Sophomore point guard Chris Chiozza sets up on defense against Michigan State, where he scored 11 points and hit three 3-pointers in his first start of the season.
There's Room For Both Chiozza, Hill in UF Backcourt
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida Gators have a history (recent history, especially) of playing small guards. Under Billy Donovan, the Gators often put bigger guards, like 6-foot-4 Bradley Beal and Michael Frazier, and played them at small forward, thus putting three shooters on the floor.
The 2015-16 UF version, now with Mike White in charge, not only lacks size at guard (keeping up with an ongoing UF tradition), but is missing proven shooters, as well. Regarding the latter, there are no scorers in the mold of Frazier or Beal -- or Kenny Boyton, Erving Walkers or even Eli Carters, for that matter. The first five guards in the Florida rotation are shooting a combined 33.6 percent from the floor and 26.4 percent from the 3-point line.
But Florida's opponents aren't shooting very well either because the Gators are defending at a very high level. Until they figure out how to get some scoring from the backcourt, defense is going to carry this team.
"I definitely think we have some chemistry developing," Hill said of the turbo-charged backcourt combo that created all kinds of problems for top-ranked Michigan State (in defeat) and Oklahoma State (in victory). "We don't play together a lot practice, but in the games it's just kind of coming easy for us."
Chris Chiozza (left) trails Kasey Hill on a break during the Dec. 12 loss at No. 1 Michigan State.
It was after a dismal performance in Miami two weeks ago that Hill, the junior with 31 consecutive starts, went to White and suggested Chiozza get a crack with the first unit. White made the move on the road against the Spartans and the Gators -- with Chiozza bombing a trio of second-half 3s and Hill carding 13 points, six rebounds and four steals off the bench -- battled the No. 1 team in the country down to the final minutes. Instead of Chiozza and Hill sharing the point, they ended up playing a bunch together.
Same thing down in Sunrise, Fla., over the weekend, when Chiozza's 11 points and four steals paired nicely with Hill's seven points and eight assists in a 72-70 defeat of OSU. The Gators' pressure defense hurried the Cowboys into 14 turnovers UF converted into 21 points. Sometimes, White threw freshman KeVaughn Allen into the mix to pair with Hill or Chiozza; three guards, none over 6-foot-2, but all with quickness and speed to burn.
"We have great athletes and instinct for the game," Chiozza said. "We're able to read some plays, even if we didn't go over that play. Sometimes it's getting in a passing lane or sniffing out a back door. A lot is instinct, but most is scouting report."
The scouting report on Jacksonville (5-7), who Florida (7-3) faces Tuesday night at the O'Connell Center, says the Dolphins are 3-point crazy. Their 100 makes from distance ranked third in the country at week's start -- and JU hit nine more in a 68-66 win Monday night over Florida A&M. That means the UF defense needs to be on point for close-outs. It also means potential for long rebounds that turn into transition opportunities for Chiozza and Hill -- or both -- in the open floor.
"I like me and Kasey out there a lot," Chiozza said. "The offense, I think, flows better. We have two real point guards. He often gets me a lot of open shots and it makes it easier for him to get in the lane because I've been knocking down shots more this year. That's one less defender to worry about. It just opens things up that much more." Chiozza drives the ball in Saturday's win over Oklahoma State.Chiozza shot 32.3 percent from 3-point range as a freshman, but as a sophomore he's at 42.4 and leads the team. Hill is never going to be a great scorer, but his strength is penetrating, seeking open teammates and getting to the rim.
Against Oklahoma State, White was delighted with the decision-making and overall play of both Chiozza and Hill. White is a former point guard (Ole Miss), but so is every one of his assistants.
"We're hard on those guys. We have expectations for them," White said. "I feel the last two games they both really picked up their play, especially Kasey. Chris has been really consistent, but Kasey -- since he asked to come off the bench -- has really taken advantage of that role and is playing as well as he's played all year."
Freshman shooting guard KeVaughn Allen is coming off his best overall game of his young career. Allen went into the OSU game making just 31 percent of his shots, but hit four of his six shots, including a 3-ball, to finish with 11 points. If Allen starts to come around, it could be the game-changer the offense is seeking.
"I just have to stay aggressive," Allen said.
The same can be said for redshirt freshman Brandone-Francis Ramirez, who is in a slump of slumps: 19.2 percent from the floor, 14.8 from distance. And that's with starting the last two games.
Francis-Ramirez has something that neither Chiozza, Hill or Allen have. At nearly 6-5, he would give White another option as far as his rotation. But he has to shake the mental block that is holding him back. In practice, Francis-Ramirez is one of the Gators best shooters.
"Maybe against JU [the shots] go down for him and his confidence level just increases," White said. "It's going to happen for him -- and for us -- at some point. We all hope it's sooner, not later."
In the interim, the Chiozza-Hill duo is something a little unique. Something to work with.
