Florida's four Division I transfers (from left): Brandon McKissic (Missouri-Kansas City), Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (Charleston Southern), Myreon Jones (Penn State) and CJ Felder (Boston College). The foursome, along with the rest of the Gators 2021-22 squad, will make their public debuts Monday night in an exhibition game against Embry-Riddle.
Gators Set to Unveil ‘Team Transfer’ in Exhibition
Monday, November 1, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It's going to be different. Very different.
For the crowd that files Monday night into Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center, the players suiting up for the Florida basketball team … ... ...
Wait. Full stop.
Was that a reference to an actual crowd at a UF college basketball game? With no space restrictions, social distancing or masks? Yeah, that's different.
OK, now back to that team thing, which is going to be wayyyyyy different.
When public address announcer Tom Collette introduces the starting lineup before Florida faces Division II Embry-Riddle in Monday night's exhibition, he'll pretty much be introducing the Gators in a literal sense. A bunch of these guys are strangers, with three of the five starting spots expected to be occupied by three of the four transfer players who joined the program during the offseason. The fourth of that transfer quartet will get significant playing time as well, as UF raises the curtain on a team that includes seven newcomers — them most under Coach Mike White, now in his seventh season — alongside five returnees who helped the team go 15-10 and advanced to a fourth straight NCAA Tournament.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Look for the starting five to include three fifth-year seniors, plus two true seniors, with another fifth-year senior first off the bench. Of those first half-dozen in the rotation, four will be 23 years old. Some NBA teams can't make that claim.
"We have a unique team," said one of those Year-5 guys and returning starters, forward Anthony Duruji, who took the maturation theme to another level when he got married over the summer. "This is the oldest group I've ever been a part of. It's a lot of good guys who I would say are humble. We have the pieces and we want to max out."
Whether they're the right pieces, of course, is something that will play itself out as the games come (the 2021-22 opener is Nov. 9 against Elon) and roles are defined.
"Our chemistry is great right now, but that's usually how it is before we start playing against other teams and the coach starts to say who's starting and 'this is how much I want you to play, these are the scorers, these are the rebounders and this is what I want you to do.' That's really when the chemistry starts to shake," said fifth-year senior guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr., who scored 1,510 points and was two-time Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Year over his four seasons at Charleston Southern. "If we can stay on pace with our chemistry we'll be good. I think that also goes into us being an older team."
Transfer guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. posted 30 games with at least 20 points and seven of at least 30 points during his four seasons at Charleston Southern. He's one of two players in that program's history to accumulate at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocked shots in their Buccaneers career.
With regard to those roles, specifically the starters, look for the first unit to feature 6-foot-11 Colin Castleton, a second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection last season, alongside Duruji in the front court. If last week's closed scrimmage against North Carolina was an indication, Castleton and Duruji will be joined by the three-guard look of Fleming, Missouri-Kansas City transfer Brandon McKissic (1,000-point scorer and 2021 Summit League Defensive Player of the Year) and Penn State transfer Myreon Jones (two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten and the team's best 3-point shooter) getting the first crack at point guard.
Fifth-year senior guard Tyree Appleby, who averaged 11.3 points and started 17 games for the Gators last season, and Boston College transfer forward CJ Felder will be the first players off the bench, with junior center Jason Jitoboh, sophomore guard Niels Lane, as well as a pair of freshmen in wing Kowacie Reeves and guard Elijah Kennedy perhaps sprinkled into the mix.
How the minutes are distributed could tip the chemistry scales. That's been the case the last few years and the team's culture (on and of the court) suffered for it.
Will a team of older guys who say they're focus on the bigger picture — winning — keep the Gators on their chosen path?
"That'll be easier for me to answer in 10 games or so," White said.
For now, the Florida coach believes this might be the best all-around passing team in his seven Florida seasons, and possibly the best defensive one as well. These Gators are not blessed with great shooters, but they have shown an element of competitiveness in their offseason and preseason practices that has brought a different daily vibe to the gym than in recent years.
"The biggest thing is really just leaving your egos at the door. That's what we've been doing so far," said Jones, who averaged 15.3 points and shot better than 39 percent from distance last season with the Nittany Lions. "During the season, when the big lights come on with all the fans and cameras and stuff, that can really change a team."
