An Optimistic Post About UF Basketball

InstiGATOR1

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Well I have posted plenty of negative posts in basketball threads with the start of this season, but I have found a straw to grasp. Perhaps this team can be like the 2010-11 Gators who eventually earned a 2 seed (and maybe should have been a 1 seed) and were robbed in the round of 8 against Butler.

That team lost early big to Ohio State who shredded UF's press. Then that team also lost in Orlando to UCF in a terrible performance and to JU at home. That team also lost AT HOME to a bad SoCar team in their 3rd SEC game..

But from that game on that team turned it around winning tough road games and going 11-2 the rest of the SEC season to finish 13-3 in the conference. So maybe, just maybe, UF will turn it around this year and have something like a 12-4 SEC record to be the team we hoped this group could be just a few short weeks ago.

It will take some players playing smarter. It will take the bigs playing harder. But it has been done in the past and maybe these guys will get tired of playing poorly and start playing harder and smarter.
 

Jbossgator8

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Just have to get hot and make shots. We have already seen them play at a very high level but you knew they would come down to earth after averaging 100 points a game. They just have to gel and figure out how to play defense. Still alot of season left. Go Gators!!
 

Durty South Swamp

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The difference with that group and this one was that the coach didn't need to be way better at coaching. This one does.
 

ChiefGator

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Maybe when two big men who are hurt return they will stop all that inside offense that others run on us and rebound much better. That will help a lot.
 

MidwestChomp

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This is a simple task. We just have to play better. :rolleyes3::scratchhead:
 

-THE DUDE-

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This is a team that when hitting shots can beat anyone in the country...and also goes into cold spells that can lose to anyone. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. After watching us in the 5 game win streak to open i got the feeling this team was way to over confident in their shooting ability and started taking some bad shots instead of spreading the ball around and getting better open looks. Now i get the feeling they are a team that has their confidence shook a bit and it's perpetuating the cold shooting. They need to get back to quick ball movement and working for better shots...oh and need a total transformation on the defensive end because they are terrible.
 

STUNZEED

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I'm ready for White to go. Guy keeps proving he can't make in game adjustments. Relying on a team to "make" shots to win is a recipe for disaster.
 

FireFoley

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I'm ready for White to go. Guy keeps proving he can't make in game adjustments. Relying on a team to "make" shots to win is a recipe for disaster.

I understand your frustration and agree with you to a point, however I am not in the "get rid of Mike camp" yet. Although I agree that Mike is slow to adjust and has shown very little in devising any remnant of a half court offense. But I think his guys play very hard for him (although not smartly too often), and playing hard is a good part of the battle. The "make shots" mantra is all to familiar with this fan base and the easy excuse when the team looks as it does now. I used to hear it when Billy was the coach when they would lose after shooting a ton of 3's and a low %. The key is the process and what type of quality looks are you getting. Sure there will be off shooting games for various reasons, but the big difference maker is finding ways to win against quality opponents when you shoot poorly or get D'ed up. So far this year they have scratched out wins against bad UNH and JMU teams and got slapped by Clemmy, FSU and Loyala teams that had a bit of talent. Draining 3's hides unbelievable weaknesses and those weaknesses are so easily exposed when those 3's are missing and you have no other way to generate offense. I understand that outscoring the opponent is the objective, but unless you can beat good teams without having to shoot lights out, the season will not end well.
 

InstiGATOR1

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The difference with that group and this one was that the coach didn't need to be way better at coaching. This one does.

That coach at the time despite having won two NCAA tourneys was still:

1. Putting UF at a disadvantage play one particularly undersized player.

2. Was terrible at the end of the half or end of the game with UF often having a tiny player forced to back up to 30 feet to try to get off a contested 3.

Just like the rest of us all coaches can get better. White has made some adjustments as the UF coach like:

A. turning around UF's FT shooting.

B. giving up on his awful zone press that was just a sieve. His man press was not as bad.

I do not like the lineups White has been playing this year as they indicate too much guard love. My bigger concern is his recruiting this year when he has the greatest advantage since he has gotten to UF after the tourney run. White has signed 3 guards all of who may be SGs. Maybe he can play 5 next year.
 
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InstiGATOR1

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Maybe when two big men who are hurt return they will stop all that inside offense that others run on us and rebound much better. That will help a lot.

UF does not have two bigs hurt. UF has Egbunu hurt. Sure Johnson has had a concussion and has been slow to come back from it. Sure Stokes is coming back from a knee injury. UF was probably not counting on either true frosh this year. It would have been great if one was able to contribute this year, but UF does not count on true frosh.

So maybe when/if Egbunu is ready White will give up on the 3 guards and a short wing lineup (I was very happy he moved away from it some last night), but maybe not. Also Egbunu was a shell of himself offensively and particularly shooting after hurting his thumb late in 2015. That does not make me optimistic that a year after an ACL injury that he is a candidate to bounce back quickly or fully, but then again maybe his thumb and offensive ability will be back?
 
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Egor's Assistant

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I'm still firmly on board the Mike White train. It's a fun style of play that has it's limitations. We're clearly out manned at the 4 and 5 spot. Can't have Egor guarding the 4 and expect to win. Turnover machine, Gak, isn't skilled enough to get the job done. Hopefully, OP is correct, we gel later on in the season and make another glorious run in the Tourney. Give em time to get healthy.
 

ChiefGator

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UF does not have two bigs hurt. UF has Egbunu hurt. Sure Johnson has had a concussion and has been slow to come back from it. Sure Stokes is coming back from a knee injury. UF was probably not counting on either true frosh this year. It would have been great if one was able to contribute this year, but UF does not count on true frosh.

So maybe when/if Egbunu is ready White will give up on the 3 guards and a short wing lineup (I was very happy he moved away from it some last night), but maybe not. Also Egbunu was a shell of himself offensively and particularly shooting after hurting his thumb late in 2015. That does not make me optimistic that a year after an ACL injury that he is a candidate to bounce back quickly or fully, but then again maybe his thumb and offensive ability will be back?


http://www.gainesville.com/sports/20170626/uf-basketball-players-on-mend

It said two big men, sure one is a freshman, I seem to remember contributions from freshmen in the past and this team as well. If he can play like say wilt with little offense other than dunks and a lot of defense that would be an improvement. He might improve others by reducing the number of minutes that they play.

I sure hope they improve since their performance has been a disappointment to me.
 

LeeForThree

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http://www.gainesville.com/sports/20170626/uf-basketball-players-on-mend

It said two big men, sure one is a freshman, I seem to remember contributions from freshmen in the past and this team as well. If he can play like say wilt with little offense other than dunks and a lot of defense that would be an improvement. He might improve others by reducing the number of minutes that they play.

I sure hope they improve since their performance has been a disappointment to me.
We have 3 bigs out. All of which would have started (Egbunu) or competed for a starting job (F- Johnson and Stokes). Stokes looks like he may be the first back as he is participating in some drills and warmups. Out of the 3, Stokes may provide the best offensive impact and Egbunu will help on the boards and defensively. Johnson is a high motor high IQ guy who may medically redshirt due to mysteriously having a 2nd concussion, the flu, and I guess possibly mono. At this moment all 3 would be ahead of our current bigs if they had been healthy all year (imo). We are missing a lot of depth and talent that's for sure.

Even though Stokes may be back first, he may redshirt as well do to weight concerns coming off of football and then injuring his knee. Hasn't had much conditioning to get back into shape. With our current big man play I think he will play regardless though.

Missing all 3 has put us at a major disadvantage this season, however, I think we should be doing better than we are given the rest of our team/talent
 

t-gator

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That team had a really nice front court. We don't. When the ball is in the paint, the other team has an easy basket. I like coach and I have confidence that he will eventually recruit better bigs. I think he's learning you have to have some good big men to compete with the big boys. He's already made some adjustments to his coaching style. I think he'll be fine. The biggest downfall here is thr failure to land some bigmen. Stokes, johnson, Gak, Hayes and Basset are not high major big men imo. Have to upgrade there this off season.
 

Egor's Assistant

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He's already made some adjustments to his coaching style. I think he'll be fine. The biggest downfall here is thr failure to land some bigmen. Stokes, johnson, Gak, Hayes and Basset are not high major big men imo. Have to upgrade there this off season.

How can you say that about Stokes? The kid is a monster teenager whose older brother is an NBA star. Hayes would be an excellent four and hustle player off the bench. Jury's still out on Johnson and Basset. Have you seen our empty stadium on TV? We ain't landing elite players like Kentucky, and we never will.
 

InstiGATOR1

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How can you say that about Stokes? The kid is a monster teenager whose older brother is an NBA star. Hayes would be an excellent four and hustle player off the bench. Jury's still out on Johnson and Basset. Have you seen our empty stadium on TV? We ain't landing elite players like Kentucky, and we never will.

Yeah his older brother plays for the Bulls:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarnell_Stokes

And again Isaiah Stokes is a true frosh.
 

t-gator

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How can you say that about Stokes? The kid is a monster teenager whose older brother is an NBA star. Hayes would be an excellent four and hustle player off the bench. Jury's still out on Johnson and Basset. Have you seen our empty stadium on TV? We ain't landing elite players like Kentucky, and we never will.

Stokes is definitely not his brother. And he's definitely not a hustle player.
 

LeeForThree

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Stokes is definitely not his brother. And he's definitely not a hustle player.
He is bigger and more skilled on the offensive end. Haven't seen a big with his skill set and size in a while. If he can learn to use his size he could be star....Bonzie Colson type but better offensively and less athletic is a comparison
 

InstiGATOR1

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He is bigger and more skilled on the offensive end. Haven't seen a big with his skill set and size in a while. If he can learn to use his size he could be star....Bonzie Colson type but better offensively and less athletic is a comparison

I personally hope he becomes a player at UF. I was only saying UF was unlikely to have been counting on him for big minutes as a true frosh even before his injury.

As for how he looked in the high school game, I am unsurprised by the report that in a high school game he looked like a high school player. Yes I am sure he needs to get in shape, learn to play smarter etc. That is the description of almost all high school players.
 

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