Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mike White and his staff arrived at Florida, by way of Louisiana Tech, in May 2015. Less than two months later, the program was hosting the first summer camp under the new regime.

White was reminiscing about that mini-timeframe after practice Thursday. Why? Because that's when he got his first live look at Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann in action. 

"And Omar Payne was sitting right over there," White said, pointing to a row of chairs on the sidelines of the UF practice court. "He'd just had back surgery and couldn't play … but he was here with his team to watch. They were all here that same week. Isn't that crazy?"

Yes, it's funny how things work. Sometimes it's even spectacular how things work out. 

Next summer, all three will be back in the very same gym wearing Florida uniforms after their national letters of intent arrived Wednesday for the start of the early national signing period. Together, Lewis, Mann and Payne not only gave White his most decorated class of his four seasons with the Gators, but a haul heralded among the top 10 in the nation by all the major recruiting services, including No. 4 by Rivals. Each member of the trio already is among the 50 names placed on the "watch list" for the 2019 Naismith Award that honors the nation's high school player of the year.

"Three terrific young men and very, very talented players," White said. "I'm really excited." Here's why: 

* Lewis, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound wing from Colts Neck, N.J., is a ridiculous athlete with a 100-mph hour motor. Rivals rates him as the No. 13 overall prospect in the country and fourth-best small forward. He's averaged a double-double since his freshman year at the Ranney School. Come next March, Lewis is expected to be the program's first McDonald's All-America signee in six years — and given the resumes and expectations of his two classmates, he may not be alone in that prestigious all-star game. Lewis chose the Gators after narrowing his final two schools to Florida and Kentucky. 

* Mann is a 6-4, 180-pounder who was born in Gainesville and grew up cheering the Gators before moving to The Villages as a ninth-grader. He checks in as Rivals'  No. 25 overall player and third-best point guard. Mann is equally comfortable playing off the ball, where he's a fabulous long-distance shooter. Like Lewis, Mann is a consensus five-star prospect, meaning the White regime has brought in three five-star prospects (counting current freshman point guard Andrew Nembhard) in the last two classes. Mann's career-high game was a 39-point outburst last season on a night — "I might have had 50," he said — the coach sat him for the whole fourth quarter.

* Payne, who transferred after his junior year at Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola High to the basketball factory at Montverde (Fla.) Academy this fall, goes 6-9, 210 pounds and has four stars by his name, but he's just as intriguing as his future classmates. ESPN has Payne as the No. 35 player in the nation and Rivals places him as the No. 10 power forward, with his (get this) 7-5 wingspan likely figuring into that placement. He may not be a prolific scorer, but Payne is an elite rebounder (he got 30 in a game last year) and prides himself on defense, shot-blocking and physicality. Also is known to have something of a mean streak; the good kind.

"All three of us are top-ranked players, but we didn't pick Duke or Kentucky or Kansas or [North] Carolina to go and be the best we could be," Mann said. "We wanted to come to the University of Florida and be the best we can be. Maybe other players will see us there and know they can do that, also." 

Lewis was hotly pursued by all the programs Mann mentioned — and a bunch more, including reigning national champion Villanova — but chose the Gators because of the relationships he struck up with White and the UF staff. 

It started after his eighth grade season. 

"My family loves them. I love them. They recruited me the longest," Lewis said of White and his assistants. "I felt a connection with Coach White right away and he was always clear about how he was going to use me. He was honest, never sugar-coated it, and I'm excited to be coming there next year and plan on having an impact right away." 

Payne told a very similar story. 

"What really sold me was the coaching staff. They came to all my AAU games and let me know how much they wanted me and needed me," he said. "You look at who will be back next year, plus the three of us, and I think we're getting all the right pieces together." 

Lewis, Mann and Payne won't be here for a while — and there's lots of basketball to played in 2018-19, both for them and at the current UF squad — but obviously the future is glowing brightly for the Gators.

"Three guys that are very different — and very talented," White said. 

Very vested in the program, as well. Even now. 

"I'm excited just to be able to watch college basketball this season and have a team I can cheer for without people tweeting what they think I'm thinking about or reading anything into it," Lewis said. "It'll be obvious now, when I'm screaming 'Go Gators' at the top of my lungs, who I'm cheering for." 

The enthusiasm will be reciprocated in due time.