Hoops Notebook: Still becoming a team, Kasey, SEC streak, etc.
Sunday, January 11, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Gators coach Billy Donovan spurs on Kasey Hill to "Finish!" stronger during Wednesday night's win at South Carolina. [Photo by Tim Casey]
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In a recent media opportunity, junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith acknowledged that the Florida basketball players were starting to realize exactly what the Florida basketball coach had been talking about the last, oh, say, eight months.
All that stuff about expectations, both internal and external, meaning absolutely nothing was starting to hit home. Finally.
Makes you wonder why it took so long, but human nature is a funny thing. Sometimes, all it takes is people to say you're good to make you believe you're good.
True story. Before the Gators played Connecticut last weekend in the so-called rematch of their Final Four game, Coach Billy Donovan was speaking with Huskies coach Kevin Ollie and the two had a laugh together and Donovan said, “Can you believe this team was ranked higher in the preseason than my team last year?”
Think about that.
Upon entering the 2014-15 Southeastern Conference season with their most losses in 40 years, the Gators have put together solid back-to-back efforts in winning Wednesday at South Carolina and Saturday night at home with a rout of Mississippi State. They did not play great in beating the Gamecocks, but they played together and hit clutch free throws down the stretch. UF followed that one up by playing very well, on both ends of the floor, against the undermanned Bulldogs.
Donovan's message has and will continue to focus on taking the floor each day (practice or games, doesn't matter) with a greater sense of the bigger picture.
As in, the team.
“Listen, we are not going to be able to out-talent people. We're not. We've got to become a really good team and it's got to be a team with a sum that is greater than its parts,” Donovan said. “Their focus shouldn't be 'How am I doing?' but 'How do I make the other four guys better? How do I make my teammates better? How do I make the group better?' ”
With a trio of players (Finney-Smith, pictured right, along with junior guard Michael Frazier and sophomore point guard Kasey Hill) back from last year's SEC championship squad, assumptions were made -- some in the locker room -- the Gators would pick up where they left off by mere osmosis.
As Donovan pointed out Saturday, does anyone remember how long it took Casey Prather to develop into the player he was last year? Or for Patric Young to become the best defensive post player in the country? Or Scottie Wilbekin to channel a skill set well enough to be SEC Player of the Year?
In other words, teams of the past -- especially the one that won 30 in a row, then graduated four senior starters -- shouldn't be used as measuring sticks.
UF started two freshmen and two sophomores Saturday night.
“My biggest challenge as a coach [with this team] was, What things do we have to let happen for their growth and development and what things do I cut off because we're headed down the wrong road?” Donovan said. “There's a process and it's a painful process. I don't know any team or individual in sports that has achieved any high level of success without tracing back to some real struggles and a lot of pain. And we've had some painful moments. All teams that become good have to go through that.”
How much of the difficulties of the last two months go into what the Gators become over the next two months will determine how deep the season goes in that third month.
THE BALL (AND TEAM) IS IN HIS HANDS 
At South Carolina, Hill had one assist and six turnovers. Against Mississippi State, he had seven assists and one turnover.
“What's next Saturday going to bring?” Donovan asked.
Indeed, there needs to be some more consistency there. Hill knows it because his coach is constantly talking about.
Donovan praised not only Hill's floor game after the win over the Bulldogs, but mentioned how he sat down with his playmaker for a private screening of his performance against the Gamecocks. Donovan spoke of Hill's willingness -- and desire -- to hear as much about what he's doing poorly as what he's doing well.
“Some guys don't like the truth or to be confronted with it. He wants that. He wants to know what reality is and I admire that about him and love coaching him for that,” Donovan said. “If it's negative, he likes that. He does not want to be told how great he is. He can watch film with me and he accepts it. That's the sign of a player who is going to get better. He looks internally, not externally.”
Hill is averaging 7.7 points per game and is better than 2-to-1 on his assists to turnovers (65 to 30). If the Gators can continue on their upward shooting trend, obviously Hill's numbers figure to improve. Can't get assists without made field goals.
TRIVIA QUESTION
Donovan's has faced his former college coach and mentor Rick Pitino seven times as a head coach without a victory. After Pitino's 1.000 mark, what coach with at least that many cracks at Donovan has the next-best winning percentage against him? Answer below.
FORMER GATOR UPDATE 
The status of Damontre Harris was something of a saga last season for the Gators. Depending on what day it was, no one in the program was quite sure if Harris, who transferred to UF from South Carolina the summer of 2012, was on the team, with sightings of Harris akin to seeing a unicorn.
Harris, once a first-team selection to the SEC's All-Defensive Team, never played a a game for the Gators.
Well, the 6-foot-10, 230-pound center wound up at NAIA Campbellsville (Ky.), where last week he posted 18 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks -- his double-double of the season -- in a win over Nazarene (Kan.). For his effort, Harris was named Mid-South Conference Player of the Week, while improving his season's stats to 11.6 points per game on 57-percent shooting to go with 9.2 rebounds and an NAIA-leading 3.4 blocks per game. Campbellsville, 17-1 and winner of 11 straight, was elevated to No. 1 in the nation among NAIA teams.
After Harris' big game against Nazarene, he was a DNP-Coaches Decision when the top-ranked Tigers faced Asbury five days later. A team spokesman said Sunday Harris would return to the floor when Campbellsville plays Fisk University on Monday night.
Here's a recent "Tre" highlight below.
TWITTER PATTER
Gators win another SEC game. DFS is playing at a high level and Eli Carter is wired to score. @UFCoachBillyD will coach Em up.Small margin.
— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) January 11, 2015
It's nice when the remotes work. Devin Robinson drives the lane to dunk two of his 12 points. #gators #ItsGreatUF pic.twitter.com/Zh7wdflW41
— Matt Stamey (@stamey) January 11, 2015
Muschamp may be at Auburn now but his kids are still sitting in his seats at the Gator basketball game vs Miss. St. tonight. #Gators
— Kassidy Hill (@KassidyGHill) January 11, 2015
#Gators RT "Always great to see @jb8sy! #GatorGreat pic.twitter.com/A0hReuoTVt" #SportsRoadhouse
— GatorsSRH (@GatorsSRH) January 11, 2015
#Gators football coach Jim McElwain is in attendance for tonight's basketball game. UF leads Miss. St. 39-19 at half. pic.twitter.com/dNmsebuPNM
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) January 11, 2015
CHARTING THE GATORS
In starting the SEC season with a pair of wins, the Gators extended their school-record winning streak in league play to 23 games, a run that dates to the 63-60 loss to Ole Miss in the 2013 conference tournament title game at Nashville. If Florida could put together three more (home vs. Auburn, at Georgia, and vs. LSU), the Gators would pass Kentucky's run of 24 straight over the 2011 and '12 seasons and equal what the Wildcats did over the '95 and '96 for the most consecutive SEC wins over the last 60 years -- or the so-called modern era. That would be impressive. That's UK's 1952 team, below right.
Streak Team Years
33 Kentucky 1952-54
29 Kentucky 1950-51
26 Kentucky 1995-96
24 Kentucky 2011-12
23 Florida 2013-present
Auburn 1958-59
Kentucky 1933-34
21 Kentucky 2003-04
IRREVERENT PHOTO OF A GATOR 
FREE THROWS 
Sophomore center Chris Walker had to be helped off the court with less than two minutes left in Saturday's game after being overcome by a cramp in his calf. It must have been really bad because Walker had just been fouled and forfeited shooting two free throws to go to the bench. Donovan said afterward his 6-10, 220-pound center was fine. ... To amplify the above chart of SEC winning streaks, the record for most consecutive regular-season SEC wins is 51. Kentucky did that from 1950-54. UF's 20 straight regular-season conference victories is tied for sixth-most in league history. ... The Gators have scored 35 points off the bench in each of the last two games. Those are highs for this season. Junior guard Eli Carter (right) was a big factor. After totaling 18 points in six games while trying to recover from a sprained foot and strep throat, Carter has 26 points and seven assists the last two. ... In starting both SEC games, Chiozza has zero points, two assists and no turnovers. He's only taken four shots and he's certainly had a hand in UF's improved ball movement. ... Trivia answer: Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who Donovan will face Thursday night at the O'Dome when the Tigers (9-6, 1-1), when 9-6 (.600) against Billy D from 2005-11 during his stint at Tennessee (2005-11), at one point winning six straight.
