Florida Gators
Gators Madness
Let the Madness Begin: Gators Hit Practice Court Friday, O'Dome Floor for 'Madness
Friday, October 2, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A lot can happen between now and the season opener Nov. 13 at Navy.
A lot needs to happen, too.
Florida's first official basketball practice of the 2015-16 preseason tips off Friday afternoon. Since arriving in early May, new Gators coach Mike White and his staff have taken full advantage of NCAA rules that permit each athlete two hours per week.
It started five months ago, with some hour-long getting-to-know-you skill workouts. When the three freshmen arrived for Summer B, White went to three 40-minute individual workouts per week, almost exclusively focused on skill development. Eventually, White opted for two one-hour practices weekly, then a series of two-hour practices with heavy emphasis on tempo.
Truth be told, the Gators have done very little with regard to installing the system. It's been more about how White wants his guys to work, how hard he wants them to compete.
On Friday, they start competing for jobs.
Friday night, it's Gator Madness at the O'Connell Center.
It's on.
So here's a preseason primer, based on some things we think we know about the Gators going into the fall, with roles still a long way from being defined and many storylines yet to materialize. In the interim, here's a half-dozen players who figure prominently in UF's charge to bounce back from a 16-17 season that marked the program's first losing season since 1998.
BEST PLAYER: Dorian Finney-Smith 
If there's a better fifth-year senior in the country, someone please point him out. Last year, the 6-foot-8 Finney-Smith took his overall game to another level, leading the Gators in both scoring and rebounding. He posted career bests in points (13.1 per game), as well as shooting percentage from both the field and 3-point line. He had a chance to go to the NBA, but committed to returning and, in his words, finish what he started. The guy they call “Doe-Doe” has looked terrific during the offseason, with White unabashedly touting Finney-Smith as a star and All-Southeastern Conference-type player (he was second-team last season). One of the most encouraging things about the Finney-Smith has been his willingness to step out of his comfort zone -- he's normally on the reserved side -- to become the voice of the team; maybe not the public voice, but certainly the most respected one in the locker room. When the best and most experienced player on the team is also the leader, that's a really good thing.
PRESSURE IS ON: Kasey Hill 
There is nothing anyone can say to Hill to make him anymore determined to bounce back from his disastrous 2014-15 season. Charged with taking the point guard ball from SEC Player of the Year Scottie Wilbekin, Hill admittedly endured the worst wire-to-wire season of his basketball life. His assist-to-turnover ratio was a solid 2-to-1, but his inability to hit shots -- from the floor (37.9 percent), 3-point line (27.6 percent) and even the free-throw line (52.6) -- allowed defenses to slack off Hill, dare him to shoot and cheat toward other players. Hill dedicated hours during the offseason working on his shot, specifically the mechanics. Both individually and with coaches and tried to tweak the tendency to put the ball above his head and lean it left on release. He made some progress. Some. Hill came out of high school as the No. 2-rated point guard in the nation; a top-10 prospect. Hill will be given the chance to right himself, knowing that a much improved Chris Chiozza, a year better and with a year of SEC experience, is an option.
TIME TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP: Devin Robinson 
There were times last year when Billy Donovan would look at Robinson, the lithe and talented 6-9 forward, and wonder who, if anyone, on the upcoming opponent the freshman could match up against. Didn't matter the competition, either. Robinson averaged 2.8 rebounds for the season and 2.8 in SEC play. It wasn't because he couldn't stuff a box score. Robinson went for 12 points and six rebounds, including a game-winning dunk with two seconds left against Vanderbilt; 14 and 7 in a one-point loss to Ole Miss, an NCAA Tournament team. But in three games against Kentucky, where his length and athleticism was needed, he totaled seven points, five rebounds. Like Hill, Robinson has a realistic grasp on where he was a year ago and where he needs to be as a sophomore -- and he needs to be around the basket more, on both ends, grabbing rebounds, swatting shots and getting a lot more of what he's capable of giving into the game. There are mock drafts out there -- several, actually -- that have Robinson rated as a first-round pick in 2016, but that stuff can change quickly. Ask Chris Walker.
IMPACT TRANSFER: John Egbunu 
He arrived at UF by way of South Florida in June of 2014 and last year spent an entire season practicing under Donovan, while sitting out per NCAA transfer rules. Don't underestimate what a year of learning at the feet of a future Hall of Famer may have done for Egbunu. As a raw prospect with very little basketball background, he averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds at USF -- he shot nearly 59 percent from the floor, but just 54.5 from the free-throw line -- and was named to the American Conference All-Freshmen Team. He was 270 pounds at the time, but after 15 months in the rigorous UF strength and conditioning program, Egbunu goes 6-11, 245 and is more agile and stronger than he's ever been. He is not going to wow anyone with his post moves around the basket. There is nothing subtle about his game. It's based in pure power and explosiveness. Egbunu is a very good athlete who chases rebounds and plays above the rim. He's everything the Gators did not have in the paint last season -- graduate transfer Jon Horford gave doses of an inside presence at times during his one year, though not nearly enough -- but hold off on any Patric Young comparisons. Young was one of the greatest pivot defenders in school history, remarkably disciplined with his feet and a master switching on the pick and roll. Egbunu has to show he can stay out of foul trouble and do all the little -- yes, even subtle -- fundamental things to make the Gators be the great defensive team White expects them to be.
WELCOME BACK: DeVon Walker 
The statistics attached to Walker don't tell much of his story. The 6-6, 205-pounder has started seven of his 60 career games and averaged 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds. He's shot 28 percent from the field and 28 percent from the 3-point line. He missed all of '14-15 following season-ending knee surgery in August. But Walker was missed last season. A lot. He was missed for his versatility (he can guard three positions) and for his standing in the locker room, as one of the Gators' most respected players. He doubled that respect with his rehab work and in building a once frail frame into a solid, wing player body the likes of which fits ideally into White's pressure 94-foot mentality. Walker will be a big part of the team this season because of his length and athleticism in transition, but at some point he has to prove a more consistent shooter. The Gators need guys to knock down open shots -- a huge problem after Michael Frazier II was lost to an ankle sprain last season -- and Walker will get a chance to be one of those guys.
BEST FRESHMAN: KeVaughn Allen 
White did not mince words at media day regarding his expectations for Allen, the 6-2 off-guard and two-time Arkansas Player of the Year who averaged 25.2 points 6.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.1 steals (and a few dunks, see left) per game as a senior in leading North Little Rock High to a third straight state championship. Allen will have a chance to start, White said. Let's mince words even less. Allen will start. He is something the Gators haven't had much of around here -- a guard that can handle, create his own shot and is a threat to knock down 3s. Yes, Scottie Wilbekin did that as a junior and senior, but who was the last guy before that. Bradley Beal? Maybe, but Beal didn't do a lot of rim-attacking until late in his lone UF season. Before that? Been a while. Whether he's alongside Hill or Chiozza in the backcourt -- at times, maybe the three together -- Allen looks like a really, really good wing man. Obviously, there will be a learning curve for a freshman in the SEC, but Allen is an absolute gym rat, he's soft-spoken almost to a fault and well-liked by his teammates. Florida fans should love him.
