Bassett Embracing Dirty Work Role

Redshirt freshman Dontay Bassett review some iPad video with UF coach Mike White.

Bassett Embracing Dirty Work Role

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

If redshirt freshman Dantay Bassett is going to play this season, he won't be because he's stuffing the box score with stats.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After banging on his teammates for 90 minutes, Dontay Bassett sauntered off the Florida practice court earlier this week. For Bassett, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound redshirt freshman, there were no highlight dunks, step-back 3s or big-time blocked shots. Just a lot of grunt work.

The kind of things that can help win basketball games.

And they didn't go unnoticed.

"Nice practice, Dontay," assistant coach Dusty May tossed the player's way.

The Gators open the 2017-18 seasons in less than three weeks. They'll do so ranked in the Top 10 team. A glance up and down the roster shows eight players who can be projected for significant roles; nine, counting the expected January return of fifth-year senior center John Egbunu from his rehab from a knee injury. UF has a top-shelf and experienced point guard/leader in Chris Chiozza, three bona fide perimeter scorers in KeVaughn Allen, Egor Koulevchov and Jalen Hudson, plus athleticism and inside/outside versatility in the post with returnees Kevarrius Hayes, Gorjok Gak, Keith Stone and freshman Chase Johnson.

After those guys, the roles (and minutes) of the rest will be defined as the season moves on.

Bassett, though, has been told exactly what he needs to do to get on the floor.

"I don't mind contact. I like it, actually," Bassett said. "The coaches want me to come out and play hard every day, whether that means playing defense, diving on the floor, whatever it takes to help the team. They think I can give them that, so I try to tell myself to do that every day."

Dontay Bassett, out of Oldsmar Christian near Tampa, was part of Coach Mike White's first signing class.

Bassett was not highly recruited out of Oldsmar (Fla.) Christian. A three-star prospect, he chose UF over Colorado and was part of Coach Mike White's first signing class. Bassett's '16-17 freshman season basically ended before it began when he broke his foot during the second preseason practice, underwent surgery and sat out the entire year recovering and rehabbing as a medical redshirt.

He was not cleared for full-go basketball activities until July. By that time, though, he'd spent nearly a year working with strength/conditioning coordinator Preston Greene to reshape his body and prepare for the start of his career.

"A curse, but also a blessing," Bassett said of his injury. "I got to sit back and watch and learn and understand just how competitive you have to be."

That's right where White and his staff hope Bassett is now. With Egbunu and freshman Isaiah Stokes sidelined following knee surgeries, and Gak possibly on an early season minutes limit with some knee soreness, Bassett will be needed to log some time in the post. Upcoming exhibition games at Jacksonville (Nov. 2) and home against Division II Tampa (Nov. 5) will give White a preview of what to expect from a player whose lone experience at this level has come on the practice floor.

By the time Bassett checks into a game for real (even an exhibition) it'll be his first against another opponent since his final prep appearance 19 months ago.

"I know how hard he worked to get to this point," said Hudson, who trained alongside Bassett last year while he also sat out, but per NCAA transfer rules, after coming to UF from Virginia Tech. "It would've been hard to tell last season if he was ready to play or not, but I know — just from myself — what an extra year of working and preparing, both mentally and physically, has helped me. So I'm sure it helped Dontay."

So did countless sit-downs with the coaches to talk about expectations. While he possed good size and a decent shooting touch from the outside, Bassett, the staff explained to him, wasn't neither the interior athlete Hayes was nor had the hands and skill of Gak.

Given his physicality and girth, however, there was a potential niche for him.

Now, he's trying to fill it.

All out effort, every play. #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/K0mJklOMYa
— Gators M-Basketball (@GatorsMBK) October 9, 2017

That's Bassett sprawling across the deck to chase a loose ball. There he is pounding with guys on the glass. During practice, he's one of the loudest voices talking on defense (the area of this team most under scrutiny for now) and making the sort of plays that don't show up in the box score.

"We have enough dudes who can score," said assistant Darris Nichols, whose charged with coaching the team's post men. "What we're asking Dontay is, 'How many extra possessions can you give us with offensive rebounds, loose balls, tips, those kinds of things?' He's a dude who doesn't mind doing the dirty stuff. That's good because we need him to be a grimy guy."

Added assistant Jordan Mincy: "His role will increase the older he gets, but what he needs to do on this team, with all these offensive weapons, is be a glue guy. Offensive rebounder. Defensive rebounder. Screener. Back-line talk guy. All those things could be big for us."

There's another word for this type role; one most players may not be so eager to embrace.

"Garbage Guy."

But as Chiozza pointed out, every team needs a guy like that.

"I think Dontay would be a good fit for that, especially with his length," Chiozza said. "When he plays with his motor going, he can be that sort of player. That's the key for Dontay: his motor. When he plays hard, he can get rebounds, block shots and take charges."

No one is saying this has to be Bassett's role throughout his UF career, but it would be a great freshman springboard to other things.

"Think what Draymond Green was when he first came into the league," Nichols said, quickly catching himself and adding a disclaimer. "I'm not comparing him to Draymond Green. I'm just saying roles can change as guys develop. But we know what we need from Dontay now. He knows, too."

And if that's what it takes for a freshman with zero collegiate minutes on his resume to get in the game, Bassett is willing to take his marching orders.

"I can do that stuff and be happy, definitely," Bassett said. "If I'm contributing to the team's success that will make me feel good and feel like a great teammate. At the end of the day, we're a team with one goal. I don't have to pride myself in scoring. By playing defense and rebounding, just playing hard, those are things I can control. Anything to do to get me out there to help the team, I'll do."