Gator Basketball ***Official Game Thread*** Florida vs Mississippi

[rogdochar]

Will White inform & train this team to maximize the use of our inside "big-man" Castleton? (Then maybe Payne will benefit us better?) That style should enhance everyone's scoring attack with kickback assists, stumbling opposing defenses, etc.

As of now, this team has settled on no particular offensive attack. It's a Mike White hodge-podge approach - putting no stress on their opponent's defense - too few reliable scoring runs. Developing a winning style is totally dependant on coaching = the head coach's precise & dogged plan applied again & again in practices?

I'm thinking White believes basketball talent only involves the outside shot. Inside stuff is brute clumsy to him.? Inside is a rash-bash battleground to him = White don't like close confrontations. Coaches like that invite losing, most particularly to coaches who train for a relentless inside attack.

 

[TLB]

Don't think I've ever seen odome this dead

5 second call now. Where are the fans to boo when you need them

Announced attendance (allowed in) was around 2k. You won't hear much noise from that size crowd in such a big arena, especially when the team is struggling :\

 

[TLB]

Good thing castleton is on the team

He's been solid all season for us. I can't fathom why he came down here from MICH other than to have more playing time and be closer to fam.

Need to use him more in paint on offense

It starts on the defensive end, get the blocks and get the team pumped up. Not sure how many caught it but HE was the player interview after the game. Lol, his first response to a question and my wife says 'he really speaks well'. All the rest of his responses and I replied 'he sounds like a jock'. Anyway, they asked what got him going and he stated he doesn't want to go backward (right mental approach, past is done, look forward to doing better), and the KY game really pissed him off because he felt like he played soft. Never a bad comment about the team or anyone else, only his own performance was not up to his expectations and that was motivation for this game.

You're right we need him on BOTH ends, especially when Lewis is out and Duruji....

RIP duruji

Yeah, bad game. No presence on defense, and luckily only a few bad shots on offense...but that was all his shots. Earlier games, Castleton and Duruji were feeding off each other on both ends. Today....not so much.

 

[wrpgator]

So our last 2 losses were to Bama and UK. They played tonight @ Rupp and Bama BLASTED UK 85-65. Total shocker considering how hot UK was coming into the game and they were a 3 point fav at home. KU, Duke, Miami, Butler, Cuse, and Wisky all lost yet again tonight too. Butler now 3-7 and has fallen off the map.

NCAA Basketball in The Age of Covid!!

 

[Theswamp_Gator]

Will White inform & train this team to maximize the use of our inside "big-man" Castleton? (Then maybe Payne will benefit us better?) That style should enhance everyone's scoring attack with kickback assists, stumbling opposing defenses, etc.

As of now, this team has settled on no particular offensive attack. It's a Mike White hodge-podge approach - putting no stress on their opponent's defense - too few reliable scoring runs. Developing a winning style is totally dependant on coaching = the head coach's precise & dogged plan applied again & again in practices?

I'm thinking White believes basketball talent only involves the outside shot. Inside stuff is brute clumsy to him.? It's a rash-bash battleground to him = White don't like close confrontations. Coaches like that invite losing, most particularly to coaches who train for a relentless inside attack.

I don't know what big man would come here after seeing how we used Blackshear and now castleton. Should've known MW hates using bigs in offense when Blackshear was MIA. Any solid coach would've had us in the final 4 last year, that team was legit on paper

 

[Jbossgator8]

I have watched tape on Castleton from when he was at Michigan and averaged 3 points a game. He has REALLY developed under White at UF which is surprising but you can tell that he is a MUCH better player at UF and has put in the time to become a better player. Mann too has really developed this season and has an array of shots all over the floor that he can make. He also rebounds well for a guard. I don't want to but I will give credit to MW for actually developing these 2 players when they were both TERRIBLE last year.

 

[ShelbyGator]

I have watched tape on Castleton from when he was at Michigan and averaged 3 points a game. He has REALLY developed under White at UF which is surprising but you can tell that he is a MUCH better player at UF and has put in the time to become a better player. Mann too has really developed this season and has an array of shots all over the floor that he can make. He also rebounds well for a guard. I don't want to but I will give credit to MW for actually developing these 2 players when they were both TERRIBLE last year.

Reluctantly agreed. Mann and Castleton are much improved.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I have watched tape on Castleton from when he was at Michigan and averaged 3 points a game. He has REALLY developed under White at UF which is surprising but you can tell that he is a MUCH better player at UF and has put in the time to become a better player. Mann too has really developed this season and has an array of shots all over the floor that he can make. He also rebounds well for a guard. I don't want to but I will give credit to MW for actually developing these 2 players when they were both TERRIBLE last year.

I can’t speak to Castleton’s improvement but Mann spent several weeks over the summer working out with Mike Miller and on his own and he now looks like a McDonalds All American

Please don’t give CMW credit for something he had nothing to do with.

 

[Theswamp_Gator]

I can’t speak to Castleton’s improvement but Mann spent several weeks over the summer working out with Mike Miller and on his own and he now looks like a McDonalds All American

Please don’t give CMW credit for something he had nothing to do with.

That and he was a 5-star out of HS

 

[MidwestChomp]

I give the guys a lot of credit for winning this one and not caving down the stretch like Coach White teams typically do. Having Castleton a reliable low post threat helps a lot (and he is a decent shot blocker)....something White in the past seemed to not care about.

 

[Jbossgator8]

yeah I thought Castleton was very highly recruited out of HS but all I can find is him rated as a 3* on ESPN and a 4* on 247 so who knows what to believe. He is playing like a 5* now though so that is good.

 

[rogdochar]

So White transformed Castleton and Mann when practice and games were minimized by Covid? Those guys ran their own improvement during the offseason. In these early games, Mike White did not run an offense around inside scoring. Castleton made himself an important cog in our offense - he stepped up and did that. White did not choreograph an offense around utilizing the big man. He still isn't doing that. The loss of KJ left White bereft of what to do except use Castleton when Castleton asserted & inserted his athleticism. UF deserves an HC smarter, more dynamic than that. We need a coach who vociferously teaches and leads.

 

[GatorJ]

So White transformed Castleton and Mann when practice and games were minimized by Covid? Those guys ran their own improvement during the offseason. In these early games, Mike White did not run an offense around inside scoring. Castleton made himself an important cog in our offense - he stepped up and did that. White did not choreograph an offense around utilizing the big man. He still isn't doing that. The loss of KJ left White bereft of what to do except use Castleton when Castleton asserted & inserted his athleticism. UF deserves an HC smarter, more dynamic than that. We need a coach who vociferously teaches and leads.

+1000

 

[Double Gator Dad]

So White transformed Castleton and Mann when practice and games were minimized by Covid? Those guys ran their own improvement during the offseason. In these early games, Mike White did not run an offense around inside scoring. Castleton made himself an important cog in our offense - he stepped up and did that. White did not choreograph an offense around utilizing the big man. He still isn't doing that. The loss of KJ left White bereft of what to do except use Castleton when Castleton asserted & inserted his athleticism. UF deserves an HC smarter, more dynamic than that. We need a coach who vociferously teaches and leads.

Agreed

A coach that maybe knows how to identify talent before it’s fully realized.

You know, like a coach that would have recruited Castleton out of high school versus taking a quick look and passing on him
My understanding is that he wanted to be a gator all along