Gak Joins the Pack

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — His first day began with an early class. Then came an evaluation session with the strength and conditioning coordinator, followed by a workout with his fellow big men.

Afterward, Gorjok Gak bopped into the basketball training room and went fishing for a Gatorade in the refrigerator. A manager chased down Gak, closed the fridge and directed the 6-foot-11, 231-pound freshman center back to the weight room, where a post-workout protein shake waited.

He needed it. Then again, Gak will need a lot of everything in the coming months as he gets acclimated to college and Division-I basketball. The good thing? Gak not only understands the workload in front of him, he's embracing it.

"I'm just happy to be here," Gak said. "This is where I wanted to be all along. Florida was the best place for me. This is where I can be the best version of myself."

Gak, out of Bradenton (Fla.) Victory Rock Prep by way of Sidney, Australia, was recruited hard by Coach Mike White and his staff their first few months after taking over for Billy Donovan and his crew last year. Gak, though, chose to sign with Oklahoma State, a decision he looks back on now and realizes just didn't feel right; not even then.

But when Cowboys coach Travis Ford was dismissed after the 2015-16 season, OSU released Gak from his letter-of-intent and UF jumped right back in the picture and ultimately landed the big, gangly kid with the freakish 7-4 wingspan.

Gak, who averaged 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds his final prep season, was ruled ineligible to compete for UF during 2016-17 because he played beyond his prep eligibility while at Victory Rock. How much he would have played this season, no one knows. What the Gators do know is that this was going to be a year of development for Gak. That hasn't changed.

"I know he's excited to finally get here. We recruited him for a long time, so we're excited too," White said. "He has a lot of work in front of him, but Gorjok has a very high ceiling and after spending a significant amount of time with Preston I think we'll start to see glimpses of what he can be in the future."

That would be Preston, as in Preston Greene, the strength coach who has worked wonders with the UF basketball team since arriving in 2011. Even before that initial screening and measuring session, it was clear Gak needed a world of time (and reps) in the weight room. He got his first taste of what was to come Wednesday.

"I smashed him," Greene said.

Yet, Gak was on the floor with his post mates for an offseason practice and skill sessions later in the afternoon. A little sore, a little stiff, but that's part of the deal.

"I know I need more muscle and need to fill out," Gak said. "I want to gain weight, get stronger and develop my shot and skills."

Last year, the Gators had just three true post players to work with: sophomore John Egbunu, freshman Kevarrius Hayes and walk-on Schuyler Rimmer. This year, Gak and fellow freshman Dontay Bassett are in the mix. That's five post players and that gives UF more options — not to mention more length — plus makes things more competitive on the floor. Egbunu, Hayes and Rimmer are in far better shape than this time last year, thanks to the work put in during the offseason. Bassett arrived for Summer "B" session, so he has a six-week leg up on Gak as far melding into the college scene.

The Gators have a plan to help catch the new guy up, though, be it working on his non-dominant hand and jumper on the floor, or on the pull-up bar and squat rack in the weight room.

"We know he just got here, so he's going through so much other stuff -- like just trying to figure out where his classes are. We don't want to overwhelm him," assistant coach Darris Nichols said. "As far as the workouts, we want to make them a comfort level for him. This is the basketball part. so you don't want to put too much in or throw too much at him. This should be his sanctuary."

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Players Mentioned

Dontay Bassett

John Egbunu

Gorjok Gak

Kevarrius Hayes

Schuyler Rimmer

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