Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The last time Mike White was with his Florida basketball team, he was standing six feet away from the closest person (of course) and putting the lid on a season that never would have closure. By day's end, the UF basketball facility was closed and team members were packing for what has now turned into a hiatus closing in on five months. 

Much has changed since; with the world, obviously, but also with the team. Most notably, the defection of junior point guard Andrew Nembhard, who after entering the NBA's underclassmen evaluation process opted to pull his name and chose to transfer to Gonzaga. The loss of both Nembhard, who started all 65 games during his two seasons and last year ranked third on the team in scoring, and fifth-year grad-transfer center Kerry Blackshear Jr., the team's No. 2 scorer and top rebounder, left two holes in the lineup, but also some intriguing (and different) possibilities for the 2020-21 season. 

Assuming there is one, of course. 

"I've been on Zooms with these guys a hundred times," White said Wednesday during yet another Zoom call, this one with media outlets that represented his first such availability since the COVID-19 shutout. "I think we're all a little Zoomed out." 

White could have been speaking on behalf of, well, the world, but in this instance he was referencing his team. Fortunately for the Gators, players are set to return to campus later this week and enter the "Screen. Test. Protect." program that several other sports, including football, have been in for several weeks. 

If all goes as planned (and if medically cleared), UF basketball players will be on the floor — one per goal — for individual shooting drills (first with managers, eventually with coaches), and on a strength-and-conditioning schedule by Aug. 3. 

As for the actual basketball element for the '20-21 Gators, White said his squad of three returning starters (seven rotation players, all told), two eligible transfers (perhaps three), and a three-member signing class has the potential to make up the most athletic roster of his six seasons since taking over for Billy Donovan in 2015. 

And the fastest. 

"Playing fast is really in my DNA. It's what I want to do. It's what our guys want to do. I know it's what our fans want to see," said White, whose team went 19-12 last season and was a lock for a fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth before the coronavirus pandemic halted everything. "At the end of the day, you've got to do the best with what you've got. We've been able to attract some really good players here that have all been a little bit different. Going into this season, I feel like, for the first time in a while, we'll have a high level of speed, quickness, and athleticism from our whole roster, and I think we'll be very deep. We look forward to playing fast, pressing, and just playing to our strengths."

The last two UF teams have ranked near the bottom nationally in tempo, according to KenPom.com advanced metrics, but the decision by Nembhard — whose game was more conducive to pace vs. breakneck speed — to take his game elsewhere opens up some possibilities for the Gators. Also, some uncertainty.   Fourth-year junior Tyree Appleby, who sat out last season after transferring following two seasons at Cleveland State, figures to compete with both sophomore and Tre Mann, who toyed with the NBA underclassmen process this offseason, along with sophomore Ques Glover at the floor general spot. 

Appleby averaged 17.2 points and 5.6 assists, plus shot 38.9 percent from the 3-point line as a sophomore in the Horizon League two years ago. Mann, the former McDonald's All-American who tweeted Tuesday that he is now 6-foot-6, began his freshman season by starting the first four games, but suffered a concussion and really didn't find his confidence until late-February and into March on his way to scoring 5.3 points and taking limited possessions on the ball. The undersized Glover had some nice scoring moments as a freshman, but needs to shore up his ball skills and decision making (19 assists, 40 turnovers). 

Whoever is playing the point, he'll be stepping into a spot that Nembhard, a member of Team Canada, occupied with aplomb the last two seasons in starting all 65 games, dishing 377 assists to just 155 turnovers, and last year averaging 11.2 points (44.1 percent overall, 30.8 from 3) while attempting more shots than all his teammates except first-team All-Southeastern Conference forward Keyontae Johnson. 

White was not asked about Nembhard's decision to leave during the 30-minute Zoom call, but did address it with WRUF's "Sports Scene" host Steve Russell later in the day. White said the coaches knew from their first offseason Zoom conversation with Nembhard that he would either remain in the draft or elect to transfer. 

"He was a pleasure to coach. Extremely tough, extremely intelligent. … I thought he was on the verge of becoming an all-league guard and would have an argument to be an all-league guard this season," White said of Nembhard on the air. "All that being said, yeah, we'll be a little different at that position with our personnel. Andrew was terrific. We wish him the best and wish he's as successful as he can possibly be. We'll be pulling for him. Now at the point, we'll be very, very fast. We'll be deep and talented, but not as proven. Not as experienced. I think there will be times when we'll look really good at that spot and times that we'll probably need to be patient at that spot."

The loss of Blackshear, the grad-transfer from Virginia Tech, also leaves a sizable void in the front court. Nembhard may have occupied the ball more than any other Gator, but the offense went through Blackshear, a true half-court "big."

Now, the team will have to lean on less-seasoned low-post options, starting with returning 6-10 sophomore Omar Payne (3.8 points, 3.6 rebounds) and 6-11 sophomore Jason Jitoboh (1.2 points, 1.7 rebounds), plus the additions of 6-7 Louisiana Tech transfer Anthony Duruji (12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds in Conference USA two seasons ago) and 6-8 junior-college transfer Osayi Osifo. Michigan transfer Colin Castleton, a 6-11, 235-pounder from Deland, Florida, could also be in the mix, if his petition waiver for immediate eligibility is granted by the NCAA.  With the exception of Jitoboh, who was over 290 pounds toward season's end, those are some long and quick-twitch front court guys, who paired with perimeter components like Johnson, Scottie Lewis, Noah Locke, and incoming freshmen Samson Ruzhentsev and Niels Lane definitely will provide the Gators the pieces to play a more frenetic, wide-open full-court type of game. Now, there just needs to be basketball.

First things. Get 'em back on campus. 

That starts this weekend. 

"I'm [committed] to press more. We're going to do that, especially early on and evaluate from there," White said. "From the first workout, we're going to start with the mindset that this is going to be a pressing team."