Deaundrae Ballard scored more than 2,500 points during his prep career in Atlanta.
Faith & Basketball: Freshman Ballard Ready for What's Next
Thursday, November 2, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Deaundrae Ballard is the hardest-working player on the UF team -- and its not close.
"I like to see how they line up," he said.
Make no mistake, Ballard is a spiritual young man. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound swingman from Atlanta was the most-sought recruit in his UF freshmen class. His faith, both Ballard and the Gators coaches say, drives him to be the best person, best basketball player he can possibly be.
Which leads to his next quote.
"Some people go to the beach to clear their mind. I go to the gym," Ballard said. "The gym is my sanctuary."
Case in point: The name Sam Hershberger means nothing to you, but it means a great deal to Ballard. Hershberger, you see, is a grad student and manager for the UF basketball team, but he's also the guy who shows up at the gym at 5 a.m. to lead Ballard's individual workouts. He is Ballard's "new best friend," according to assistant coach Jordan Mincy. He's the one who stays after practice when Ballard wants to drill or shoot for an extra 20 or 30 minutes.
Hershberger was a walk-on guard at Elon.
"Usually, it's the guys like me that have to do this stuff," Hershberger said. "Not guys with the skill level of Drae."
Ballard scored more than 2,500 points during his prep career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He once scored 43 points in a high school game despite sitting out the fourth quarter. He went for 41 in the semifinals of the Georgia state tournament his senior year last spring. He was a four-star prospect and consensus Top-70 player in the country, making Ballard the marquee recruiting pluck of Coach Mike White's two signing classes at UF.
All this background figures to make Ballard a key cog in No. 8 Florida's 2017-18 season, right? Not so fast. Ballard's role, like the rest of his freshmen classmates, remains uncertain heading into Thursday night's charity exhibition opener against Jacksonville at Swisher Gymnasium. That's because there's a logjam of proven, experienced players (KeVaughn Allen, Jalen Hudson, Egor Koulechov) at the shooting guard and small forward perimeter spots where Ballard projects. Given the exhibition nature of the game — proceeds from the gate will go to the First Coast Hurricane Irma Relief Fund — Coach Mike White is expected to throw his young guys on the floor for extended minutes against the Dolphins and see what the early returns yield.
Ballard is fired up for the audition.
"My goal is to get 1 percent better every day and just push myself, learn as much as I can from the older guys and become the best I can be," Ballard said. "I'll push myself constantly to get better. And if I don't play that much, I'll just have to push myself that much more. It'll be fuel for the fire."
There are times, Ballard admits, that is coaches (not to mention the UF trainer and strength coach) have told the freshman to pull back. There's a point where a player can overwork so much that his body doesn't have time to recover. Sometimes Ballard listens to them.
Repeat: Sometimes.
It's just that he can't help himself.
"Ever since I was a little kid, I just loved working out," said Ballard, who trains six days a week on his own, leaving Sunday as a day for the Lord (his words). "It's just in my DNA. If I go one day without working out, I feel like I'm six months behind."
That's just how the kid is wound. And that's why this season will go a long way toward showing how prepared he is mentally for the next level because the guys playing in front of Ballard have some serious numbers on their resume. Allen, Koulechov and Hudson have combined to play 233 games score 2,710 points. Ballard shows zeroes in both categories.
"I tell him that he's gone from being 'The Man' and playing in a system that is all about him, to playing in a system that is all about the team. He says he played on a team in high school, but it's not the same. It's just not," Mincy explained. "They used to pass him the ball, pass him the ball and pass him the ball. When they needed a bucket, he went and got one. Now, when things get stuck, his first instinct can't be to run to the ball. Now, instead, he needs to space the floor and let Chris Chiozza make a play — for the team. You have to allow other players on your team to be successful and put you in position to score."
And did that ever happen earlier this week during a practice.
White has admitted that he made a mistake early in the preseason when he compared Ballard to a young version of South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell. All Thornwell did last season was garner 2017 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors and lead the Gamecocks to their first Final Four. Ballard is light years from being any version Thornwell, especially on the defensive end. Ask the UF coaches and they'll say Ballard is an average defender, at best (which is in the line with the team overall, but that's another story).
In practice, though, he has flashed moments that make you think of another 2017 SEC player: Malik Monk.
Ballard has that kind of scoring mentally, both driving and shooting the ball from his high release point. He has range, handles, athleticism and zero conscience. When he gets in rhythm, like he did Tuesday, Ballard can rack up the buckets.
"He probably came here thinking he was going to score 30 points a game, but he's done a good job of adjusting," said Chiozza, the senior point guard and team leader. "He's a good player and can really score. He shoots it a lot, but I don't mind that if they're good shots and he gets back on defense."
As for that Tuesday display?
"It felt like he took about 35 … and missed about three," Chiozza said.
That's an exaggeration. Sort of.
Without question, though, Ballard has the offensive weaponry, but also a passion for the game, the coaches believe, that will drive him to work on his defense and other facets of his overall skills set.
"Deaundrae's work ethic is contagious. He plays the game with a ton of passion," White said. "He's obviously a gifted scorer, but I've been just as pleased with the way he's been flying around and playing with a reckless abandon. He's definitely got a lot to learn, just like all freshmen, but he's on the right track."
The next step is to find the balance on the defensive side of the ball; as well as the team-work side. It starts Thursday night against Dolphins, in a game that won't even count. Don't tell Ballard that. Swisher Gym will be his latest sanctuary.
"I can't wait," he said. "I've been waiting for this moment. Been preparing for this moment since I got here this summer."
Probably since before that, actually.
"Yeah," Ballard nodded. "Way before that."
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