Tre Mann in action before he took a blow to the head in Florida's loss Nov. 17 at Connecticut.
Mann Confident His Breakout Moment is Coming
Friday, November 29, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With just over eight minutes left, Tre Mann watched a shot go up for Connecticut. The Florida freshman guard did exactly what he's coached to do on defense. He went to rebound down. Unfortunately for Mann, Huskies forward Akok Akok, a lithe 6-foot-9 forward of all arms and legs, chased the ball, too.
Akok's elbow landed flush to Mann's forehead.
"Everything went black after that," Mann said this week. "That's the only time I've ever been unconscious. Duke said I didn't wake up until he got there."
That would be David "Duke" Werner, the UF trainer who rushed onto the floor, tended to Mann, then escorted the Gators' wobbly rookie to the locker room. Florida would go on to lose, 62-59, as Mann entered concussion protocol, flew home with his team (and with a headache), and was not cleared to play again for a week.
The 6-foot-4, 175-pound combo guard accompanied UF to the Charleston (S.C..) Classic and watched the Gators defeat Saint Joseph's and Miami, then eventually cleared his baseline tests and returned to action for the tournament championship game against 18th-ranked Xavier. Mann only played six minutes and did not score in Florida's 70-65 victory, but he was very much a part of a terrific six days during which the Gators grew a little bit and played to something of an identity.
"It was hard being on the bench and not being able to play, but I had fun watching the guys play together," Mann said. "It was the first time that we all looked comfortable out there, making shots and being happy for each other."
And now it's time for Mann to join the fray.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Phrases such as "It's a process" or "We're a work in progress" get tossed around this time of year ad nauseam, but that doesn't mean they're not accurately applied. While some role definition certainly took place during the Classic, there's a lot more to follow and Mann figures prominently in the equation, maybe as soon as Friday night when the 24th-ranked Gators (5-2) face Marshall (2-3) at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
From the time he arrived on campus in July, Mann has been arguably the most consistent all-around shotmaker — as in shooting, driving or just plain going and getting a bucket — on the team. There's a reason he started the first four games of the season. Mann is a loaded weapon that Coach Mike White and his staff are going to find a place for in the rotation on a team that is scoring 66.9 points per game and shooting 31 percent from the 3-point line.
"He is our most talented offensive player — not our best, because he is learning — and he is very inexperienced," White said. "He is a freshman of course, but he can really get it going in bunches and he can get it going in a variety of different ways. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when and how. We will find a way."
Tre Mann (1) only logged six minutes in the win over Xavier, but was one of the team's biggest cheerleaders on the bench.
Mann was a consensus top-30 prospect in his signing class and a McDonald's All-American after averaging nearly 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals a game at The Villages, despite facing double- and triple-teaming every game. During summer pickup and preseason UF practices, Mann at times would take over with his effortless offense, but it didn't translate in his first four games. Mann scored 11 points in the season-opener against North Florida, but is averaging 4.8 points per game on 32-percent shooting overall and just 2-for-12 from distance.
Sometimes, Mann has hesitated to take open shots he wouldn't think twice about in the UF practice facility, but that's part of making the transition.
"I'll make those shots eventually," he said.
There's precedent for such instant-impact on this team. They're two completely different players, but take the case of Ques Glover. He went to Charleston having missed nine of his first 10 field-goal attempts as a Gator. There had been days the past couple months, however, when Glover, with his electrifying quickness, had eye-popping moments at UF practices. It may not have shown up early, but it was bound to eventually.
With Mann down, Glover got more minutes at the Classic and responded by averaging 8.6 points and hitting 11 of 16 field-goal attempts in backup duty.
Mann figures to have games like that — and then some.
"I think it'll be easy to plug him back in," sophomore point guard Andrew Nembhard said. "He can do a lot of things on the court. I think he just needs to come back, get his confidence back, get his juice back, and he'll be fine."
Maybe even better than fine. Mann has flashed moments in practice where everyone in the gym thought he was unconscious; in a different way than at UConn, obviously. His time will come.
Like White said, it's a matter of when and how.
"I know what I'm capable of. My coaches and my teammates know as well. Now, it's a matter of me going out there and doing it," he said. "The first couple games, I was just kind of feeling my way through it. I know now that in those couple losses we had, if I'd done what I'm supposed to do as a scorer for this team — even just six or eight points — we win those games. When we lost, we needed offense. Now our offense is falling together and I need to just go out there and play my game within the flow. I know what I can do."
