Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In their selling points to recruits, it's not a fact Gators women's basketball coach Cam Newbauer and his staff underscore like palm trees, abundant Florida sunshine or the team's Jordan Brand connection. In reality, it's part of the program's history Newbauer seeks to change.

The detail is revealed on a wall outside the weight room in the south end zone of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, an area prospective student-athletes are shown on their official visits to campus. Plaques on the wall list the conference championships won by each of Florida's 21 athletic programs. Women's basketball is the only program without a conference title.

If that might scare off some players, freshman guard Lavender Briggs took perhaps her biggest shot.

"She kind of stopped and paused by it,'' Gators associate head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. "Didn't think much of it. Two days later, she called. 'I want to come to Florida. I looked at that. I know I can help us be great.' I remember it like yesterday."

June Briggs was with her daughter during the visit, making the trip from their home in Provo, Utah. For much of the time through the late stages of the recruiting process, June assumed Lavender was headed to Syracuse. She noticed Lavander's mood change after spending time with Newbauer, Finley and others associated with the Gators.

When they returned to Utah, Lavender still had Florida on her mind. That plaque on the wall inspired her. June understood.

"She kind of gets that from me,'' she said. "I'm a go-getter and that personality. If I'm faced with a challenge, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get it done right and get it done fast."
 
June Briggs grew up in New York and started at center on her high school team. Once she had kids and Lavender took an interest in the sport, she became her daughter's coach. When the family moved from New York to Utah, Lavender was 7 and began playing on youth league teams and putting on a show for those in the bleachers.

Lavender was too talented to play against girls her own age, so she inevitably moved up a class or two for more of a challenge. Still, nothing stopped her from taking over games after the opening tip. She was such a talented athlete that she twice advanced to the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick National Finals, first in 2011 in the 8-9 girls age group and again in 2013 in the 10-11 age group.

Once she hit high school, others began to notice the girl with the long hair and pull-up jumper.

Former NBA player Keith Van Horn, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1997 draft and a college star at the University of Utah, now runs the Colorado Premier Basketball Club, a non-profit youth basketball program in the Denver area that stretches into Utah.

Briggs joined the program as a freshman in high school and was on a summer team Van Horn coached over the next four years. Realizing he had a player worthy of a future scholarship, Van Horn contacted Finley soon after he began coaching Briggs to let her know he had a player to keep on the radar.

"She has a really natural feel for the game, especially on the offensive end. I think she's always had a good understanding of pace and rhythm,'' Van Horn said. "Some of those things you can't really teach. It's often innate in really good players."

By the time Briggs was a senior at Provo High, she was a well-known commodity for readers of the local sports pages. Briggs had many memorable moments, first in two seasons at Mountain View High and then her final two at Provo High.

The performance that made the most headlines happened in January 2019 in Provo's win over Timpanogos High. Briggs scored 53 points, setting Utah's single-game record for a high school girl.

Not that the historic scoring outburst surprised Provo head coach Amanda Barker, a former player at BYU who took over the Bulldogs in 2017 prior to Briggs' junior season. Barker's daughter, Charlee, is a year younger than Briggs and a former Provo teammate.

As the two became friends, Briggs became a regular at the basketball goal in the driveway outside the Barkers' home. She came over often, armed with a basketball and her portable stereo to shoot baskets for hours. Barker's only rule was for her to keep the music at a volume that didn't disturb the neighbors.

"She loved the game. She loved getting better,'' Barker said. "Her skill level was incredible. Always has been."

Not only did Briggs strive to excel individually, she worked to become a better teammate once she got to Provo. She averaged 32.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game her senior season, able to take over any game if she chose.

However, with help from Barker, Briggs began to understand she couldn't do it alone every game, every night. Part of being a great player is to elevate the play of others. Over time, her teammates benefited and the Bulldogs advanced to the state playoffs in her two seasons as the center of attention.

"She expected them to show up and compete,'' Barker said. "She made them better."

Since arriving at Florida, a similar story has begun to unfold. The 18-year-old Briggs joined a program coming off an 8-23 season as the most promising recruit during Newbauer's three-season tenure. Florida enters Sunday's home game against Georgia already with four more wins than a season ago and Briggs is averaging a team-high 14.1 points, the only freshman at a Power 5 school ranked in the top 10 in her conference in scoring. Briggs ranks eighth in the Southeastern Conference in scoring and has reached double figures in 19 of 21 games, averaging the most points by a UF freshman since Merlakia Jones (15.4) 28 years ago.

While she acknowledges the transition to the college game has been an eye opener on some levels, her background built her for this stage. Briggs grew up with four older brothers and in a family in love with the game as much as she is. Her brother Darrian is perhaps her biggest fan and toughest critic. They talk before and after nearly every game to break down her performance.

"I'd play against my brothers. They'd be bigger and stronger, but it was still fun,'' Briggs said. "We used to go to the rec and play against guys. I've always played with guys and used the men's ball. When I used to watch basketball, I'd be like, 'why do girls not pull-up?' I feel like a lot of them do not have a pull-up game. I always knew that is going to be a strength of mine, to pull-up off the dribble."

Added June: "She's had a lot of different coaches throughout her life."

Equipped with a potent mid-range game, a soft touch from beyond the arc and the athleticism to create her own shot, Briggs generates mismatches for opposing defenses. She hit the biggest shot of her young career on Sunday in Florida's road win at No. 13 Kentucky, the Gators' first win over a ranked opponent since 2016.

With Florida trailing 53-51 late in the second half, Briggs hit a 3-pointer right in front of the Gators' bench. The shot ignited a 19-9 run to close out Florida's 70-62 victory. Briggs scored 18 points after halftime and has been as advertised in Newbauer's view.

"Just a fierce competitor who wants to be great,'' Newbauer said. "Lav came here because she wanted to impact our program and help us win games. For her to do what she's done in her freshman year is special. She is just at the start. She is still learning every day how to get better. She's a humble and hungry individual. That's why she came here. She knew it wasn't going to be easy."
 
In talking to those who know Briggs best, they say the adjustment to the college game hasn't changed her approach. Sure, the game is faster, the defensive pressure more intense, the preparation more extensive, but Briggs' ability continues to shine through.

Van Horn watched as Briggs grew her game each summer in his program, which led to that call to Finley, whom he knew from various camps over the years. What she is doing with the Gators is what he expected.

"She had some of the intangibles that you can't teach, but then at the same time, you see she really loves the game and it means a lot to her,'' he said. "She puts in the extra effort and the work to become a great player. She really, really improved on the defensive end and also with her finishing and passing. It was great to see her development."

Finley is glad he called. Equally important, she is glad Briggs' competitive spirit growled when she saw that plaque on her official visit.

"There is no doubt she's a great basketball player, really gifted and special in a lot of ways,'' Finley said. "I think for us her mentality is what sets her apart. Her coachability, her desire to be great, she is probably the hardest on herself by far. She doesn't make excuses for herself or for anybody else, and that's really a gift."

Once she committed to the Gators, Briggs told a Utah newspaper that part of the reason she chose Florida was because she wanted to be part of the story when the Gators win that elusive conference title.

Whether or when that happens belongs to the future, but so far, Briggs is doing her part in the present.

"I knew the first season was going to be tough because to change a program and the mentality, it doesn't just change in an instant,'' she said. "But I felt like we could make an impact and maybe put our name out there. I feel like we're doing that."