Gators Notebook: Bombs away against Catholic; Beal and Rosario have strong debuts
Friday, November 4, 2011 | General, Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
The game had just ended a few minutes earlier and Gators guard Erving Walker still had sweat dripping from his forehead. He had not seen a final stat sheet from Florida's 114-57 win over Catholic University at the O'Connell Center on Thursday night.
When it was pointed out that Florida hit 20 three-pointers, Walker's eyebrows did the wave.
“Wow. That's a great shooting night. There ain't nothing else I can say,'' Walker said. “I wouldn't expect 20 on a nightly basis.''
It was only an exhibition game, but if the Gators' hot-shooting performance Thursday is indicative of this team's touch, the nets at the O'Dome could need replacing more than usual.
“Everybody got in a groove,'' freshman Bradley Beal said. “Once one person hit, the next person came down and hit. We were just having fun.''
In his first game in front of Gator fans, Beal hit 8 of 11 shots and 4 of 7 three-pointers to finish with 20 points and five assists. Kenny Boynton led the Gators in scoring with 21 points, hitting 6 of 11 from downtown.
Junior transfer Mike Rosario, also making his Florida debut, made 4 of 7 threes to finish with 18 points. Walker hit 3 of 6 and forward Erik Murphy made 3 of 4 behind the arc. Overall, the Gators finished 20-for-40 from three-point range and had six players score in double figures.
“Certainly we got it going in the first half,'' Gators coach Billy Donovan said of Florida's 70-29 halftime lead. “The shots were falling. I didn't like the balance [24 of Florida's 37 shots in the first half were 3s], but I can honestly say I don't know if we took one bad three-point shot in the first half.
“There were a few bad ones there in the second half.”
Catholic coach Steve Howes was so blindsided by Florida's shooting in the first half – the Gators hit 14 of 24 three-pointers – he probably doesn't remember the bad ones in the second half that Donovan alluded to.
“That was pretty lights out,'' he said. “We became a little unglued and didn't contest shots.''
With Boynton, Walker, Beal and Rosario all proven scorers in the backcourt – sophomore Scottie Wilbekin will also see playing time there but is known more for his defense at this point in his young career – some wondered if there will be enough shots to make everyone happy.
At least for one night that seemed a non-issue as the Gators moved the ball around and shared the shots the way Donovan has preached in practice.
“The biggest thing that we'll probably take from this is that we had 31 assists and that's big for our team because a lot of people question whether or not we need four balls for this team,'' said Rosario, a transfer from Rutgers who had to sit out last season due to NCAA rules. “That's not the case.''
The Gators' hot shooting wasn't the only talking point from Thursday's win. Here are some others:
--Beal and Rosario, both expected to contribute significant points and minutes to help take some of the burden off Walker and Boynton, had memorable debuts in front of the home fans.
“My hands were sweating like crazy,'' Rosario said. “I just couldn't believe the time was here. I waited a whole year for this.”
Rosario scored 18 points and had six assists in 25 minutes off the bench.
“It was big,'' he said. “I just felt like I had a big cloud over my shoulders because I hadn't played a game in here yet. No one has really seen me play in person. It was a big day for me to go out there and just to compete against another team.''
Meanwhile, Beal is considered one of the top incoming freshmen in the country and showed why with his smooth shooting stroke and overall heady play. He fouled out late in the second half but not before scoring 20 points in 24 minutes.
He was pleased with the way his debut went in front of an announced crowd of 7,870.
“I've been waiting on this for a long time. The nerves were kicking in at first, but once the game started, everything was going. I just had fun and relaxed,'' Beal said.
Donovan was most impressed by the way Beal played within the team concept and didn't try to force his shots. Of course, he said that's what he expected.
“What you saw tonight is what I've seen since he stepped foot on campus,'' Donovan said. “He is very, very advanced. He's got a really high basketball IQ. He lets the game come to him. He is really an efficient scorer. He does a lot of different things. He's that kind of player. He gets the team, he gets the chemistry.''
--The game had special meaning to Donovan and his wife Christine. Their son, Billy, is a sophomore guard for Catholic. He finished with a team-high 13 points and added four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes.
Little Billy played in front of his grandparents and several family members and friends. While his mom sat behind the Gators bench, she wore a Catholic T-shirt to support him. He also had to hear his father talk a little trash during the game.
Big Billy said it was a night to remember for the family, especially watching Little Billy score a couple of baskets in the second half. He was matched up on Rosario on a nice running jump shot in the second half.
“I told Rosario that if he scores one more point I'm going to give him your picture and he is going to post it in his dorm room,'' Donovan quipped. “I was really, really proud of him. I thought he played aggressive. I think it was a hard situation for him to walk into. I really did not know what to expect.
“The thing I was most pleased with was that he really was not overwhelmed with the situation. I think he's got a great opportunity to have a great career there.''
--Donovan had little to be unpleased about with Thursday's performance. If there is one area he sees a need to improve in it is rebounding.
The Gators were outrebounded by eight in a scrimmage against UCF on Sunday and in Thursday's exhibition win over Catholic, the Gators owned a 36-31 advantage. Donovan is emphasizing rebounding because of the way it impacts what the Gators want to do offensively.
“We need to rebound the ball well because we are so explosive offensively and it is so hard when we are coming down the floor to matchup with us,'' he said. “We eliminate a huge strength of our team if we get dominated on the glass and we have to constantly in-bound the ball.”
QUOTES OF NOTE
“Making 20 of 40 by yourself standing is pretty good, never mind being in a game.'' – Donovan on Florida's shooting performance from three-point range.
“It's great. We were in the media more this week than we will be all year.'' – Howes on the exposure his program received in facing the Gators.
