Backup forward Sam Alexis (4), and his sweet jump hook, will return to the floor Friday.
Gators Back at Full Strength For Salukis
Friday, November 22, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sam Alexis took a feed off a drive by Walter Clayton Jr. from the other side of the lane during Thursday's practice at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Alexis gathered, elevated, dunked and let out one of his guttural screams.
"Feeling great," Alexis said about 20 minutes later. "Wasn't even that tired."
Both Alexis, the junior backup forward, and junior reserve guard Denzel Aberdeen sat out Tuesday night's home win against Florida A&M due to illness. The team's depth was clearly impacted by their absence, despite an 84-60 victory. Alexis and Aberdeen are roommates and were dealing with a virus that needed to run its course, with both players returning to practice Thursday afternoon.
Aberdeen wasn't quite as lively as Alexis, but went through the 90-minute workout, with the two expected back on the floor when the 21st-ranked Gators (5-0) take on Southern Illinois (2-2) Friday night at the O'Dome with a chance to match the program's best six-game start of the post-Billy Donovan era.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Alexis, the 6-foot-8 transfer from Tennessee-Chattanooga, has provided not only great front-court depth, but done so in a strikingly efficient way. He's averaging 10.0 points on nearly 61-percent shooting (74 percent from the 2-point area) to go with 5.3 rebounds in just 16.5 minutes per game. He's also blocked five shots, which is tied for second on the team.
Aberdeen, the 6-3 combo who has taken on the biggest role of his three seasons, is at 7.3 points per game and banged four of his 10 attempts from deep while playing 18.5 minutes, mostly on the ball. Aberdeen has scored at least eight points in three of the four games he's played after doing so just four times over the 44 games he played as a freshman and sophomore.
Denzel Aberdeen (11) is shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line and has scored at least eight points in three of the four games he's played.
Minus the two Tuesday, the Gators seemed out of rhythm while trying to spread minutes in a different way – while also implementing recently eligible guard Urban Klavzar into the mix – and the result was a sloppy second half of poor shooting and slow defense that ended in a 38-all draw.
"Trying to play the way we do undermanned is hard. It speaks to how well Sam and Denzel have played. It's been pretty seamless when they get in the game. Without them we weren't as sharp," Coach Todd Golden said. "Getting them back will be important, allow us to play at the pace we want to play and keep our intensity up for a full 40 minutes."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
