Donovan calls for 'conviction and commitment' on heels of so-so scrimmage
Friday, October 31, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Two drills into Thursday's practice, Billy Donovan stopped the proceedings and ordered them restarted.
From the beginning.
Stretching, warm-ups and all.
In admonishing the way his players had begun the workout, Donovan used a couple words -- “conviction” and “commitment” -- which now must be considered the early favorites for buzz phrases during Florida's 2014-15 season. He wanted more of both and wanted them immediately.
"If I don't see some commitment to what we're doing and some conviction in how we're doing it, we're going to be back here again later tonight,” Donovan yelled as strength and conditioning coordinator Preston Greene led the team through pre-practice Stretch No. 2. “And we may be back tonight, anway.”
And they were ... for another 90-minute practice.
Early in the afternoon, Donovan invoked the “conviction” and “commitment” references several times during a media briefing that focused on the Gators' preseason progress to date, a brushstroke that included the team's first intrasquad scrimmage Sunday.
Players were rotated between the blue first-teamers and orange seconds, so who won are lost was inconsequential. What concerned Donovan and his staff was the high score -- 89-81 after just 35 minutes -- and the overall defensive play.
“We've got pretty good chemistry and I think we're unselfish as a team, but right now, we're not convicted or committed to anything -- and that's not a good recipe right now,” Donovan said. “They're attitude has been good. They work, but we are not good at anything. The only thing I'd say we're good at right now is we're unselfish, but a lot of it is going to be their conviction and their commitment to what goes into winning. That's going to be something that they don't understand. Their idea of playing well is, 'When I shoot, score and make shots.' That's probably about 5 percent of the game.”
So the Gators spent more than two hours on the other 95 percent Thursday in what was one of the better practices of their first two weeks, relative to strides in the defense and hustle categories.
Center Jon Horford had a particularly solid outing on the defensive end, something the Gators absolutely need from the fifth-year senior and transfer from Michigan. Guard Eli Carter (right, with ball), who sat out last season to let his surgically repair broken leg further heal after transferring from Rutgers, is going to be a factor both on and off the ball, especially once he regains his in-game conditioning.
Junior forward Alex Murphy, a transfer from Duke who arrived at UF last December, flashes his athleticism, but not with the kind of consistency Donovan and the staff are after. They want him to find his game, which neither his father's (early '80s Boston College standout Jay) or older brother's (former UF stretch power forward Erik). Murphy doesn't have to look for offense to be effective. If he just plays, offense will find him.
Freshman forward Devin Robinson (above, guarding Carter) still gets lost on defense, but he also knows he has a long way to go there and takes the coaching -- and criticism -- to heart. For a college rookie, that's half the battle. 
After taking Tuesday and Wednesday off, the Gators worked a bunch of man-to-man defense (especially close-outs at the 3-point line and rotations), as well as defending in full-court man coverage. There was also an emphasis on just plain, playing hard.
"The first week was about installing and giving them the basics about what we do," Donovan said. "Now, it's about accountability and being where they're supposed to be and doing their jobs. The commitment and conviction of what our identity should be as a team, right now, just is not there."
The lack of it has shown up in not getting up the floor on the break or back on defense or crashing the glass for rebounds. Those flaws (and others) showed up on the tape from Sunday's scrimmage.
Here are some other things that showed up in the scrimmage:
* Junior guard Michael Frazier, the lone starter back from last season's Final Four and Southeastern Conference championship team, went 9-for-19 from the floor, including five of 12 from the arc, plus 11 of 14 from the free-throw line to lead all scorers with 34 points. Junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith, the reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year, had 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and four turnovers.
* Carter made seven of his 16 shots, and five of 12 from distance, to finish with 21 points. He also had four assists.
* Sophomore Kasey Hill (above left driving to basket) and freshman Chris Chiozza are the only true point guards on the roster and usually are matched against one another in live drills. Both put up nice play-making numbers; Hill with seven assists and one turnover, Chiozza with nine assists and one turnover. In fact, throw Carter into the equation and the Gators on-ball guards combined for 20 assists and just three turnovers.
* Robinson scored 17 points and was 4-for-8 from the 3-point line, but turned it over five times. Horford had 14 points and three rebounds, but made good on four of six from deep. 
* In the paint, Chris Walker (left) had 12 points, nine rebounds and one really good dunk on a lob from Carter. Murphy had 10 points and eight rebounds. And while he won't play this season per NCAA transfer rules, center John Egbunu, by way of South Florida, had 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks (and is going to be sensational come next season).
* Junior guard Dillon Graham did not participate in the scrimmage after taking an elbow to the side of the head during practice last week. The blow punctured Graham's ear drum, but he was cleared to return to practice Thursday. The Orlando product missed all last season recovering from hip surgery and has mega-catching up to do even to sniff the rotation come the regular season.
* Walk-on guard Zach Hodskins made his lone shot of the game, a 3-pointer, and scored four points. Donovan on Thursday praised Hodskins enthusiasm and love for the game, but hinted it could be very difficult for him to see the floor. “He's got a great platform in terms of his persistence every single day to try and come out there and battle and compete to the best of his ability,” Donovan said. “Talent wise, I think he's over his head. But I think he can bring some value to our team and help our team get better.”
* The Gators, who debuted at No. 7 in the Associated Press preseason poll announced Friday, have an exhibition game against Barry University set for Thursday night at the O'Connell Center. While the game will mark the live-action UF debut of several players, neither Murphy (who must sit out the first nine games of the fall semester) or Walker (three-game suspension) will play. Without those players in the front court, look for the Gators to go small in size but big on experience with the three-guard alignment Donovan likes -- Hill, Carter and Frazier -- with Finney-Smith and Horford up front. The first guy off the bench? Robinson at the small forward.
