Moving on from Atlantis
Monday, December 1, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
UF junior guard Michael Frazier II drives to the basket in Friday night's loss to North Carolina at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahams. [Photos by Bobby Metelus / Atlantis]
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Friday night, maybe 20 minutes after his team had been mauled by North Carolina for a second loss at the Battle 4 Atlantis in less than 72 hours, I asked Florida coach Billy Donovan if coming to the Bahamas and having a real-life lesson tomahawk-dunked in his players' faces was worth the trip.
After speaking a few sentences about making too many “losing plays” at pivotal parts of the game, Donovan got to some real talk.
“I do think this, which I like ... these guys don't live in reality, and I don't think it's their fault,” he said. “Right now, the truth is slammed in our face, which I think is great. A lot of times, in your non-conference scheduling, you're not playing against high-level competition, it's hard to get to the truth. For these guys, what they've been exposed to with our schedule and how difficult it's been, it's bringing them close to the truth of finding out who they are and who we are. That's a good thing. That's a positive.”
Immediately to Donovan's right, sat senior center Jon Horford, who transferred to UF from Michigan and was eligible immediately because he got his degree at UM and was enrolling in graduate school. He's a smart guy.
He was about to sound like he'd gotten smarter.
Horford came to a program coming off a stellar season of Southeastern Conference championships and a Final Four run. He, like his new teammates coming back, were told repeatedly how different it all would be -- the Florida basketball experience in 2014-15, that is, versus the ones of the previous few years that featured teams loaded with veterans -- and probably brushed it off as coach-speak.
No. They knew they'd be good.
Now, they know they're not.
If they didn't understand that before going international, losing on a near-buzzer beater to Georgetown, rallying in the final minutes to defeat UAB and getting trampled from the opening tip by Carolina provided the dose of reality they needed.
Cue Horford (picture right). 
“Results speak for themselves," Horford said. "We honestly thought we were better than we are. The coaches have done a great job of laying it out for us and coaching us. As a team, we have to accept it and completely buy in and put everything we have into it. If we do that, whatever happens, we can walk around with our heads held high.”
Then came this.
“But if we keep living in that illusion that coach is talking about -- and I'm as stubborn as anyone -- but coach is right. He's absolutely right. It's not working. If it doesn't change, then nothing is going to change going forward.”
Donovan loved hearing that because, one, he definitely knows how stubborn Horford can be. But, two, there was a sincerity in Horford's acceptance of the situation. If the rest of the Gators take the same tact -- and they had better -- than UF will be in a better place mentally and with a better sense of who they are.
That would make for a good baseline, considering UF's next time on the floor comes Friday night against No. 11 Kansas (5-1) at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in the ESPN Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Gators, who fell out of this week's Associated Press rankings, need a win to avoid putting Donovan below the .500 mark for the first time since the final game of the '97-98 season, but rest assured the coach does not care about that statistic.
He wants to see more fight in his team from the opening tip, more desperation throughout, and more made baskets.
"Eventually, you have to put the ball in the basket," he said.
And he wants this group of players to quit worrying about what they're doing individually (how well they're shooting; lack of playing time; turnovers) and focus more on the things that go into winning.
Upon returning from Paradise Island Saturday afternoon, the players had the balance of the day off, but returned to work Sunday. The Gators did not practice, but lifted weights, went through individual instruction drills (with tight focus on fundamentals, technique and executing good reps with their shots) and then met privately in small groups with Donovan for film review.
On Monday, it was back to work -- a full-blown, full contact practice -- with emphasis on the details.
Donovan wants more from players, no question, but he's also turned a finger on himself the UF staff. A lot of things aren't working on a lot of different levels.
The upside? There is a lot of time to fix things. One big step may have happened at Atlantis.
Without question, sophomore point guard Kasey Hill was floundering through the season's first six games, but may have righted himself in the tournament. He competed ferociously against UNC in finishing with a career-high 20 points, as he attacked the Tar Heels constant double teams. If it took some rock-bottom moments (and maybe watching freshman backup Chris Chiozza torch UAB the night before) to light a fire within Hill, maybe his struggles of the first two weeks were worth it. 
Elsewhere:
* Shooting guard Michael Frazier went 4-for-10 from the 3-point line against the Tar Heels, but he's still at 35.9 percent for the season. Some of his misses have been wide-open looks, the likes of which he hit like free throws the last two seasons. He's not a good shooter, but a great one. He can be again.
* Forward Dorian Finney-Smith has been dealing with two fractured bones in his hand since the season opener, yet his body language and inability to move to the next play after a bad one (a Frazier trait this season, as well) has disappointed the coaches. They're demanding more consistency from him.
* Guard Eli Carter (pictured left) clearly was hampered by a sprained foot in the Bahamas. In his two games, Carter was 2-for-18 from the floor. Still, against Georgetown, his ability to get in the lane drew help defenders and led to offensive rebounds, but Donovan wants to see more dribble-drive kickout passes from Carter and better use of a basketball IQ and savvy court sense that is among the best on the team.
* Sophomore center Chris Walker came to UF with the expectations of an NBA lottery pick, yet how many of those “experts” putting together mock drafts actually saw Walker play Class 1A games in Bonifay, Fla.? Now that the 6-foot-10 center is playing, where he is and what he is as a player -- an inexperienced and raw prospect blessed with phenomenal athleticism -- is out there for everyone to see. And it's the same player Donovan warned everyone not to expect so much from, both last year when he joined the team in midseason, and again this year when his role was set to increase. The coaching staff, Donovan admits, needs to do a better job with him.
There were some rolled eyes when Donovan insisted in the preseason this wasn't the No. 7 team in the country?
Maybe a few of his players did some eye-rolling.
Well, they're not now.
Maybe that's exactly where this team needs to be.
