Keith Stone's best performance in weeks clearly had the Gators' bench excited in Wednesday's victory over Arkansas. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Freshman Stone Shares Spotlight on Senior Night
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
Keith Stone had his most productive game in weeks for the Gators.
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- On a night the Rowdy Reptiles said goodbye to Florida's four seniors in their final home game, a redshirt freshman said hello again.
Stone came off the bench in Florida's 78-65 victory over Arkansas on Wednesday night to score eight points and grab three rebounds. What's the big deal?
Consider that since Stone scored a combined 31 points in back-to-back wins over Alabama and Georgia (career-high 17 points) in early January, he had scored three points over a 12-game span in which he played in 10 and sat out two.
Right when Stone appeared ready to take off and add another valuable weapon to this Gators team, a viral illness struck and completely threw him off his game. The Gators hope Wednesday is a sign Stone is healthy and full-speed ahead toward the postseason.
"My goodness. Keith was huge,'' Gators coach Mike White said. "I don't know that we win the game [without him]. Really happy for him and of course happy for our team having him back playing."
Stone had a scoreless first half in five minutes of action, but with the Razorbacks hanging around late in the second half, he made his minutes count. Stone scored eight consecutive points for the Gators starting with a 3-point play off an offensive rebound and free throw. The play gave Florida a 59-45 lead with 7:49 remaining.
Arkansas went on an 8-2 run – Stone's layup Florida's only basket – to trim the lead to 61-53 on Jaylen Barford's basket with 6:13 remaining. On the Gators' next possession, Canyon Barry tossed a pass to Stone, who drilled a 3-pointer to stretch the lead back to 11. The Razorbacks continued to hang around but never got within seven points the rest of the way.
"He made big shots for them,'' Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson said. "It was a big shot when we cut it to [eight]. I thought we were playing great defensively. I thought we defended it."
Gators forward Keith Stone grabs an offensive rebound against Arkansas. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Stone's performance – and perhaps reemergence – came at a perfect time with only one regular-season game left and the postseason looming.
A combination forward who can score inside and outside, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound Stone, when healthy, can help alleviate the loss of starting center John Egbunu defensively. Stone departed the locker room soon after the game, so he was unavailable to discuss his return to form.
Barry and fellow senior Kasey Hill gladly praised Stone's contributions.
"We're going to need him to keep playing like that in order for us to win and play well,'' Hill said. "I think he is capable of doing that. We're going to need him."
Barry had no hesitation in passing the ball to Stone for a 3-pointer at a crucial stage of the game.
"We all know Stone is a great shooter and we just kept encouraging him to shoot,'' Barry said. "Sometimes I think [his illness] got a little into his head, but I think he's totally out of that now. All of us as teammates trust him, and when he's open, he needs to let it fly."
Stone finished 3-for-4 from the floor, hit his only 3-point shot and added a free throw in nine minutes.
White said he noticed Stone was starting to show improvement about 10 days ago. Stone continued to recover and was at his best in several weeks at the two practices prior to the Arkansas game according to White.
"We thought he was getting closer and closer," White said. "He gained some confidence back."
It certainly showed Wednesday.
"When he's playing well, I think our team moves in a whole another level,'' Barry said. "Moving forward, if we want to make a run deep in this tournament, we need him to keep stepping up. Obviously, as you see, he is starting to feel more like himself."
