UF coach Cameron Newbauer, here giving pointers to point guard Funda Nakkasoglu, will learn a lot more about his team starting Sunday when the Gators open Southeastern Conference play. (Photo: Joshua Gateley/UAA Communications)
Newbauer, Gators Seek Consistency as SEC Season Approaches
Thursday, December 28, 2017 | Women's Basketball, Chris Harry
UF finished its pre-SEC slate Wednesday with a win over Delaware State and an 8-5 record.
So how will the Gators (8-5) fare come Sunday's SEC opener at Auburn (8-3), and beyond?
UF coach Cameron Newbauer can't say "how" because he's still trying to figure out "who" and "what." That's who, as in "Who are the Gators?" and "what," as in, "What are they good at?" Those were questions Newbauer put to his players in a meeting before they scattered for Christmas break. A 34-point defeat Wednesday of a 1-10 opponent didn't provide any further clarity. Remember, the utter rebuild job Newbauer inherited last spring is the reason Florida was picked in the preseason poll at SEC Media Days in October to finish 12th (or third from last) in the league standings.
"What do we know we're going to get every day? What's constant from us?" Newbauer said. "[Thirteen] games in, we're still trying to figure that out. I can't answer that. I know what I'd like it to be."
The Gators aren't there, not even close — but the SEC slate is. After Auburn, UF is at Alabama and Ole Miss, then home to Kentucky, an NCAA Tournament team last season. Before the month of January ends, the Gators will visit Starkville, home to the 2017 NCAA Tournament runner-up Mississippi State, then two weeks later take on reigning national championship South Carolina on the road.
"I want to see us share the ball more, move the ball. We play a lot of selfish basketball, at times, and take a lot of bad shots," said Newbauer, who admits the Gators sometimes make poor shots, but considers them "fool's gold," at best. "You're not making those in the SEC. Those misses in our league become run-out layups. And then there's offensive rebounds. We're giving up too many. I attribute that to toughness: physical toughness, mental toughness, emotional toughness."
If Newbauer sounds like a pessimist, remember that before arriving from Belmont last April he was an assistant coach at Georgia. So it's not like the SEC's speed, strength and athleticism will surprise him.
It might be a rude awakening for some of his players, though.
"And that's what I'm afraid of," he said.
The Gators have two seniors, forward Haley Lorenzen and Dyandria Anderson, who know what's coming. Another senior, forward Paulina Hersler, is a graduate-transfer from UCLA, thus a veteran of a solid Pac-12 Conference and experienced enough to know the level of play is about to intensify. Sophomore guard Delicia Washington got her indoctrination last year and fared well as SEC Co-Freshman of the Year. Junior point guard Funda Nakkasoglu, who sat out last season after transferring from Utah State, watched the league from the bench during 2017, per NCAA rules, so she at least has a second-hand clue of what she's in for.
Those five players account for 64 percent of the team's minutes to date, plus 76 percent of the points and 81 percent of the rebounds. Those are some starter-heavy digits, with the balance backed up by a bunch of reserves who have a lot of growing up and developing to do.
The first five not only have to set the tone, but produce and stay out of foul trouble.
"We've lacked consistency, of late, and now we're trying to find ourselves," Lorenzen said. "Once we get that back and get our toughness back —our nit and grit; our spirit — that consistency will come back, as well. That's when we'll see who we truly are. This first half of the season, our consistency has not been great. There are a couple things we have to work on."
UF will enter SEC play leading the league in 3-point makes, with an average of 9.8 per game at an accuracy rate of nearly 35 percent. The Gators have had some very efficient outings from long-distance — hence the team mantra, "Chuck it from the cheap seats!" — but the SEC defenses they face will have a lot more length, quickness and athleticism on the perimeter to force the Gators to do other things.
Like pass the ball, drive the ball, and rebound.
Hopefully.
"There's definitely been progress since early in the season, I believe that," Anderson said. "A lot of people are starting to find their niche. Coach Cam said he's always been big on the 3-point shot. Me and Funda embrace and believe in that. Paulina is a good 3-point shooter, and down low she meshes with Haley inside. … The biggest thing we have to work on heading into the SEC is our consistency. We have to be able to start games faster and finish them better. Some games we start great and finish horrible, or we start slow and finish much, much better. We have to find more consistency in those areas."
Other areas, also.
"Leadership," Newbauer said. "Some days we have it, some days we don't."
If the SEC won't flush some leaders out of the roster, what will?
Hersler, a top candidate for everyday leader, might have an answer.
"Togetherness," she said. "We can't beat anyone if we don't play together. We have some good individual pieces, but we can't be a good team with individuals. We need to play like a team. When we mess up and teams beat us, it's because we don't stick to Coach's game plan, don't stick to our motion offense, don't stick to how we play together. If we execute the way we've been coached, we can get open shots. If we communicate and put out the effort, we can be better on defense and the boards."
That formula almost surely will lead to something better than 12th in the SEC. The hard part is doing it, especially with a team that relies so much on five players.
And yet, it's time.
"We're super excited," Nakkasoglu said. "It's going to be so competitive, we know that. But we're going to give it all we got and see where we stand up against the best players and teams in America."
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