Senior Kevarrius Hayes (13), with classmate KeVaughn Allen to his left, huddle with his three freshmen teammates during Saturday's win at Georgia.
Youth Movement: A 'Fresh' Look for Gators' Starting 5
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It had been 20 years since a Florida basketball team trotted out three freshmen to start a game, but that's what Coach Mike White opted for Saturday. In a big Southeastern Conference road date at Georgia, the Gators set out to snap a two-game losing skid league play. White was looking for a solution to the late-game defensive breakdowns and offensive shutdowns that spun the program into its worst start to league play since the 2000-01 season.
The combination he settled on included three starters, all of whom eventually logged at least 29 minutes that day, who were playing high school ball 10 months ago.
"I didn't see that coming into the season," White said.
Something else he likely didn't see coming: All three of those freshmen played with confidence, poise and panache beyond their years. Against the Bulldogs, the Gators moved out to a double-digit lead (like several games this season), blew that lead in the second half (like too many games this season), then stormed from behind to retake the lead and close out a win (like no other game this season).
Senior guard KeVaughn Allen made a couple huge shots late and senior center Kevarrius Hayes was at his high-energy best throughout the contest, but credit the rookie trio of point guard Andrew Nembhard (a starter in all 17 games), shooting guard Noah Locke (a starter the past 13 games), and forward Keyontae Johnson (in his first career start) for playing like hardened veterans and helping guide UF to a much-needed victory.
"It was great to get the opportunity, but I'll admit I was a little nervous," Johnson said.
It didn't show. Not in Johnson's eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks over a career-high 32 minutes. Just like it didn't show for Locke, who scored 10 points, including an ice-water go-ahead 3-pointer with six minutes left that erased Georgia's last lead of the game. Or for Nembhard, who had five points, five assists, three rebounds and did the paced, floor-general thing he'd been doing since the season opener.
Those three were on the court for 99 of a possible 200 minutes three nights earlier in a deflating loss at Mississippi State. Maybe they learned from what transpired in UF's latest late-game disappointment. Maybe the whole team did. Whatever the case, the freshmen trio figures to line up alongside Allen and Hayes again Tuesday night when the Gators (10-7, 2-3) take the floor against Texas A&M (7-9, 1-4) with a chance to even their conference record. A season-ending knee injury to fourth-year junior forward Keith Stone over the weekend will test the depth of the rotation even more.
Bottom line: A program with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances is now leaning heavily on freshmen to set the season right.
"It's not ideal," White said of three rookies in the starting lineup. "But those two freshmen guards have been extremely accountable, and they have earned it. They're playing like veterans, so I'm not going to sit here and whine about us playing [or], having to play with freshmen. We've chosen to play with those two guys; and Keyontae Johnson got the nod the other day; he was competing with some other guys. He has earned it to this point and, obviously, now he will be needed and relied upon even more with Keith being out."
UF's phenomenal 1998-99 four-man freshmen class was the first rookie quartet in Gators' basketball history to start a game -- and all four started the season opener. From left; Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Teddy Dupay and Ladarius Halton. [Orlando Sentinel photo 1998]
Provided instant offense and a force inside from the moment he donned a UF uniform; four-year starter who became the ultimate glue guy for three NBA championship teams in Miami.
Tremendous SEC All-Freshman season that he took to another level as a sophomore in leading UF to NCAA title game; eventual No. 5 overall pick in NBA Draft and 2001 Rookie of the Year with Orlando Magic.
On Saturday, the Gators started three freshmen in a game for the first time since that '98-99 squad -- yes, 20 years -- and beat Georgia on the road. From left: Noah Locke, Keyontae Johnson and Andrew Nembhard.
Best athlete on the team; role and confidence increasing with each game. Constantly coached to test his motor and has responded better of late on that front.
Replaced fifth-year senior Jalen Hudson in starting lineup after 4 games; great shooter; remarkably consistent on both ends (at practice and in games).
First 5-star signee of Mike White era has already taken a leadership and floor general role, while trying to make most of offensively challenged team.
How rare is it to start three freshmen? At Duke, Kentucky or Kansas, for example, it's not unusual at all. Florida, though, doesn't reel in three or four of the top-25 national prospects every year. In fact, UF hasn't signed a McDonald's All-American in six years.
Ah, but the Florida team of 1998-98, in Coach Billy Donovan's third season, that team signed the greatest class in program history — ranked No. 2 nationally — and wasted no time putting their four freshman to the test.
All four started the season opener, also a first in UF basketball history.
Mike Miller, a 6-foot-9 forward who could do it all, was a top-five player out of South Dakota and McDonald's All-American, having picked UF over all the blue-bloods, including close-to-home KU. Guard Teddy Dupay was also a McDonald's selectee, as well as the nation's scoring leader that season (41.5 points per game) and all-time scoring leader in Florida high school history with 3,744 points. Center Udonis Haslem, 6-8 and 265 pounds, won three state championships at Miami Senior High. And some on the staff believed 6-4 shooting guard Ladarius Halton had a chance to be the best of the lot, having scored 76 points in a game his senior year at New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) High, where he was the state's Class 4A Player of the Year.
All four started in the Gators' 76-62 season-opening defeat of Charleston Southern. Ditto the next game, an 82-66 road win at Florida State, on a night UF turned the ball over 26 times and still won easily. Game 3 brought a 30-point blowout of Bethune-Cookman, but with (get this) 30 turnovers by the Gators. An injury to Miller kept him out of the lineup a few games after that, but Donovan stuck with three freshmen in his first unit through the first 11 games, including a 30-point loss at third-ranked Duke, then ultimately saw enough of the experiment when the Gators turned it over 22 times and trailed by 28 at halftime in an eventual 92-56 blowout loss at No. 7 Kentucky.
After that — and after watching that group average more than 20 turnovers a game — it was two freshmen and some steady veterans starting out the rest of the way. All four freshmen, though, played a bunch the rest of the season, as the Gators ultimately avenged that ugly loss to Kentucky, reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years, and advanced to the Sweet 16.
For context: White was a senior point guard at Ole Miss that season. He remembers that UF team. White's freshmen didn't come with the resume of the ones two decades ago, but they've got just as much responsibility on their collective plates.
"We're heavily relying on three freshmen, who at this point last year were probably starting to get ready for their state playoffs," White said.
Now, they're getting ready for Texas A&M, then a road trip to Texas Christian, then back-to-back home games against No. 20 Ole Miss and No. 8 Kentucky, then … . Well, the young guys get it. It's a different deal.
But these freshmen, just maybe, might be a little different, as well.
"It's not like you're out there thinking about being a freshman," Locke said. "You just have to think about doing your job; just doing what Coach tells us to do."
