Gator Basketball ***Official Basketball Thread - Florida vs Kensucky***

Marine1

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True, it’s not a perfect comparison but there is plenty of talent around Locke a better offensive coach could exploit. Some programs specialize in getting groups of talented freshmen to play like a team by this point of the season. Ours has not.

Tre Mann is getting there....and I have been critical of him all season. He’s starting to blend in much better AND his skills are beginning to develop in all phases. Remember he was heralded coming in as a Steph Curry/Trae Young “type”. He’s still not going to get you 12-15 pts a night but he is starting to contribute more consistently.

Lewis is everything we expected defensively and nothing like we expected offensively. He needs to have his game broken down completely and reconstructed. He’s been a decent spot up shooter (despite the air balls) but he is very awkward slashing to the basket which he rarely does. When he does slash he rarely gets there....and when he does get there...he rarely finishes. Huge upside but is going to have to work hard. Absolute elite athleticism and a great attitude are attributes that will serve him well.

Payne is one of my favorite players but has continuous breakdowns defensively. Loses his man and/or doesn’t rotate every game. Very few coaches would tolerate that. He also needs to put on at least 20 pounds as I’ve said before.

Jitoboh has a future as a contributing big man but is as raw as you can get. The other 3 should improve next year just as our current soph’s did. But Jitoboh will likely take another year to develop. He will be a 4 year player imo.
 

rogdochar

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We need our freshmen to rapidly get better, this year. {they need an instructive coach.} Boy is our season headed for a beheading.?
Thank goodness for KJ.
Blackshear looks tired & is constantly getting knocked off balanced because his left foot is not a firm stanchion.
Nembhard can only be relied on for 1 out of 3 games - which ones will it be?
We urgently need Mann to gel and become a 3-pt specialist, driving threat, and good assist to the open guy inclose
We saw what can be done to Locke.
Payne cannot be so bad that he gets shunned this much.?
Jitoboh shouldn't be used except when we can't be caught score-wise.
27 games into the season and White has devised nothing, customized no schemes to suit these players' talents.
By now do you think our youngsters have faith in coach White?

Has White himself even considered practicing back-door plays - putting that backdoor thought into their BBall-IQs. I have watched Payne do his part of a "give & go", with his hand raised for the pass but Nembhard doesn't look toward the basket. He looks to the perimeter, where the real BBall is played.
 

Marine1

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Agree on KJ, Blackshear, Mann and Jitoboh.

Disagree on Nembhard. He’s been solid most of the year.

Disagree on Payne. Like Mann he has tremendous potential. But also like Mann has had defensive lapses. He’s going through what Mann went through earlier. Losing minutes until he starts to get it. It worked with Mann who has slowly developed into a decent rotation player. Payne has to get through this in a similar fashion.

White has to be held accountable but so do the players. This is the SEC not AAU.
 

Frozen Gator

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We need our freshmen to rapidly get better, this year. {they need an instructive coach.} Boy is our season headed for a beheading.?
Thank goodness for KJ.
Blackshear looks tired & is constantly getting knocked off balanced because his left foot is not a firm stanchion.
Nembhard can only be relied on for 1 out of 3 games - which ones will it be?
We urgently need Mann to gel and become a 3-pt specialist, driving threat, and good assist to the open guy inclose
We saw what can be done to Locke.
Payne cannot be so bad that he gets shunned this much.?
Jitoboh shouldn't be used except when we can't be caught score-wise.
27 games into the season and White has devised nothing, customized no schemes to suit these players' talents.
By now do you think our youngsters have faith in coach White?

Has White himself even considered practicing back-door plays - putting that backdoor thought into their BBall-IQs. I have watched Payne do his part of a "give & go", with his hand raised for the pass but Nembhard doesn't look toward the basket. He looks to the perimeter, where the real BBall is played.
Agree on KJ, Blackshear, Mann and Jitoboh.

Disagree on Nembhard. He’s been solid most of the year.

Disagree on Payne. Like Mann he has tremendous potential. But also like Mann has had defensive lapses. He’s going through what Mann went through earlier. Losing minutes until he starts to get it. It worked with Mann who has slowly developed into a decent rotation player. Payne has to get through this in a similar fashion.

White has to be held accountable but so do the players. This is the SEC not AAU.
I wonder, especially with Payne and Mann if one doesn't just have to hold his nose and give the young men meaningful minutes each game and let them grow into the positions (I know it's a little late now). Mistakes certainly will be made but the upside could be special. At least Lewis is getting reasonable minutes. We seem to do pretty well going small sometimes. I would like to see some "twin towers" played more, maybe even with KJ as the shooting guard. We could get away with Glover as a shifty point guard in that kind of line up.
 

Marine1

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I wonder, especially with Payne and Mann if one doesn't just have to hold his nose and give the young men meaningful minutes each game and let them grow into the positions (I know it's a little late now). Mistakes certainly will be made but the upside could be special. At least Lewis is getting reasonable minutes. We seem to do pretty well going small sometimes. I would like to see some "twin towers" played more, maybe even with KJ as the shooting guard. We could get away with Glover as a shifty point guard in that kind of line up.

The difference is defense which is why Lewis continues to play more. Most coaches are far more forgiving for offensive deficiencies because it is more skilled based. Defense is simply hard work and awareness and coaches typically take a hard line.

It seems to have been effective with Mann and I think Payne will get it as well.
 

ChiefGator

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I seem to remember similar issues with some of Billy's teams. Only when they were mature did they begin to perform to or above their capabilities. Not being that good at watching film I believe we lack a leader who would make points to counter runs and at the end of the game.

Now I agree coach should have gone to the press earlier and taken a time out to break Ky streak. For those wanting him gone, what reasonable alternatives do you know of. Start a new thread if you know of some.
 

MidwestChomp

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Has White himself even considered practicing back-door plays - putting that backdoor thought into their BBall-IQs. I have watched Payne do his part of a "give & go", with his hand raised for the pass but Nembhard doesn't look toward the basket. He looks to the perimeter, where the real BBall is played.

Pete Carril was the man. Look at how hard that Princeton player worked for the backdoor cut.

 

MidwestChomp

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I am really surprised at the low number of free throws. So while I say kudos to Florida for that (or maybe the refs :)), I hate these frickin scoring droughts. White and staff can't figure out how to fix offensive whoas.
 

Woodstork

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Dec 19, 2019
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White has to be held accountable but so do the players. This is the SEC not AAU.

While there’s always some shared responsibility, this is mostly on White. For example, compare how Ron Zook’s recruits played under Ron versus under Urban. White has the brains of Zook and the adaptability of Muschamp... what can go wrong?
 

lagator

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White’s unidimensional offense is so easy to counter by any top team it made Calipari look like a schematic genius tonight. White had no answers.

Lots of folks recognize UF will live by the 3. Locke is a better average 3-point shooter statistically than Lee Humphrey, and yet Locke is now 6% from from behind the arc (1 for 16) against top 10 teams this season. Not coincidentally, Top 10 teams are usually coached by staffs who know how to use their elite players to counter any simple scheme.

Remember how Lee kicked ass against top teams, especially in elimination games? Billy’s scheme had ways to counter teams that were excellent at guarding the perimeter. He could generally adjust and find ways to get Lee timely open looks. He inspired confidence in his players during big games too, so Lee was able to use the three to crush opponents will. No second half scoring droughts. No folding at the end.

You can certainly argue the 04’s were a better inside team and that alone often opened things up for Lee, but those bigs were also much better coached to deliver to Lee at the right moments and in rhythm. Conversely, Locke seems to get open haphazardly and thus may or may not get the ball when open, and even when it’s tossed his way it still isn’t necessarily delivered smoothly. I like Locke and Nembhard wish they had a better coach.
Locke had a lot of good looks, he just missed them. It wasn't some some incredible perimeter defense, he just choked. It's becoming a very concerning pattern against top teams and I don't think it has much to do with coaching. Hopefully it's just a statistical aberration, but I was hoping he would snap out of his "bricks against the best" shooting but it was just more of the same in this game.
 

Frozen Gator

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Locke had a lot of good looks, he just missed them. It wasn't some some incredible perimeter defense, he just choked. It's becoming a very concerning pattern against top teams and I don't think it has much to do with coaching. Hopefully it's just a statistical aberration, but I was hoping he would snap out of his "bricks against the best" shooting but it was just more of the same in this game.
I think there more to it. I watched some teams this year and they have lapses but they look and play smooth like a well oiled machine. Our team never looks smooth and I believe that is partly responsible for the poor shooting. Tight, nervous, unprepared, et al; call it what you want.
 

lagator

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I think there more to it. I watched some teams this year and they have lapses but they look and play smooth like a well oiled machine. Our team never looks smooth and I believe that is partly responsible for the poor shooting. Tight, nervous, unprepared, et al; call it what you want.
Yeah, no doubt, the coaches are ultimately responsible for the team's play. But you have to admit, it's a glaring bizarre stat to be leading the league and 3rd in the nation in 3 point percentage, and be just god-awful against the top teams. I have to think he has some kind of mental block or something because I've never seen anything like it. The guy literally is the best against average teams and one of the worst against top teams.
 

Frozen Gator

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Yeah, no doubt, the coaches are ultimately responsible for the team's play. But you have to admit, it's a glaring bizarre stat to be leading the league and 3rd in the nation in 3 point percentage, and be just god-awful against the top teams. I have to think he has some kind of mental block or something because I've never seen anything like it. The guy literally is the best against average teams and one of the worst against top teams.
Agree, we need one dependable shooter night in and night out along with one to take up the slack when he is having a bad night.
 

rogdochar

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First & surest way to break a drought is the backdoor play. You cannot be pitched into a drought if you dunk on them. The longer our drought goes on, the more urgent it is to score right-away. Watch our droughts; no gator is doggedly working to get backdoor. White isn't frantic trying to signal any inside play? Players on the perimeter are extra nervous at the urgency of a "must-hit" shot. Still, that has to be the way White has them practice. Too rarely does anybody even look inside. These guys act like a missed inside attempt ls more shameful than a missed outside shot. Coach approval is not inside. If these guys have absorbed that message, then White is effecting their shooting.

Fans are frustrated to the extreme. Players have to be severely disappointed in their season's playing. Does anyone think anybody is pleased?
Who will be back next year for more of the same? How well will Mike White recruit the next round?
 

Spurdog98

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I agree he has not been effective of late. Definitely headed overseas rather than the NBA. I really wonder how bad his foot really is.
I said from the very beginning he wasn't going to be as advertised but many here were ready to make him big man of the year in the SEC. I watched him play at Tech, decent but not great. That foot was mismanaged by the medical staff in my opinion.
 

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