker joined them as well.

White is obviously close with Croletto, which is why he was considered for the coaching position at Plymouth. Isn't it on that club to do their due diligence before they make an appointment? Seems strange they would appoint a Head Coach without asking around properly.

He shouldn't be confused with John White who coaches the Dandenong Women in the SEABL. I believe he was involved with the Tigers during Anstey's year before they became United.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Good summarisation of Tigers assistants over the years, Hydra.

In that case... Corletto - whoops! He always came across as a stand up guy but oh my what a blunder here.

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Anonymous
Years ago

I'd love to see someone like Boti assist in trying to find out, because if this is true, and he deliberatly fabricated this, he certainly should have to disclose it, as well as anyone else who knew.

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Anonymous
Years ago

What the F is going on here? Someone really impersonated some little known Australian coach to get a coaching gig in the UK!?!?

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Anonymous
Years ago

Looks like it. Keen on any further developments. *grabs popcorn*

Andy Birkett - if you have any more questions post them here as the forum has many knowledgable basketball fans who jointly can help unravel this deceit.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Maybe impersonated. Just was a waterboy type who claimed to be more than he was - an actual assitant coach.

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Anonymous
Years ago

But the similarity in both names probably caused confusion which ended up with the "other" J White getting the CEO's letter of endorsement?

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very old
Years ago

"What the F is going on here? Someone really impersonated some little known Australian coach to get a coaching gig in the UK!?!?"

we had a well known Australian coach present themselves as a successful basketball coach in order to get a coaching gig in the UK, but they was eventually asked to move on, so why not let nature take its course, this guy may actually be able to coach. ?

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Andy Birkett
Years ago

Thank you guys for your replies.

I understand any connection with the other (now Dandenong Jonathan White) was purely coincidental. It was looked into and there's no suggestion he was pretending to be him.

The story we ran last week has been picked up by other media who seem to have added their own spin on it but I'm satisfied no impersonation was attempted.

But what I'm reading here about his coaching credentials is in line with everything else I can find about him.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Who tried it on at UK, very old?

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Anonymous
Years ago

Sounds like old Johnny had 'lofty' ambitions.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Hi Andy,

You should contact Australia's foremost basketball journalist Boti Nagy. His website is botinagy.com and there are contact details listed on it.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Looking at more photos of Johnny White in the online Plymouth publications made me remember the face. He was a team manager (basically waterboy) behind the bench during the Westover era. Certainly not any type of assistant coach.

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Anonymous
Years ago

So obviously Corletto knew White was never a coach, as he was a player at the time with the Tigers. Uh oh.

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Anonymous
Years ago

"He was appointed as Assistant Coach and then head coach of Bulleen in the Big V league before moving to the Melbourne Tigers as assistant coach in the NBL where he stayed for five seasons."

Well, the first part is true (Bulleen, according to Hydra). LOL @ the second part though. Five years as a waterboy more like it.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Don't think ever coached at bulleen. Youth league maybe back in the day??

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Anonymous
Years ago

So he's a Big V youth coach/NBL waterboy.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Same guy? https://au.linkedin.com/in/john-white-590398a1

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Anonymous
Years ago

No, he was with Bulleen Big V and Tigers NBL, not Dandenong and United.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Him And Corletto are best friends, thats why he was in the UK. he's never coached anywhere.

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Anonymous
Years ago

If you look at J White's Twitter feed (link above) he was in Plymouth even before being appointed as coach which is odd. Makes sense they are best friends and Corletto would have had to have vouched for him being an assistant with Tigers to get the Plymouth Raiders job, which we know isn't true.

Serious breach of trust when your captain-coach (Corletto) vouches for someone to take up the head coaching position when he had no applicable experience.

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Ricey
Years ago

From all accounts it seems Plymouth seem to be in shambles

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Andy Birkett
Years ago

A local paper is reporting that the British Basketball League are saying:

"Basketball England have confirmed the information received on the visa application for Mr White, who coached at Plymouth last season, was validated by Basketball Australia." http://bit.ly/2qUg2OO

I am waiting to hear back from both organisations.

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Inspector Clouseau
Years ago

http://whatsbev.com/thread/1141/white-sacked-corletto

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Isaac
Years ago

Plymouth Herald:

According to the BBC, it turns out he was only with the team in a volunteer capacity and was not employed full-time by the Tigers.

As an Australian coming to the UK, to be accepted for a working visa as a head coach of a sporting club you must give evidence to the governing body (Basketball England) you have been employed in a coaching capacity, professionally for at least two years.

"Our background checks on Mr White included a letter from the Chief Executive of the Melbourne Tigers, clearly stating he was employed in an assistant coach role with the club last summer.

"This, together with the Level 2 Coach Award he obtained in April here in the UK, formed the backbone of the GBE application.

"Basketball England further confirmed Mr White's role with Melbourne Tigers through discussions with the Tigers themselves and Basketball Australia.

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Anonymous
Years ago

"Club claiming he was recommended by Corletto and that they hadn't even googled his name prior to hiring him."

LOL, what a professional club.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Has someone at Tigers told some fibs?

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Anonymous
Years ago

"http://whatsbev.com/thread/1141/white-sacked-corletto"

An enjoyable read, topped off by an amazing Neighbours reference.

The Brits are better at making Australian cultural references than we are!

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Andy Birkett
Years ago

Basketball Australia has now replied to my enquiry and say Johnny White was not registered as a coach with the Melbourne Tigers in the SEABL 2016.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/39883404

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Anonymous
Years ago

So BA confirming his qualifications was not the case? Sounds like extreme laziness on the part of Plymouth in regards to background checks.

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Anonymous
Years ago

So can you be charged with anything for falsifying information to get a visa to coach?

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Anonymous
Years ago

Visa cancellation would be the most likely outcome. Might even be the last time he sets foot in Europe.

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Anonymous
Years ago

As an EU citizen I would be pleased to see him turfed.