Mike White went 21-15 in his first Florida season.
Deeper in Numbers & Experience, Gators Set for Season Opener
Friday, November 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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Year 2 of the Mike White era tips off Friday night against Florida Gulf Coast in Jacksonville.
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This time last year, Mike White and his coaching staff went into their first season at Florida thinking they had a solid squad to work with, as far as numbers and overall skill. The Gators had their leading scorer and rebounder back, a speedy and veteran point guard, a couple of sophomores who got spot starts as rookies, a marquee freshman with the reputation as a scorer, along with some reserves (a couple with experience) to sprinkle minutes about.
They thought they'd be deep and versatile from the start. They weren't. The end result was the NIT.
"We're way ahead of what we were last year," junior forward Devin Robinson said. "We have guys who can play, dynamic guys, but also some new guys who are going to contribute from Day 1. We also have a year with our coaches. This time last year, we were trying to get used to them. Now, we're all on the same page and ready to have a great season."
It figures to look different along the way. Last season, senior Dorian Finney-Smith, now with the Dallas Mavericks, was the focal point and leader. That was a given. There were times when UF looked to "Doe-Doe" and rightfully so. For three years, dating to a sophomore season — his first as a Gator ended with Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors for a Final Four team — Finney-Smith was the best player on the team. The unquestioned look-to/go-to guy who had his number called in a ton of isolation plays
"He did everything for us," senior point guard Kasey Hill said.
Sometimes, that left four other guys standing around and watching, especially in late shot-clock situations.
That's not going to happen with this group because no one on this team has that type of role.
"It could be a different guy every night," said shooting guard KeVaughn Allen, the team's leading returning scorer.
In other words, "Now, we're going to have to rely on each other," junior guard Chris Chiozza said.
And that's not a bad thing at all. In fact, throughout the offseason and into the preseason, that approach fostered a chemistry as far as sharing the ball. In an exhibition defeat of Division II Eckerd last month, the Gators placed six in double-figure scoring, with a seventh player at nine points. In a "live" scrimmage against Alabama-Birmingham at Destin, Fla., earlier this month, it was more of the same.
"Very selfless," White said, "I was proud to see that."
Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen, UF's leading returning scorer at 11.6 points per game, is the prime candidate to lead the team in scoring this season, but the depth, versatility and unselfishness the Gators have exhibited in the preseason could vary the team's scorer leader on a given night.
When the Gators get that irrespective of who's on the floor, that makes White even prouder. That's because this UF team not only is armed with six players who have started at least 33 Division-I games, but the Gators are two-deep at every position, with a rotation — for now — of 10 players, maybe even 11 after the surprising news Thursday that 6-foot-11 freshman center Gorjok Gak had been ruled eligible by the NCAA. There's no question that number is fluid (as it was last year, based on performance, health, etc.), but the difference this year is the players are more established and experienced, plus they've lived a year in White's system.
"Going into last year, we really were still used to how Coach Donovan did things," Hill said.
Florida is 18 months removed from Billy Donovan bolting for the NBA. There was some culture shock in his exit and a transition period (for both the staff and players), and it took a few months into the season for White to get a feel for the best way to play with a bunch of guys who were recruited for Donovan's offense. White kept some of Donovan's concepts and implemented them with his last season. The results were mixed, with UF's struggles shooting the ball — especially from the 3-point and free-throw lines — often undermining any progress.
It was toward the end of that first year that White decided to significantly scale back what the Gators tried to do on offense. A more simplified version of his system, he realized, was a better fit to the personnel and it showed up in the team's execution down the stretch.
That was the baseline the UF staff worked from since reconvening in April for an offseason that saw two top players (Robinson and center John Egbunu) limited by surgeries, the arrival of an impact graduate transfer (Canyon Barry, by way of College of Charleston), the maturation of a couple young players and arrival of a couple more, and dozens of practices to get to this point.
The '16-17 Gators will be able to play a variety of player combinations and be comfortable in half-court and full-court games. What everyone — coaches and players — know is that the defense will have to improve as the season moves on.
Great defense. Another way to prove selflessness.
"We're all pretty unselfish," Barry said. "I think guys are totally willing to give other guys as many shots as possible, as long as we're winning. I don't think anyone really cares who the leading scorer is. We're so talented and deep that any one of us could go off. Maybe KeVaughn, maybe John, maybe Kasey. I think we'll be a tough team to scout on a given night."
