The perceived role of sophomore shooting guard Noah Locke may be somewhat understated outside of the Florida program, but as a player and leader he is overwhelmingly respected and appreciated among his coaches and teammates.
Locke-d In Leader
Friday, October 4, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — At the end of practice Tuesday, Florida coach Mike White wanted to throw some extra conditioning work at his team. He called for "backboard passing," a drill that requires continuous, end-to-end full-court sprinting, with each player having to jump and throw the ball off the glass (while airborne), with the player behind them doing the same. And so on.
For two solid minutes.
If the ball hits the floor, if either foot is grounded with ball in hand, if a player doesn't run the proper lane (or hits the cone marking those lanes), the drill starts over. Nobody wants it to start over.
It's a brutal routine, and the Gators, after nine failed attempts, were exhausted. Spent. Done. Some more than others. A couple players even fell out during the drill, giving in to fatigue. So White stopped it, lobbed a few critical remarks at his guys about toughness, precision and accountability, then adjourned to a shooting drill.
About 20 minutes later, the team circled at midcourt for its customary post-practice chat.
"You got to figure out your why, " Locke said with equal parts of assertiveness and confidence.
For the next 45 seconds or so, Locke talked about his family and how he thinks about his parents and siblings when things are hard because that is why he's here. They're the ones who sacrificed so much for him, which is why he was able to play basketball and do so at a high level. The road he'd taken and everything he had to gone through to get to Florida was why he pushed through the most difficult times. Find yours, he said.
When Locke was done, a couple players spoke, thanking their teammates for trying to pick them up and push them through, vowing to be better next time.
Locke then grabbed a manager, walked to the goal at the end of the floor and shot about 200 3-point shots
"Noah has been unbelievable," White said. "He's been as consistent as anyone during this first week of practice, as vocal as anyone and become more accountable, smarter and more mature. He's in a great place right now, and has a chance to be a high-level leader at the University of Florida."
High-level player, too.
Sophomore Noah Locke's voice has risen to a point of prominence and respect among his UF teammates.
In the all the preseason excitement that has swirled around Florida basketball 2019-20, the arrival of graduate-transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr., the return of standout point guard Andrew Nembhard, and the influx of a star-studded freshman class, complete with McDonald's All-Americans, have been the oft-cited reasons for the raging orange and blue optimism. Only in passing, it seems, does Locke's name get tossed into the mix, as if his return after starting 26 games on a 20-win NCAA Tournament team and setting the team record for 3-pointers made by a freshman (81) warrant merely a spot as a placeholder until the talented freshman find their way.
Don't think he hasn't noticed.
"He most definitely has noticed, and he takes that very personally. Noah takes everything personally," Nembhard, the 2019 Freshman All-SEC point guard and Locke's closest friend, said with a grin. "He has the biggest chip on his shoulder. If anyone looks at him different — anyone, any way — he's going to take that as a challenge and will not back down. He's going after everyone."
Locke admits to sensing the slight. This is as prideful, responsible and respected a player as there is in the UF locker room. He demonstrated as much as a freshman last year by replacing fifth-year senior and 2019 Naismith Award candidate Jalen Hudson five games into the season and becoming the team's second-leading scorer (9.4 points per game) before a nagging groin injury took its toll in the final month of the season.
"Honestly, that is something I've thought about. I'm not going to say I haven't because I have," Locke said of his perceived role (external, certainly not internal) with the Gators this season. "But the way I see it, this may be a better opportunity for me and better for the team. I know what comes with this; what it takes to practice every day and be ready to play. I know what we've done around here. I know the coaches and what they want. There may be some people out there saying, 'Oh man, look at all those new guys coming in,' but I know what I've done here and what I've shown I can do. There's going to a spotlight on our team, everybody knows that, and that's a good thing because I'll get a chance to show what I can do. We all will."
Obviously, Locke already has distinguished himself.
It was at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas last Thanksgiving weekend that Locke got his first career start by just being where he was supposed to be and doing what the coaches asked. He would go on to trail only senior KeVaughn Allen among the team's scoring leaders, hitting 37.5 percent overall, nearly 38 percent from the 3-point line and 77.5 percent of his free throws.
But along the way, Locke battled a sports hernia that got worse as the season wore on. The pain was at its apex during a two-game stretch (home against Vanderbilt, then on the road at Alabama in mid-February) when the 6-foot-3, 207-pounder fought to move laterally and get the usual lift on his jumpshot.
"At first, it wasn't a sharp pain, but then it really hit me," Locke said. "I'd never had to deal with anything like that in my life."
Last season, Noah Locke shot nearly 38 percent from 3-point range, was second on the team at 9.7 points per game and set the program record for 3-pointers by a freshman with 81.
The Vandy game at home was bad enough. During the road game at Bama, Locke felt virtually incapacitated. He went a combined 1-for-14 in those two games, and eight-for-26 over the last five coming off the bench, as Hudson regained his starting spot and Locke battled through his discomfort and frustration.
"We talked everyday about it," Nembhard said. "It was hurting him both physically and mentally, and really altered how he could play the game. He's such a strong person and he tried to play through it, but he also never used it as an excuse. Instead, he took a step back while some others guys stepped up."
Added White: "It was a hard time for him, but he showed everyone how resilient and tough he is. He remained a major factor in everything we were doing, while playing through some real soreness."
Once the season was over, Locke and the team's health staff huddled to discuss his options. They decided against surgery in favor of a shot, an extended rest and some conditioning.
"We felt conservatively treating him through the summer with a flexibility program and getting stronger would be fine," said trainer Dave Werner, who sent Locke home to Baltimore for Summer "A" session with a rehab plan. "He came back lighter and in the best shape of his life."
And after a acclimating himself back into Summer "B," Locke was the team's runaway top performer during preseason conditioning in August and all the way to late September when the team officially opened practice Sept. 27.
The new guys watched Locke's work ethic and soaked it in.
"He was one of the reasons I came to Florida," said shooting guard and top-30 prospect Tre Mann. "We play the same position, so I knew I could learn from someone like Noah."
Mann gets credit here. He and forward Scottie Lewis became the first McDonald's All-Americans to come to UF in six years. The 6-4, 180-pound Mann is a gifted combo guard who can score in a variety of ways and flashes some skills that, frankly, Locke just does not have.
But Mann arrived with the right attitude, knowing he could learn from someone with the on-court savvy and off-court maturity of Locke.
"He's been a great help to me, telling me stuff to help me manage my time with school work and stuff. Noah knows little tricks to help me get through it all," Mann said. "On the court, we're probably going to play the same position but also play a lot with each other. He teaches me easier ways to get my offense because he knows I'm a scorer. He teaches ways to keep my offense simple, like using less dribbles. And he's helped all of us with the way he leads."
Some of the conversations between the two have also covered the inevitable confrontation with adversity. Locke not only had his share in dealing with his injury as a rookie, but also struggled some with the transition from high school to the college game. Things come at freshmen so fast. Locke cautioned Mann, as well as Mann's classmates, about being ready for that confrontation.
"I talk to Tre all the time. Why wouldn't I?" Locke said. "Look, I want to win. If we win, then both of us will end up getting what we want. Why be selfish?"
On a team that figured to answer to the voices of Nembhard (the playmaker) and Blackshear (the worldly fifth-year grad), Locke has been every bit the vocal soundtrack.
"He says a lot of stuff before even we have time to say it," UF assistant coach Jordan Mincy said, speaking on behalf of the staff.
Sometimes, he might even say it better.
With nine new players, White and his staff are doing a lot of stopping and explaining in practice. It's not so rare to get blank stares looking back their way. That's when Locke pulls guys to the side.
"Noah will say stuff similar to what Coach White says, but he'll make more sense out of it by putting in our terms," Mann said. "Noah can relate. He's been there. He breaks it down for us."
Then he breaks down defenses with that smooth jumper that returned for his sophomore season in midseason form. Deeper 3-point line? No matter.
The loudest buzz around Florida basketball may not be of Locke, but if opponents fall into that trap they'll do so at their own risk. By the time they're reminded about the best version of Locke (like the one who poured in seven 3s on his way to a career-high 27 against Texas A&M last season), he will have got off three or four from long distance.
"I think he's going to have a great year," Nembhard said. "Both putting the ball in the basket and vocally, he's going to have a huge impact on everything we do."
No need to ask why. Locke has that figured out.
"I'm going to show up every day and just do what I can do, play my game and say what needs to be said. That's just who I am," Locke said. "I'm going to be as tough as possible, and if there's challenge I'm going to go straight at it."
