Gators Get Back On Track, Still Searching For More
Thursday, December 23, 2010 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators took the court on a mission Wednesday night against overmatched Radford.
Coming off a loss to Jacksonville on Monday – its first to the Dolphins in 16 years -- Florida came out and immediately raced up and down the court against the Highlanders looking to put the past even deeper in the rearview mirror.
“Monday was rough. That was a game we definitely want to forget about,'' senior forward Chandler Parsons said. “When we came out here tonight, we wanted to take out all our frustration out on them. I don't even think we did that.''
The Gators handed Radford its ninth consecutive loss Wednesday, winning 66-55 at the O'Connell Center.
But they wanted more.
The Gators didn't dominate, but they didn't play poorly. They didn't shoot lights out, but they shot well enough. They had more assists than usual, but they didn't always make good passes. They forced a season-high 24 turnovers, but they committed 16 of their own.
It was that kind of good-bad performance for the Gators, who now have a six-day break until playing their next game at home against Fairfield on Dec. 28. After that, the schedule adds more muscle with a road game at Xavier and a home game against Rhode Island.
The Gators (9-3) hope the Christmas break does them good. They know what is ahead.
“I think we've been about 30 or 40 percent,'' said junior guard Erving Walker, who led the Gators with 20 points on Wednesday. “We haven't put it all together yet. I don't think we've even scratched the surface.
“That could be a bad thing and also a plus, knowing we've got a lot better we can get.''
Walker hit five three-pointers and the Gators tied a season-high with nine overall, including three from Walker's backcourt mate, Kenny Boynton, who added 11 points.
Parsons missed all four of his 3s, but he contributed in several other ways to finish with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Parsons is working to reclaim his shooting touch, but if he can use his versatile skills to help others score, he will trade a few missed shots for wins. Still, Parsons isn't content on where the team or his play is entering the holiday break.
“We just have to stay confident,'' he said. “It's definitely frustrating. We're not going to win at the level we want to win at scoring 40, 50 or 60 points. We just have to keep shooting the ball with confidence.''
According to Coach Billy Donovan, the Gators need to improve significantly in two areas heading into the SEC season to become the team he envisions: score more points and commit fewer turnovers.
After scoring 75 or more points in three consecutive games to start the season, the Gators have scored more than 70 points just once in their last nine games. Donovan says the team must shoot better from the free-throw line – they made 11 of 21 on Wednesday and are shooting 64.7 percent on the season – and make better decisions on offense.
That means no errant half-court lobs like Walker's on Wednesday or turnovers due to behind-the-back passes in the lane like the one freshman Will Yeguete tried.
Fewer turnovers equal more points in Donovan's playbook.
“You are really talking about putting an enormous amount of pressure on your defense in trying to hold people in the 50s every single game,'' Donovan said. “We've got to get better at valuing the ball.''
The players are on board. Donovan's message – a constant one since camp opened -- was perhaps louder than at any other time this season following the upset loss to Jacksonville.
In his postgame comments Wednesday, Parsons echoed much of what Donovan said a few minutes later to a room full of reporters.
“I obviously want to shoot the ball a lot better, especially from the free-throw line,'' Parsons said. “I think it's all between my ears. You can't do much more than keep shooting them. It's frustrating. I want to make shots. I want to make free throws.
“I'm not going to get down. It's my senior year. I've been through slumps before.''
Walker agreed.
“We want to get it going,'' he said. “It's time we start getting it going the right way.''
The Gators won Wednesday. They said the right things afterward. Once the break ends, Donovan is ready to see them walk the talk on the court.
“They really came out tonight and tried to play unselfishly, they tried to play the right way,'' Donovan said. “It's just we don't have a great feel how to utilize each other.
“We [the coaches] have to try and help them get better.''
