Basketball Offseason Review, Preseason Preview

Senior forward Canyon Barry works out during offseason workouts with assistant coach Jordan Mincy.

Basketball Offseason Review, Preseason Preview

Thursday, September 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

Coach Mike White's team begins practice in just over two weeks.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This fall is going to be very different for the Florida basketball program.

The Gators will play 11 games at eight different venues before their first home date Dec. 21 when Arkansas-Little Rock helps christen the renovated O'Connell Center. Until then, Coach Mike White and his staff will oversee 30 practices and luckily for the Gators they have a home court to do that.

Actually, they've been pretty busy on that floor the last few months, as the team readies for Year 2 of the White era, hoping to build/improve on a NIT run, with eyes toward being a player in the Southeastern Conference race.

I've been around the basketball facility a lot since the players and coaches got back at it once the 2015-16 season ended with a loss at George Washington in the NIT quarterfinals. In the spring, two starters underwent surgery that kept them out of workouts for a significant amount of time and limited what they could do upon their return. The plan was for everyone to be cleared and ready when the first practice ball was rolled out and that apparently will be the case come Oct. 3 when White convenes his guys officially.

With that in mind, here are some offseason observations as we inch closer to diving into full-blown basketball coverage. The squad's annual media day set for Sept. 27, with the first practice six days later and the season opener Nov. 11 against Florida Gulf Coast in Jacksonville.

So consider this an offseason review and preseason preview.

BEST PLAYER: KeVaughn Allen
No surprise here or much new to talk about. The graduation of power forward and second-team All-SEC selection Dorian Finney-Smith, who led UF in both scoring and rebounding, left Allen as the team's top offensive threat. The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard finished second on the squad at 11.6 points per game last season, made 39.9 percent from the floor, 31.5 from the 3-point line and was tops in free-throw shooting at 84.6 percent. Allen got off to something of a slow start as a freshman, to the point where his coaches had to tell him to shoot the ball more. Allen obliged with such nights as 32 against Florida State, 27 on the road at Ole Miss (where he went 6-for-7 from the 3-point line) and a loss at Vanderbilt where he scored 11 points in the game's final 32 seconds. White and his staff hope the Gators are beyond having to encourage Allen to shoot, and they also feel believe he's gotten better over the offseason. Allen has the quickness, explosiveness and skill set to get a shot anytime he wants — and can score in bunches. Look for his percentages from the floor to improve, but an area of Allen's game the coaches definitely want to see more of is stamina. Strength and conditioning coordinator Preston Greene made that a point of emphasis with Allen (and a several other players) during the offseason.

As a freshman, guard KeVaughn Allen ranked second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game.

INSTANT IMPACT: Canyon Barry
The youngest son of Basketball Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry was rated the No. 1 graduate transfer on the offseason market. In the end, Barry found a level of comfort with the situation and style of play at Florida, plus he had a relationship with assistant coach Jordan Mincy from their time together at College of Charleston. At CofC, Barry averaged 12.8 points in 70 games over three seasons, including 19.7 in '15-16 when he led the Colonial Athletic Conference in scoring at the time he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. That injury kept Barry out of contact drills until a few weeks ago, but he has since returned to play pick-up with his new teammates. The 6-6, 205-pound wing, who also averaged 3.4 rebounds last season (and 5.4 the season before), appears to be on track to start for the Gators at the small forward spot, instantly giving them a high-IQ player (the lone nuclear engineering graduate student on the team, in case anyone was wondering) and excellent decision-maker on the floor. Barry is a career 34.4 percent shooter from 3-point range, but his one season ('14-15) as a full-time starter he made 64 long balls at nearly 37 percent. He'll challenge Allen's proficiency at the free-throw line, where he was 84.5 percent last season shooting underhanded (ala his famous father) which will make for some fun times on the road.

Canyon Barry, the grad transfer from College of Charleston, figures to start at the small forward spot.

WORKOUT WARRIOR: Kasey Hill
The former McDonald's All-America point guard had the best stretch of his career — at least since his freshman role with UF's Final Four squad — the last 3-4 weeks of the season. Hill then aggressively built on his strong finish by becoming a fixture in the gym over the ensuing months. Ask any coach or manager and they'll tell you Hill was often a twice-daily visitor to the basketball complex to get up shots and work on his game as his senior season closed in. That's a good thing, obviously, because Chris Chiozza took over the starting point spot during the season and had an incredibly productive midseason tear before hitting a wall. Both guys are capable of running the team, but Hill, coming off career highs of 9.1 points on 39-percent shooting from the floor, figures to get the first crack. After three years, there's not much mystery as to who/what Hill is as a player. He used the offseason to work on his weaknesses, but also build on the strengths that showed up late his junior year. That meant trying to become more proficient at finishing plays around the rim (his quickness can get him into the lane practically whenever he wants) and improving at the free-throw line (where he is just 56.9 percent for his career). Credit Hill for putting in countless extra hours to try to get there.

Kasey Hill was really good down the home stretch, including a terrific performance -- and this circus reverse layup -- in UF's win at Ohio State in the NIT.

ON THE MEND: John Egbunu and Devin Robinson
First Egbunu, the 6-11, 250-pound center, suffered a torn thumb ligament one practice before the team left for the SEC Tournament. Then, while weighing a decision whether to enter the NBA Draft pool, a physical exam on Robinson, the 6-9 forward, revealed a stress fracture in his foot that made the decision to stay or go a lot easier. Both players underwent surgery and needed months to recover before getting back to work and looking toward their junior seasons. Egbunu has returned to the floor, while trainer David "Duke" Werner and the UF health staff are being more cautious with Robinson, who they expect to be green-lighted for action once practice starts. While their offseason circumstances hardly were ideal, the Gators need both guys to come back strong from their injuries — and provide more than they did in '15-16. Egbunu, in his first season after transferring from South Florida, started 30 games, averaged 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, made better than 59 percent of his field goals, but only 53 percent of his free throws. Egbunu often looked uncomfortable and indecisive when receiving the ball in the low post, leading to turnovers, poor decisions or stalled possessions. It's worth noting, though, that two of Egbunu's most efficient games of the season came in his final two, after the injury and with his right (shooting) hand in a splint. It was as if he understood his limitations and played more to his strengths. Perfect. Now, do it without the splint. As for Robinson, he had some double-doubles early in the season against overmatched opponents, then later in the season went on a surge of five or six games when he shot the 3 better than anyone on the team. His productivity waned late, but that foot injury may have had something to do with it. To Robinson's credit, he never complained. The NBA scouts who come through Gainesville still see Robinson, with his length and athleticism, as the program's best next-level prospect, but they'd like to see more consistency (both scoring and especially rebounding). The UF coaches would like to see a big jump on the defensive end. Perhaps watching senior Justin Leon, the junior-college transfer who contributed some productive minutes last season (and unexpected 3-point shooting), running with the first team to open the preseason will serve as motivation.

John Egbunu (left), his right hand in a split, jumps center in the NIT opener at North Florida, while Devin Robinson (right) jumps off the foot later revealed to have a stress fracture during UF's loss to Texas A&M in SEC Tournament.

MOST IMPROVED: Kevarrius Hayes
Hayes pretty much wrapped up this superlative in the final two games of his freshman season when he stepped in for the injured Egbunu. At the time, Hayes was averaging 2.1 points, 46.8 percent from the free-throw line and 9.8 minutes per game. In starting NIT road games at Ohio State and GWU, Hayes averaged 14 points, made 11 of 12 field goals and all six of his free throws while averaging 31 minutes. Hayes arrived on campus with a turbo-charged motor, evidenced by his 45 offensive rebounds -- just two less than he grabbed on the defensive end -- which ranked fourth on the team despite Hayes being seventh in minutes. What he needed was skill and body development, both of which he worked on feverishly during the offseason. Hayes' mid-range jump shot and jump hook both have improved. So has his strength, which was challenged in the postseason on the defensive end when GWU's massive center, 270-pound Kevin Larson, shoved Hayes around on the block. This season, Hayes will be a far more seasoned backup at the center and power forward spots.

Kevarrius Hayes, known for his non-stop motor, sells out for a loose ball during last season's NIT game at George Washington.

BEST FRESHMEN: Keith Stone
As far as the public is concerned, Stone may be the most unknown commodity to come through the program in recent years. Go to his bio and you'll see he hails from Deerfield Beach, Fla., and helped Zion Lutheran to a 20-8 record as a senior — but you won't see any stats. Fact is, Stone was something of a late-bloomer on the recruiting trail when he caught the eye of former assistant Matt McCall, now head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga. Enter White, who encouraged Stone to red-shirt last season rather than waste a year watching Finney-Smith play 30-plus minutes. In that redshirt year, Stone completely changed his body, traded 20 pounds of fat for lean muscle mass, and looks like a completely different 6-8 kid than the one who arrived here last summer and worked exclusively with the scout team. Stone's best attribute is his ability to put the ball in the basket, both around the lane and shooting 3s, but he hasn't done it for real yet (see Francis-Ramirez, Brandon) and he hasn't had to guard his position or think on his feet at Division I game speed. In time, Stone will be a very good player at UF — and definitely is ahead in development of guard Eric Hester, forward Dontay Bassett and center Gorjok Gak, all true freshmen — but everything is about to move very fast for him (much faster than at Zion Lutheran), so expectations should be tempered.