An offseason basketball thread

[BMF]

Report: Florida hoops big man John Egbunu will not return from ACL injury until January

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/...ohn-egbunu-will-not-return-acl-injury-january

Florida’s John Egbunu reportedly will not be ready for the beginning of the basketball season.


According to a report from Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports, Gators coach Mike White says Egbunu will be out of action until at least January as part of recovery from left knee surgery. Egbunu was injured in February and missed the remainder of the Gators 2016-17 basketball season, which included a run to the Elite 8.

The 6-11 center from Nigeria was averaging 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Gators prior to going down with the ACL injury.

While it’s disappointing Florida will not have him to begin the regular season, Gators fans still should be encouraged by the prospects of getting him back in the paint early during conference play. The timeline should allow for him to get back into the swing of things early enough that he could be expected to be at full strength by tournament time.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

While it’s disappointing Florida will not have him to begin the regular season

Heck I am not disappointed at this old news. I hope this means Egbunu will finally make it to the post season one year in his UF career.

 

[BMF]

Heck I am not disappointed at this old news. I hope this means Egbunu will finally make it to the post season one year in his UF career.

Yes, I thought it was a given he wouldn't play until sometime in January. The good thing is this gives our younger front line players valuable minutes....and allows him to come back slowly - I can't imagine he plays more than 8 to 15 minutes his first 6 or so games back. Then possibly no more than 20-25 max the rest of the way. Glad to have him back either way....

 

[MertzJay26]

Heck I am not disappointed at this old news. I hope this means Egbunu will finally make it to the post season one year in his UF career.

Gives us even more time to develop the young bucks.

 

[BMF]

UF’s White travels nation recruiting for talent

http://www.gatorsports.com/article/...-s-White-travels-nation-recruiting-for-talent

LAKE BUENA VISTA — Florida coach Mike White took an extra sip out of his Starbucks cup. With the Division I July basketball recruiting evaluation period nearing its close, caffeine is fuel for college basketball coaches throughout the country.

White wrapped up a stretch of 15 days on the road in a 19-day period on Saturday at the AAU Super Showcase at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. He arrived on a redeye flight from Las Vegas, where the night before he watched a number of top national prospects in the 2018 and 2019 classes at the Vegas Fab 48 Tournament.

“I’m guessing, 10 or 11 cities, 100 gyms,” White said of the recruiting road stretch. “It’s the most physically taxing month for college basketball coaches. It’s not the most healthy month in terms of how you eat, how little you sleep. At the same time it’s an exciting month and the opportunity to see a lot of kids and make your evaluations.”

The grind has its rewards, of course. In 2017, White and his staff nabbed an incoming freshman class that ranked as high as ninth in country according to ESPN.com’s national team rankings. There is hope that the 2018 class can even be better, with the Gators on the rise after reaching the Elite Eight this past season for the ninth time in school history.

But the grind has its sacrifices, as well. For the 40-year-old White, it means time away from his wife, Kira, and his five young children.

“We try to do Facetime, not nearly enough,” White said. “My oldest daughter, Rylee, likes to get pictures sent to her, of different cities. I pulled up to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas yesterday and as you are walking into the gym you have mountains right there, so she liked that picture, of course.

“But it’s hard, especially when you are on the west coast, with the communication because you’ll walk out of your last gym and it might be 11 p.m. and it’s 2 a.m. (Gainesville) and my wife and kids have been sleeping for a few hours already.”

Recruiting is a year-around endeavor, but in July, it’s about being seen. There is no contact, no conversations allowed between players and coaches at events. Coaches can’t talk about players they are targeting to the media. But players know which coaches are watching them, and how frequently they are watching. On this day, White wore a blue shirt with a large Gator logo.

White has developed contacts with travel league coaches throughout the country, beginning as an assistant coach at Ole Miss and continuing as a head coach at Louisiana Tech before being hired at UF in May 2015. But White and his staff still had to establish new relationships to recruit to Florida. His first recruiting job was to convince an incoming freshman class brought in by former Florida coach Billy Donovan to stay. He kept three of those four freshmen. That trio (junior guard KeVaughn Allen, junior center Kevarrius Hayes and redshirt sophomore forward Keith Stone) will form an experienced nucleus heading into the 2017-18 season.

From there, White has steadily built more in-state and national contacts.

“We’re very comfortable with the recruiting base and our contacts here and feel confident in our relationships,” White said. “At the end of the day a lot of factors go into these kids’ decisions. But in terms of the reception, the University of Florida is received very well in this state and really throughout most of the country.”

White’s breakthrough second season at UF helped as well. In March, White earned SEC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Gators to a 14-4 conference record, a five-win improvement in league games compared to the year before. Overall, the Gators finished 27-9 before falling to Sindarius Thornwell-led South Carolina in the Elite Eight in New York City.

UF’s Sweet 16 overtime win against Wisconsin at Madison Square Garden was replayed on the SEC Network last Thursday, which allowed fans to relive and recruits to see Chris Chiozza’s running, game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“The run that we made just shows the program is very healthy, what our athletic department is capable of really in any sport,” White said. “We’ve got a good team. We’ve got a really healthy culture in our basketball program, and again, we’ve been really well received and we feel like we have solid momentum.”

The July period is about evaluation as well, as coaches watch up to 10-12 hours worth of games per day at different events. For White, those evaluations don’t always rely on stars.

“We want kids who are good fits, academically, athletically and socially,” White said. “We want kids who, whether they score 20 points or four points, they’re enhancing the culture of our program regardless.”

 

[BMF]

Hoops Scoop
Jones excited about move to Wichita

http://brockway.blogs.gatorsports.com/13727/jones-excited-move-wichita/

Former Florida assistant coach Donnie Jones had a decision to make last April– stay in Orlando and remain an NBA scout, or move back to the college coaching sidelines.

Jones chose the later, accepting an offer to become an assistant coach at Wichita State after a year away from the college game.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Jones had established roots in Orlando as head coach at UCF for six years. He was fired at the end of the 2016 season, but remained in Orlando while scouting for the Los Angeles Clippers and frequently attended UF games this past season.

Jones and his family moved to Wichita, Kan., over the spring.

“They loved Orlando, it’s been a great experience for us there,” Jones said. “It’s always hard especially for my oldest daughter who is 16, but they’ve really enjoyed it in Wichita. It’s a great basketball atmosphere there. In Wichita, the people have been unbelievable, Gregg Marshall is a great coach so it’s a great person to learn from, to be around.”

The position at Wichita State opened when associate coach Chris Jans left to take the head coaching position at New Mexico State. Jones had a long-standing relationship with Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall that’s spanned for more than 20 years.

“He was looking for someone to come in with some experience, I think, because he’s got an experienced team coming back,” Jones said. “Obviously I had to make a decision whether I wanted stay in the NBA or get back into college. So I definitely wanted to coach.”

When Marshall became a head coach at Winthrop in 1998, he tried to convince Jones to leave Florida to take a job under him. But Jones, who was in his second season as an assistant at Florida under Billy Donovan at the time, opted to stay in Gainesville.

“Obviously, I was in a good spot with Billy,” Jones said. “We’ve maintained a friendship and obviously the timing was right this time so I’m excited to be a part of it.”

At Wichita State, Jones is joining a team that has a chance to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. The Shockers return five starters from a team that went 31-5 and suffered a close loss to Kentucky in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament last March. This season, Wichita State is moving from the Missouri Valley Conference to the American Athletic Conference, where Jones was a head coach at UCF.

“We’ve got a veteran team coming back,” Jones said. “We’re moving into the American Conference, where I just came from, coaching at UCF. Hopefully my experience there will enhance some value with the team, so I think it will be fun.”

Other notes:

— Florida 2018 point guard target Elijah Weaver announced he’ll take on official to UF the weekend of Sept. 16, when the Gators host Tennessee in football at The Swamp. The 6-4 Weaver, from Oldsmar Christian School in Oldsmar, Fla., is one of a handful of point guards in the 2018 class at UF is recruiting heavily, a list that includes four-star Devon Dotson (Charlotte, N.C.) and four-star Mike DeVoe (Orlando). Weaver played on the same Oldsmar team with current UF redshirt freshman forward Dontay Bassett and former UF guard Eric Hester, who transferred to Akron following his freshman season.

 

[MidwestChomp]

Hoops Scoop
Jones excited about move to Wichita

http://brockway.blogs.gatorsports.com/13727/jones-excited-move-wichita/

Former Florida assistant coach Donnie Jones had a decision to make last April– stay in Orlando and remain an NBA scout, or move back to the college coaching sidelines.

Jones chose the later, accepting an offer to become an assistant coach at Wichita State after a year away from the college game.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Jones had established roots in Orlando as head coach at UCF for six years. He was fired at the end of the 2016 season, but remained in Orlando while scouting for the Los Angeles Clippers and frequently attended UF games this past season.

Jones and his family moved to Wichita, Kan., over the spring.

“They loved Orlando, it’s been a great experience for us there,” Jones said. “It’s always hard especially for my oldest daughter who is 16, but they’ve really enjoyed it in Wichita. It’s a great basketball atmosphere there. In Wichita, the people have been unbelievable, Gregg Marshall is a great coach so it’s a great person to learn from, to be around.”

The position at Wichita State opened when associate coach Chris Jans left to take the head coaching position at New Mexico State. Jones had a long-standing relationship with Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall that’s spanned for more than 20 years.

“He was looking for someone to come in with some experience, I think, because he’s got an experienced team coming back,” Jones said. “Obviously I had to make a decision whether I wanted stay in the NBA or get back into college. So I definitely wanted to coach.”

When Marshall became a head coach at Winthrop in 1998, he tried to convince Jones to leave Florida to take a job under him. But Jones, who was in his second season as an assistant at Florida under Billy Donovan at the time, opted to stay in Gainesville.

“Obviously, I was in a good spot with Billy,” Jones said. “We’ve maintained a friendship and obviously the timing was right this time so I’m excited to be a part of it.”

At Wichita State, Jones is joining a team that has a chance to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. The Shockers return five starters from a team that went 31-5 and suffered a close loss to Kentucky in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament last March. This season, Wichita State is moving from the Missouri Valley Conference to the American Athletic Conference, where Jones was a head coach at UCF.

“We’ve got a veteran team coming back,” Jones said. “We’re moving into the American Conference, where I just came from, coaching at UCF. Hopefully my experience there will enhance some value with the team, so I think it will be fun.”

Other notes:

— Florida 2018 point guard target Elijah Weaver announced he’ll take on official to UF the weekend of Sept. 16, when the Gators host Tennessee in football at The Swamp. The 6-4 Weaver, from Oldsmar Christian School in Oldsmar, Fla., is one of a handful of point guards in the 2018 class at UF is recruiting heavily, a list that includes four-star Devon Dotson (Charlotte, N.C.) and four-star Mike DeVoe (Orlando). Weaver played on the same Oldsmar team with current UF redshirt freshman forward Dontay Bassett and former UF guard Eric Hester, who transferred to Akron following his freshman season.

Excellent hire by Marshall. And Weaver would look great in Orange and Blue!

 

[BMF]

Brewer still making it work in NBA
Former UF standout in town for annual camp


http://www.gatorsports.com/article/...1180?Title=Brewer-still-making-it-work-in-NBA


Corey Brewer was looking forward to another postseason run with the Houston Rockets earlier this year. But when the NBA trade deadline came in February, the former Gator standout found himself headed for the west coast instead.

Brewer was unexpectedly dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for bench scorer Lou Williams and spent the remainder of the 2016-17 season on a storied franchise that has hit hard times. The Lakers failed to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

“I was surprised, but you know, it’s a business, it’s the NBA,” Brewer said. “I’ve been traded a few times, so it wasn’t anything new. Adjustment was a little different because I went from, we were the second or third seed in Houston to being on the second to last team in the NBA.”

Back in Gainesville this week for his 8th annual Back2Back Youth Basketball camp, Brewer said he’s excited about the direction of the Lakers under former franchise icon and new team president Magic Johnson.

“We’ve got Lonzo Ball, some good young talent coming in so we should have a better year,” Brewer said. “The future is going to be bright. Magic is great, he’s doing a good job and Rob Pelinka, who has come in and took over as the GM, they’re both doing a great job and they are getting the pieces they want.”

Brewer, who with teammates Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey helped lead UF to back-to-back national titles in 2006 and ’07, said he enjoys coming back to Gainesville each year. The camp drew close to 100 boys and girls on Tuesday at Buchholz High School, and some have attended all eight years. Proceeds from the event benefit the UF Diabetes Institute.

“When I was here, it was three of the best years in my life,” Brewer said. “I’ve been doing this camp for eight years now and ever since the first time I did it, the kids connected with me, I connected with them. It’s been great ever since.”

Brewer (seventh pick), Horford (third pick) and Noah (ninth pick) were all selected in the NBA Draft Lottery 10 years ago. All three are still playing in the NBA and still productive. Brewer averaged 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds for the Rockets and Lakers last season and has averaged 9.2 points in his 10-year NBA career.

“It’s unbelievable that we’re all still playing and we’re all playing at a pretty high level,” Brewer said. “Al, they went to the Eastern Conference finals last year, Jo was hurt a little bit. Other than that we’ve been pretty healthy and 11 years is a long time to be in the NBA, we’re just trying to keep it going.”

How much longer Brewer will be playing remains to be seen. At 31, Brewer is entering the final year of a three-year contract.

“I hope I can go a while longer,” Brewer said. “My body still feels good. I still feel young.”

Brewer said he took delight in watching UF’s Elite Eight run last season.

“I’m a big Gator fan,” Brewer said. “In my mind, we were getting to the Final Four. When South Carolina beat us, it was tough. Anytime you get beat by an SEC school it’s tough, especially in the tournament.”

A Portland, Tenn., native, Brewer said he was unable to watch UF’s dramatic Sweet 16 win over Wisconsin live. But he had a chance to watch the replays when a fellow Tennessean, Memphis native Chris Chiozza, hit the game-winning, running 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Badgers.

“I was cheering after the game,” Brewer said. “Tennessee guys who come to Florida, we do big things, just like me and Lee Humphrey.”

Brewer said he’s developed a good relationship with UF coach Mike White. On Monday, White invited Brewer to a workout. Brewer gave the players a pep talk when the workout ended.

“They’ve got some players,” Brewer said. “KeVaughn Allen can really shoot it, Chiozza is going to be a good point guard, the big men, they’re all solid, can rebound. It’s a good, solid team.”

Even though Brewer is hoping to latch on with the Lakers or another team when his contract expires next season, he said he’s starting to think about life after his playing career ends. He wants to stay in basketball.

“Hopefully I can coach or do something in the front office,” Brewer said. “I want to stick around the game. I love basketball. There’s nowhere else I’d want to be.”

 

[InstiGATOR1]

http://brockway.blogs.gatorsports.com/13727/jones-excited-move-wichita/

Other notes:

— Florida 2018 point guard target Elijah Weaver announced he’ll take on official to UF the weekend of Sept. 16, when the Gators host Tennessee in football at The Swamp. The 6-4 Weaver, from Oldsmar Christian School in Oldsmar, Fla., is one of a handful of point guards in the 2018 class at UF is recruiting heavily, a list that includes four-star Devon Dotson (Charlotte, N.C.) and four-star Mike DeVoe (Orlando). Weaver played on the same Oldsmar team with current UF redshirt freshman forward Dontay Bassett and former UF guard Eric Hester, who transferred to Akron following his freshman season.

I wish I knew UF's preference order among these point guards adding in Lomax. Here are the 247 PG rankings:

http://247sports.com/Season/2018-Ba...kings?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&Position=PG

Also of course two of them are listed as 6'4" tall which makes me wonder if they are PGs in college.

 

[MidwestChomp]

I would love a PG that is at least 6'4, but I wouldn't mind having Lomax on roster.

 

[BMF]

Michael Devoe sets up an official visit to Florida

http://www.gatorcountry.com/florida...l-devoe-sets-up-an-official-visit-to-florida/

The summer has presented many opportunities for 2018 Michael Devoe to showcase his abilities and he has taken full advantage of those opportunities. The 6’4 guard has generated a lot of buzz due to his size and playmaking ability. Not only is he an effective floor general, but he also has can create for himself and impact the game in a variety of ways.

Devoe is now starting to plan official visits to start the next phase in his recruiting process. GatorCountry.com has confirmed that the Florida Gators will be getting an official from Devoe on October 7th. The Gators have been on Devoe for quite some time and Devoe thinks very highly of the program.

“The coaching staff is making me a priority and they are wanting me to come in and play right away, which is something that sticks out to me,” Devoe said. “It has been a special program for many years. They have a senior guard leaving next year, so I think that would be a good opportunity for me to step in and contribute in that area.”

The relationship that Devoe has built with the Florida coaches is one factor that makes the Gators stand out. This official visit will give Devoe more time around the staff as well as the chance to experience campus on a big football Saturday as the football team hosts LSU.

“My relationship with the coaching staff is very good,” he said. “They have been recruiting me hard for a long time and I’ve been to a couple games so far and had a great time at every one. I’m looking forward to just seeing the full campus on my official visit and the football game vs LSU.”

Devoe has also set up official visits to USC (Sept 9th) and Wake Forest (Sept 14th). He hasn’t set a timetable on when he wants to commit or trim his list again. Devoe is planning to take his visits and then see where things go from there.

 

[LeeForThree]

Freshman will be making an impact






Nassir Little releasing his top 5 schools later today

 

[LeeForThree]

Cross Nassir Little off the list...Probably ends up at Puke

 

[t-gator]

Wow. We recruited him pretty hard the last few years. Wonder if we cooled on him or he just liked the other schools better? I find it hard to believe we fell out of his top 5 if we're recruiting him that hard.

 

[BMF]

Hoops Scoop
New O’Dome fuels attendance increase

http://brockway.blogs.gatorsports.com/13741/new-odome-fuels-attendance-increase/

The NCAA released its annual Division I men’s basketball attendance report on Tuesday,and the new-look Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center resulted in a significant attendance boost for the Gators during the 2016-17 season.

The Gators averaged 10,690 fans in 10 home dates last season, above 100 percent capacity and more than 1,000 fans per game higher than the 2015-16 season (1,004 to be exact). Florida’s increase in attendance with the 14th highest in the nation and third highest in the SEC, behind just Missouri and South Carolina.

The attendance gains occurred despite a decrease in capacity of more than 1,000 seats as a result of the O’Dome’s $64.5 million renovation, which was completed last December. Certainly, the novelty of the new arena played a role in the attendance increase. So did Florida coach Mike White’s breakthrough second season, in which the Gators reached the Elite Eight for the ninth time in program history, going 27-9 overall and 9-1 in 10 home dates.

“The novelty is definitely a factor, but I don’t see novelty wearing off,” Florida associate athletic director for external affairs Mike Hill said. “The facility, it’s just a lot more enjoyable to be in the building. I think people want to be inside Exactech Arena now because it’s a pleasurable experience. The sight lines are better, the LED lighting, the concessions, the whole deal, it’s just a better fan experience.”

Certainly, the Gators embraced their fan support this season, particularly from the Rowdy Reptiles. Often last season, former Gator forward Canyon Barry and current Gator point guard Chris Chiozza would go into the student section last season to thank the students for coming out.

“The Rowdies are where the energy gets started in that building,” Hill said. “People recognize that, they have fun. Gosh, when we were looking to renovate the building and we toured the state and we talked to alumni and season ticket holders and donors, it was almost universal, don’t move the students, please don’t move the students because we love to watch them with the flash mobs and the dancing and the chants and the cheers and the energy they provide courtside.”

Hill said that the Gators are “on track” to do well in season ticket sales in 2017-18. Florida’s non-conference schedule includes home dates against rival FSU and Baylor.

“We’ve hit our sweet spot,” Hill said. “The perfect number of seats for what we need. We were sold out 8 out of 10 games last year and the two that we didn’t sell out we were just a couple of hundred seats shy of a sellout. I think we’re just in a really good position because we’ve got the right number of seats, we’ve got a great product, we’ve got a phenomenal facility and it’s where Gator basketball should be.”

Other notes:

— Florida sophomore center Gorjok Gak has left for his native Australia and will represent his country at the World University Games in Taiwan from Aug. 19-30. The 6-foot-11, 245 pound Gak has made significant strength gains during the offseason and will be counted on to back up Kevarrius Hayes at center for the Gators until John Egbunu’s projected return in early January.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Cross Nassir Little off the list...Probably ends up at Puke

I do not really get the rise of this guy this summer? Anyone know why he jumped into the top grouping? From what I could tell at Adidas he did not have a great shooting or assist summer.

 

[MidwestChomp]

Freshman will be making an impact






Nassir Little releasing his top 5 schools later today

Would be great to have Chase play some good minutes at the SF spot. That position is rather intriguing with Johnson, Stone, Egor, and Hudson. We can go back and forth between a 2 and 3 guard lineup.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

We can go back and forth between a 2 and 3 guard lineup.

I sure hope not. UF can go small as when Koulechov is at SF or big as when Stone is at SF. I hope never to see a guard like Hudson at SF except maybe running out the clock late in games with the lead.

 

[MidwestChomp]

I sure hope not. UF can go small as when Koulechov is at SF or big as when Stone is at SF. I hope never to see a guard like Hudson at SF except maybe running out the clock late in games with the lead.

You are correct. I was thinking more of Egor at the SF spot.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

You are correct. I was thinking more of Egor at the SF spot.

On Koulechov, yes I would equally hate to see UF waste a rebounder of his skill at the SG position and his natural instincts might cause UF to struggle to balance the floor in transition.