Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Media day is one week away. The first official practice is 10 days away. The 2019-20 regular-season opener, when the Florida Gators are all but certain to be ranked in the Top 10, is seven weeks from today. 

Time to prime, people.
 

The college basketball season is inching closer, with Mike White and his roster-overhauled Gators bandied about as not only a 2020 contender in the Southeastern Conference, but a fashionable pick to make a run for the Final Four. The return of three sophomore starters, led by point guard Andrew Nembhard, plus a five-man freshman class armed with a pair of McDonald's All Americans in forward Scottie Lewis and combo guard Tre Mann, and the late-spring addition of graduate transfer and All-Atlantic Coast Conference center Kerry Blackshear Jr. will have Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center jumping from the get-go. 

How the most talented UF roster since Billy Donovan's last Final Four team in 2013-2014 handles its sky-high expectations will be on ongoing storyline throughout the season. The purpose of this preseason primer is to put context to those expectations, player by player, based on observations and intel from a handful practices, individual instruction drills and pickup games. 

Since full-squad offseason workouts began with the start of the summer "B" semester, there has been an altogether different vibe during the limited practices, with 70 or 80 percent of the time dedicated to defensive principals. The team has been attentive, seemingly focused on the right things, and falling in line with the culture shift White went looking for after five players from last year's team left via the transfer portal (one at midseason, four after the season). 

White's fifth UF team won't just look different, it figures to play differently. Getting all these gifted players to gel is a process that is on-going and will be taken up a notch with the official start of practice Sept. 27.

Mark it down: Nov. 5.

That's opening night against North Florida.

It'll be here before you know it. 


GODSEND — Kerry Blackshear Jr. 



There's just no way to overstate the significance of the arrival of Blackshear, by way of Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-10, 232-pound post man represents the most all-around polished and productive "big" to put on a Florida uniform since (take your pick) Al Horford or Joakim Noah. A fifth-year senior who has played in more than 100 games at an ACC school is supposed to be savvy, but Blackshear, the team's lone senior, exudes a maturity, on and off the floor, beyond his 22 years. Basketball-wise, he is a threat to score from all three levels (14.9 ppg on 50.8-percent shooting from the floor). The Gators to run offense through him from the high post. Noteworthy: Given what Blackshear has shown so far, he might be the team's third-best 3-point shooter. Blackshear also is a terrific rebounder (7.5 per game), passer (83 assists last season ranked fifth nationally for players 6-10 or taller), and not only will be an ideal traffic cop on defense, but knows how to stay out of foul trouble (30.1 minutes per game at Tech last season). He's already garnering buzz among national college hoops media as a frontrunner for SEC Player of the Year. If all this positivity and praise sounds like a lot of pressure to heap on on the guy, don't worry. Blackshear can take it.


STRAW THAT STIRS THE DRINK — Andrew Nembhard 

The above description applies, even though the sophomore point guard — the only player to start all 36 games for the Gators last season — has been absent from the program, basically, for the better part of the last six months. The 6-5 sophomore playmaker, whose 196 assists were the fifth-most in UF history and second-most by a freshman, spent the spring going through the NBA underclassmen process before opting to return to school. This summer, Nembhard made the Canadian national team competing in the FIBA World Cup, matching his skills against international professionals, including NBA players. For Nembhard, those experiences represented once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for a 19-year-old. But imagine the physical and mental toll all of it has taken on him. Nembhard only just returned to school Monday and thus has a lot of catching up to do, both on the floor and with his academics. That said, this is a super-grounded kid who played a team-high 32.9 minutes per game last season on the way to averaging 8.0 points per game, 5.4 assists (fifth in the SEC) and 2.9 rebounds. Offensively, he got better as the season went on, especially with his shot and finishing around the rim. Some of Nembhard's most significant growth, though, came with his leadership and willingness to speak up. With all due respect to Blackshear, this will be Nembhard's team — which is saying something given the amount of time he's been away. It won't take him long to get back into the flow, but here's hoping Nembhard has some time to recharge his battery before going full-bore into what very likely will be his last season of college basketball.


ELITE ATHLETE — Keyontae Johnson  He turned in single-game performances late in the season the likes of which the program had not seen in years from a freshman. Decades, actually. The 6-5 Johnson, who wasn't inserted into the starting lineup until mid-January, averaged 8.1 points and 6.4 rebounds for the season, while probably playing out of position at the power forward spot. To Johnson's credit, he accelerated his maturation (and all-around game) in the SEC and NCAA tournaments when he posted three of his four double-doubles. Johnson scored a career-high 20 points to go with 12 boards against Arkansas in second-round play and became the first UF freshman in 20 years to get a double-double in the SEC Tournament. The next night, against regular-season league champ LSU, he did it again (16 points, 10 rebounds). If Johnson was two or three inches taller, he might just be an NBA lottery pick, but instead he uses his wild athleticism, 41-inch vertical jump and 7-foot wingspan to grab and tip balls, and get the Gators extra possessions. He improved his 3-point shot during his rookie season (35.6 percent) and spent a bunch of time in the offseason honing it more, along with his free-throw shooting (just 64.3 percent). The more opponents have to honor Johnson's outside game, the more dangerous he will become as a hard-driver to the basket — and he's already pretty good at it. 


MOST HERALDED FRESHMAN IN YEARS — Scottie Lewis 

This got a 79/80 from the judges. pic.twitter.com/wrhNdRsir5

— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) March 26, 2019

A case can be made that the last freshman to arrive at Florida with such unanimous national acclaim was Bradley Beal in 2011. Yes, UF had two other McDonald's All-Americans in between Beal come in 2013, but neither Chris Walker nor Kasey Hill, though consensus top-10 prospects, were earmarked for frontline roles and minutes as freshmen. Hill backed up eventual SEC Player of the Year Scottie Wilbekin, while Walker, was not ruled eligible until 22 games into what became a Final Four season.

As for Lewis, the lithe 6-5, 185-pound small forward from Hazlet, N.J., he will be on the floor early and often — very likely in the starting lineup against UNF, and very likely an early entry and lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He is an athlete in Johnson's class (check out the video from the McDonald's slam-dunk event above), who explodes, slashes and excels at finishing at the rim. Lewis averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.5 blocks as a senior last season when he left Ranney School with 1,874 career points. He is a fiery competitor whose motor is always revving at high RPMs, an element too often lacking from the last few UF teams. He's also a lock-down man-to-man defender, with a passion for that end of the floor. Because summer practices involve so much teaching and drilling in the half-court, Lewis' full menu of athletic gifts haven't truly been on display like they will be in full-court situations when his stunning end-to-end speed — as a track standout, he ran a 10.6 in the 100 meters and 21.6 in the 200 (high-jumped 6-6 1/2 too, by the way) — and relentless defensive pressure will be something to behold in the open floor. The reference to Beal, one of just two "one-and-dones" in program history, was for context only, relative to their prep resumes. Beal, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, was a polished offensive player when he arrived; even more so 10 months later when taken with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft. Lewis does not come with a reputation as a dead-eye shooter, but he works on it daily and is committed to his craft. Know this, though: He will guard the opponent's best perimeter player every game, and it will matter greatly to him. 


BEST SHOOTER/COMPETITOR — Noah Locke

In assessing the impact players on the '19-20 roster and how they'll fit into a rotation, make sure to take into consideration how good Locke, the 6-2 shooting guard, was during the best (and healthiest) stretch of his '18-19 freshman season. Locke unseated fifth-year senior Jalen Hudson five games into his collegiate career and stayed there the next 25 games before a sports hernia he battled for the better part of the season took an obvious toll on Locke's effectiveness (he hit double-figure scoring in just one of the last 10 games). Locke still finished second on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg), set a UF freshman record for 3-pointers with 81 — he made seven on his way to a career-high 27 points against Texas A&M — and finished second on the team in percentage from distance at 37.9. Locke used the offseason to allow the pain in his hip and groin to mend, but still reported for summer "B" in phenomenal shape (leaner, more toned) and dominated the group conditioning sessions. The work should make him a better defender as a sophomore. This is one tough, confident and prideful player — and still the best shooter on the team — who has every intention of holding on to his starting spot, which should make the practice battles at the two-guard position (read on) something to see.
 

BUCKET-GETTER — Tre Mann  He's the first home-grown (as in Gainesville-bred) McDonald's All American, but after growing up in town the 6-4 combo guard played his prep ball at The Villages in Sumter County, where he averaged nearly 24 points and five rebounds, plus 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals a game. Mann is a pure, bona fide scorer, who is just as adept pulling up from NBA 3-point range as he is rocking and beating his man off the dribble for a soft floater or kiss-finish off the glass. He also can run the point, which is significant because UF has not had a true backup playmaker since Hill and Chris Chiozza shared the spot (and ofttimes were on the floor together) during the 2016-17 season. Mann has been both a gym rat and conditioning warrior since checking in for "B" semester, having put on 12 pounds of muscle and frequenting the weight room for voluntary extra work. The results have been some explosive scoring displays during practices. He and Locke figure to vie for the bulk of the two-guard minutes, but there will times (plenty of them) when UF's two best shooters are on the floor together, as the "2" and "3" spots in the offense basically are interchangeable. Throw Blackshear out there with them and the spacing possibilities are intriguing.


DIRTY WORK GUY — Dontay Bassett He was signed as a so-called "culture guy" who would grow and develop within the program, give great effort in practices, and, eventually, find a role in the rotation and voice in the locker room. Bassett (a.k.a. "Teezy") is now a fourth-year junior and has become that guy. As the primary backup to Kevarrius Hayes last season, Bassett played in all 35 games and averaged 11.3 minutes, 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds. The most physical player on the team last season, Bassett also led the Gators with 14 charges taken, including three in a road win at Georgia. He's an emotional player, good teammate, and this season will have a increased leadership presence, having been tabbed as one of UF's representatives to the SEC Basketball Leadership Council. Bassett is the clear-cut candidate to be the first sub for Blackshear, based on his experience alone, and is equally at home at either the "4" or "5" spots.


"BIG" QUESTION MARK — Gorjok Gak  

"Is he still on the team?" you might ask. Yes, the 6-11, fourth-year junior is still very much around after sitting out the '18-19 season following knee surgery last summer. Gak, the Australian by way of Bradenton (Fla.) Victory Rock Prep, has had a rough go of it the last couple years, since flashing some promising minutes in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. To review, Gak was selected to represent Australia in the World University Games that summer, hurt his knee during competition, then tried to play through it during the '17-18 UF campaign when he averaged just 8.9 minutes 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds over 29 games. Gak underwent surgery following the season and the plan was to be full-go by the fall, but his recovery took longer than expected, lasting well into the season, and impacted his conditioning. After gaining close to 30 pounds, Gak took a medical redshirt season, rehabbed, lost the weight (all of it) and was cleared for full-go activities early in the summer. He still gets a day off here and there for minor swelling, but he's moving and running as well as anytime during his UF career, and all the while has maintained a positive, upbeat attitude. Just what it all means for a post rotation that knows what it's getting with Blackshear and Bassett will be determined in time.


ROOKIE POST DEPTH — Omar Payne

Blackshear, Bassett, Gak and now Payne. That's four true post men to work with this season, but, again, just how and where the minutes are distributed — besides Blackshear's 30 or so — remains to be seen. Payne is a 6-10, 223-pounder out of Montverde (Fla.) Academy, where he was a consensus top-50 national prospect after transferring from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola High. Offensively, he's fairly raw, but his ridiculous 7-5 1/2-foot wingspan allows Payne to do some things around the basket that will make you go "Whoa!" Like throwing down some highlight-reel dunks on offense (sometimes several feet from the basket) and as a not-in-my-office rim-protector on defense. He's already a good defender in the post and could be a terror with weak-side help. Note: In 2017, Payne helped guide Osceola to the Class 9A state title by posting the kind of double-double not normally seen: 10 points, 10 blocked shots. The coaches would like to see Payne's motor get going a bit more consistently, especially on the offensive glass, but if he can be patient and learn on the fly there are big things for this young big man down the line. Really big things.


BONUS POINT GUARD— Ques Glover 

It was mentioned a few sections above that UF had not had a true backup point guard the last two seasons. Well, they'll have two this season. When Glover, a 5-11, 176-pounder, led Knoxville (Tenn.) Bearden High to the TSSAA Class 3A state championship last spring, he did so by scoring 24 points against powerhouse Memphis East and 7-1 center James Wiseman, the nation's top-ranked prospect headed to play for Memphis U and Penny Hardaway. At the time, Glover was being recruited by a scattershot of mid- to low-majors, but Florida liked the compact and athletic package they saw live in Bearden's tournament run — speed, scoring, moxie — and Glover jumped at the Gators' offer. Veteran UF basketball watchers will be reminded of former point guard Eddie Shannon (1995-99), but Glover is in better physical shape than Shannon was as a freshman (sorry, Eddie). Initially, the thought of red-shirting Glover seemed logical, but he's shown to be further along than maybe the Florida staff even thought on both ends. He'll be an asset against smaller, faster SEC guards (remember Auburn's Jared Harper, LSU's Tremont Waters and Mississippi State's Lamar Peters?) who gave the Gators fits last season. Glover is not Erving Walker (not that explosive), but he may end up being a viable weapon against full-court pressure with his ability to attack it (or blow by it) differently than either Nembhard or Mann.


SCOUT TEAM STANDOUTS — Anthony Duruji and Tyree Appleby 

Duruji is a 6-7, 215-pound small forward who transferred to UF in the spring from Louisiana Tech. Appleby is 6-1, 163-pound score-first point guard who transferred here in the summer from Cleveland State. Both were productive mid-major sophomores and arguably the best players on their respective teams. Per NCAA transfer rules, they will sit out the '19-20 season and spend it getting indoctrinated into the Florida program, lifting weights and honing their individual games. Were they not required to sit out this season, both players would be in blood-bath battles for playing time, but because they do have to sit White and his staff have two less headaches when it comes to finding minutes for good players. Duruji and Appleby, in turn, will do their part getting their teammates ready by providing realistic looks and tough daily competition on the scout team. Check back in a year for their progress reports.


MASSIVE PROJECT — Jason Jitoboh 
 

At 6-11 1/2 and 323 pounds, Jitoboh might be the biggest athlete ever to set foot on the Florida campus. The UF staff, though, didn't want him that big and the remodeling project has begun. Jitoboh is already down 15 pounds and making headway in what everyone expects to be a developmental redshirt year. The Gators do not need another young big to play right now — Can you believe that statement, given what's gone on around here the last couple years? — so Jitoboh, a Nigerian who averaged 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds at Chattanooga (Tenn.) Hamilton Heights, can focus on his conditioning and skill work while lining up with Duruji and Appleby every day on the scout team. He has decent hands and feel around the basket, but just needs to practice more and play against good players.


TRUE WALK-ON — Alex Klatsky 

The last two seasons, when the Gators were in need of practice bodies due to injuries, they promoted a couple managers in the roles as walk-on players. Klatsky, a 6-3 shooting guard, was a four-year starter alongside Lewis at Ranney School (and at their middle school before that), is the son of a coach and had scholarship offers from D-1 programs like Seton Hall, Niagara, Eastern Kentucky and Colgate. He turned them down to play at the school where his dad got a master's degree. Klatsky served as class president all four years of high school, wants to study engineering, and will be an asset on a scout team already armed with Duruji, Appleby and Jitoboh.