Bonds' Leadership, Production Role Taken to the Peoples
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 | Women's Basketball
By RJ Schaffer
Gatorzone.com Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It didn't take long for a Florida teammate to come up with one word that best describes Gator guard Cassie Peoples on the court.
“Tenacious,” junior guard Antoinette Bannister shot back. “She's like a freakin' workhorse. She's like one of those sneaky-dirty players, you know? She just really likes to get after it. She's very calm, but she's really sneaky. When she gets hyped, it's a good feeling.”
Whether a pick-up game or the national championship, Bannister said she'd want Peoples on her side. For good reason. Peoples is being tasked with a difficult assignment this year — replacing 2013-14 First-Team All-Southeastern Conference guard Jaterra Bonds.
The challenge of filling the void left by Bonds is something Peoples, the 5-foot-6 junior from San Antonio, Texas, is taking very seriously.
“It's a big responsibility,” she said. “We lost a pretty important person last year and we have five new [players] coming in. It's very important that I'm where I need to be and my T's are crossed and my I's are dotted. I'm taking care of my end so that I can help everyone else get in the groove of things. It will be an easier transition for them.”
Her journey to Gainesville began in Austin, home to the University of Texas, with whom Peoples originally signed after helping guide San Antonio Cy-Fair High to the Texas Class 5A state championship. She played in the first six games of her 2011 freshman season for the Lady Longhorns until suffering a season-ending broken leg.
The following offseason, she transferred to Florida, returning to the state where she played her high school freshman year and dominated as a guard at Daytona Beach Father Lopez. After sitting out the '12-13 season per NCAA transfer rules, Peoples started 25 of 33 games for the Gators in 2013-14, averaging 10.3 points and 3.6 assists, and led the team in steals with 53.
Guard Cassie Peoples will play a more prominent role for the Gators in 2014-15. (Photo: Matt Pendleton)
“Cassie was a big part of what we did last year,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “I think that maybe sometimes she gets overshadowed because Jaterra's personality was so big. She just had an amazing presence.”
Peoples, though, slid nicely into a role as UF's playmaker, teaming with Bonds in the backcourt and allowing Bonds to thrive from mostly the shooting guard spot. Peoples, though, had her moments, too. Some special ones.
Nowhere was that more apparent than in the NCAA Tournament first-round game against Dayton. The 11th-seeded Gators trailed sixth-seeded Dayton by nine points deep into the second half. Peoples, though, scored 10 of her 21 points in the final 12 minutes and Florida upset the Flyers, 83-69.
Call it something to build on. Peoples certainly viewed it that way, as the Gators look for bigger things in their quest to “elevate” the program in 2014-15.
She has set goals to do her part.
“For one, my physique and making sure I capitalize on last year,” Peoples said. “I was able to get in really good shape last year and just continue that and continue to develop my body and get stronger and get quicker. So, that was the main thing for me.”
The hard work this summer hasn't gone unnoticed. Butler remarked how impressed she has been with Peoples' conditioning, her physical state and her mindset headed into the season.
“It's fun to talk about where her game is and the consistency from the 3-point line,” said Butler, who is entering her eighth year as coach. “We do different things to challenge the players during the summer. We have a three-minute shooting drill where you pick your favorite spot. Can you wear it out from there? She's led us in that. She's playing with a great deal of confidence. The team has a tremendous amount of confidence in her.”
Florida tips off the season at home against Jacksonville on Nov. 14, so the next month means more time for Peoples to help acclimate the newcomers to the team, carve out her niche in the system and smooth out any wrinkles before the games begin to count.
Between injuries and unforeseen circumstances, Peoples has seen it all. The UF roster has expanded, some faces are new, but expectations are high.
“I don't think there really is a ceiling [on this team],” she said. “It kind of just showed us last year, we were down to seven players. We really didn't have any size, and we finished fifth in the [Southeastern Conference.] It shows a little bit about what you can do as a player and as a team. You can't really put ceilings on yourself. You don't know how much further you can go.”
