Gators Hit Practice Court For Real Friday

Mike White, here giving pointers to freshman guard Ques Glover during a summer workout, will roll the ball out for the first official fall practice Friday for a team expected to debut in the preseason top 10.

Gators Hit Practice Court For Real Friday

Friday, September 27, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Andrew Nembhard returned to school just last week, having missed nearly a month of the fall semester. Florida's sophomore point guard had an excused absence, though. He was playing for his native Canada in the FIBA World Cup in China.

Once back on campus, it wasn't long before Nembhard, one of the unquestioned leaders on the Gators squad, was shooting, drilling and playing pickup with his UF teammates again as they inched closer to 2019-20 fall practice. Nembhard, who started every game as a freshman last season and finished fifth in the Southeastern Conference in assists, may have been gone a while, but he was well aware of the buzz emanating from the hoops complex about this talented group of Gators.

Once back in the fray, he was reminded why.

"We're all very excited about the potential of the team, but obviously it's just that — potential," said Nembhard, whose imprint will be all over the Gators when they open practice Friday afternoon. "We have to maximize everything about this year as best we can, and that starts with practice. I'm excited to get started and get working toward it all."

Up to now, floor time for players with the coaching staff has been limited to four hours per week during the offseason. Sometimes they went an hour here and there, with an occasional two-hour session in the run-up to the season. Starting Friday, it'll be two-plus-hour workouts, five times per week over the preseason, the totality of which will hit the five freshmen like something heavier than a ton of bricked shots.

"It's going to be a rude awakening for some of these guys," said UF coach Mike White, whose squad is expected to debut in the top 10 of the preseason national rankings next month. "How quickly they can adjust to the level of intensity and fatigue, the level of competition, will be a big factor in how they develop."

White, in fact, was told by sophomore shooting guard Noah Locke that some of the new guys have been chatting in the locker room of late how the work, so far, had not been as bad as they were led to believe by the upperclassmen.

Of course not. Half-practices of mostly non-contact drills usually aren't.

Just some dudes ballin'.#GatorsHoop pic.twitter.com/4vI8gigLHO
— Florida Gators Men's Basketball (@GatorsMBK) September 23, 2019

It'll be up to Nembhard and graduate-transfer center Kerry Blackshear Jr., the lone "senior" on the team, to set the tone for the younger players, but they'll get help from the voices of Locke and fourth-year junior forward Dontay Bassett. Sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson gives UF just four players back from last season's 20-16 team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The vibe in the building has been outstanding to this point, even with so many first-year players. The performances have been pretty high level at times, as well.

In forward Scottie Lewis and combo guard Tre Mann, the Gators have their first McDonald's All-America freshmen in six years, along with another top-50 prospect in center/forward Omar Payne, who goes 6-foot-10 with a 7-5 wing span. Point guard Ques Glover, 6-11 center Jason Jitoboh, and walk-on guard Alex Klatsky make up the first-year class.

Fourth-year junior center Gorjok Gak, back after sitting out last season following knee surgery, plus a pair of transfers in forward Anthony Duruji (Louisiana Tech) and guard Tyree Appleby, both of whom will sit out this per NCAA rules, round out the roster.

All of them have had their moments thus far in workouts and pickup; some of it highlight-reel stuff.

"The fact that a guy can have a great day, then another guy can have a great day, then a different guy the next, it just means we have guys working and preparing and it's all carrying over," said Lewis, the 6-5, 185-pound do-it-all wing. "We're pushing each other to be great individually, so we can be great collectively."

The pushing (mixed in with some shoving, a bunch of running and a ton of competing) goes next level Friday.