Guards Kiara Smith, left, and Zippy Broughton huddle with interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley during Thursday night's win over Arkansas at Exactech Arena. (Photo: Jordan McKendrick/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: A Fun Ride For These Gators
Friday, February 18, 2022 | Women's Basketball, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — How far has the UF women's basketball team advanced in the last seven months?
"Really far,'' Gators forward Emanuely de Oliveira said. "I had no idea where we could get. You never know. It's been great and really fun."
She could have said "really, really, really far and really, really, really fun" and not overstate the truth.
More specifically, from a program in disarray in July when interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley took over to one that walked off the court Thursday night clutching its 20th win of the season. The Gators won their fifth consecutive game and 10th in their last 11 with a ho-hum win over visiting Arkansas.
The thought of calling any victory "ho-hum" by this team in recent years was laughable. But not this season, and certainly not on Thursday night. The Gators trailed only once (4-2), but after a jumper by de Oliveira tied it and a 3-pointer by Kiara Smith put UF in front, it was all Orange & Blue.
"I was just really pleased with our effort,'' Finley said. "It's incredible to coach a team that you never have to worry about our effort."
Finley nailed what stands out about this team. The Gators empty their fuel tank every game, and it doesn't matter who is on the floor. The more floor burns the better with this bunch.
Florida played without sophomore forward Jordyn Merritt against Arkansas. The team's third-leading scorer, Merritt watched from the bench. The Gators didn't blink.
Nina Rickards looks to drive past Arkansas defender RyleeLangerman on Thursday night. (Photo: Jordan McKendrick/UAA Communications)
Smith provided her usual output, scoring a team-high 19 points with seven rebounds and five assists. Guard Zippy Broughton contributed 15 points and Nina Rickards added 10. Meanwhile, de Oliveira – or "Manu" to her coaches and teammates – started in place of Merritt and scored 15 points with eight rebounds and four assists. She finished with a game-high +15 on plus/minus chart.
The Gators' climb from disorder to darlings has been fun to watch.
They share the ball. They grind on defense. They lift each other when something goes wrong. Finley always seems to have an encouraging smile from the sideline.
"The same way that you guys see, that's how it is,'' de Oliveira said. "It's been fun. What Kelly always says to us, we got to have fun on the court. That's what we try to do. Yes, we want to win, but the most, we want to have fun."
With the Gators' emergence as one of the best storylines in women's college basketball this season, Finley has started to receive recognition for national coach of the year. Florida is 20-6 overall, 10-3 in the Southeastern Conference. This is the program's first 20-win season in six years, and the quickest the Gators have reached the 20-win mark in 13 years.
Finley was asked after the game if she had spoken with UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin about removing the "interim" tag from her title.
"No. It's not something that is on our radar,'' she said. "With our team, our focus has always been each other. When we talk about our team, we talk about our staff and our student-athletes included as one. We all deserve each other's best effort, with almost like a tunnel vision to serving each other the best we can.
"It's not about me. Never has been and never will be. They play the game. Players make plays. Our job is to put them in the best position to be successful. My hope is that is how they feel. It is really cool [to be mentioned for awards], but it's something that our team has earned. You can't be on a list like that unless you have a team that sacrifices and is really committed to each other."
The approach is working — the record booms from a loudspeaker. The Gators have positioned themselves for their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2016.
They have three regular-season games remaining, including a Sunday trip to No. 11 LSU.
Wherever this is all headed, these Gators have surprised us. They have entertained us. They have made watching them play fun.
"One thing that makes our team unique is our mental approach to the game,'' Finley said. "That's something that's a skill, and we treat it as such."
