Mike White revamped his practice drills during the 10 days between the Gators' last game, a loss to Michigan State, and Tuesday night's return to the floor at home against Mercer.
Gators Hope Back-to-Basics Practice Approach Yields Game Results
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The story goes that Green Bay Packers legend Vince Lombardi, after a run of breakdowns and miscues that led to losses, told his players it was time to go back to the rudimentary fundamentals of the game.
"Gentlemen," Lombardi said, holding the pigskin up in front of his team. "... this is a football."
It's never too late to go back to basics, especially when slippage in the most pivotal elements of the game are impeding progress and impacting results. Which brings us to Coach Mike White and his Florida basketball team.
In the aftermath of UF's 63-59 home loss Dec. 8 to Michigan State, the dissatisfaction bubbled over in both White's voice and demeanor during his postgame news conference. A review of the tape not only rubber-stamped his frustration, but prompted drastic action.
The very next day, the Gators went back to the basics.
A loose-ball drill, with guys slinging their bodies across the floor for the sake of possessions, was added to the agenda. Another one known as "circle hits," a grueling defensive positioning drill, that emphasizes guarding on the ball, close-outs with high hands, finding the imaginary white line, being in the gap, helping the helper, talking, contesting shots and pursuing the ball. Next: Taking charges. Always fun, right? After that? Spins, turns, pivots, with ball wipes and pass fakes to move the defender. Later, a full-court, no-dribble sequence that emphasized getting open, screening away and keeping defenders between the man and ball.
Oh, and then there was the "The Mincy Drill."
Yes, that's the name it has taken on. No, assistant coach Jordan Mincy did not invent it. But he borrowed it, suggested the Gators do it, and White enthusiastically threw it into the mix. Now, it's taken on a life of its own. A five-on-none transition offense drill where each unit has to go the length of the floor and make five shots — attempting at least two 3-pointers, with each player taking at least one shot; and only the point guard or "4" man allowed to in-bound the ball — and finish in 30 seconds. Don't make the time? Miss a pass or a shot? Get out of position or fail to fill a lane properly? Start over. Do it until it's done right.
"At first, I didn't like it," fourth-year junior forward Keith Stone said. "But as we did it more, we got better at it."
They did it more, all right. The next practice. And the next. And the next. And Tuesday afternoon, when the Gators (5-4) take the floor for their shoot-around at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center, about five hours before taking on Mercer (4-6) in their first game since that loss to the Spartans, they're going to do some more of these fundamental exercises. And they'll keep doing them in the run-up (and beyond) to the Southeastern Conference season, which is just four games away.
Keith Stone has yet to score more than 10 points in a game this season. He hit so 10 times in 34 games last season. (Photo: Kate Venezio/UAA Communications)
If this is what it takes to get his players to sell-out for a loose ball or be in their gaps on defense or close out the 3-point line with urgency, he'll do it until the final horn of the final game — whenever that might — signals the end to the season.
If this sounds like stuff that should have been engrained in players long ago, well, this is where the Gators are.
"We've gone long and hard. We've had some very, very taxing practices and our guys have responded pretty well. I think we've gotten a little bit better," said White, whose team lost to Oklahoma, Butler and Michigan State by a combined 16 points, with each of those games there for the taking in the final minutes, only to fall prey to better execution (or effort) by the opponent. "We have to keep developing as a team. We're going to do some stuff every day, as opposed to talking about doing it and asking guys to do it. We're going to just do it, and we're going to do it over and over and over and over. We've done a lot of that in the past week."
Accompanying the "long," "hard" and "taxing" workouts have been some louder voices, higher expectation and lower tolerance for mistakes on the part of the coaches. All of them. The general response by the players has been encouraging, with White signaling out fifth-year senior Jalen Hudson and Stone as players who have taken the challenges to heart and produced between the lines over the last week and a half.
Hudson, the team's leading scorer last season at 15.5 points per game and preseason All-SEC selection, has been in a season-long funk — both on offense and defense — and was replaced in the starting lineup by Locke four games ago. Look to see a little more of Hudson against Mercer.
"I'm happy that he's handled it," White said. "He's had a lot of adversity for a guy in his position."
As for Stone, he's been fairly steady this season, though not spectacular. The Gators need more from him (yes, on both ends). He's too unique a player, with his ability to shoot 3s and thick lower body to bang and post inside, not to be giving the Gators more. He knows that.
"Our record doesn't sit too well with me. Not with any of us," Stone said. "We're trying to get ready for SEC play because it's coming soon. That's what we're preparing for. That's why we're preparing the way we are."
By keying on the little things that can make a difference when games are decided by a possession here and there over the course of a game. If that takes a few extra sprawls across the practice floor to do it, so be it.
