How can the Gator basketball team improve?
The Gators’ season came to a close last night, losing to UMass in the NIT semifinals. UF finished the season with a record of 24-12 and 8-9 in the Southeastern Conference (if you were to look up the record it would say they finished 8-8 in the SEC, but I believe we have to count every game, including the conference tournament). At first glance, that doesn’t seem too bad considering the top 6 players from the back-to-back championship teams are now all playing somewhere professionally. But think about this: at one point in the season, the Gators were 18-3 and 5-1 in conference play. That means over the last 15 games the team played, UF went 6-9 (3-8). And some people wondered why the 2-time defending champions didn’t make the NCAA tourney.
A 24-win season is nothing to shake a stick at, taking into account the youth and lack of depth the Gators had in 2007-2008. But the way the season played out was much like the way the UF losses did. A strong 1st half where everything seems to be going their way followed by a 2nd half where it didn’t seem like they could catch even the smallest break. The final game of the year against UMass summed it up perfectly. Breaking down the halves, the Gators won the 1st half by 9 points and lost the 2nd by 21. When it’s all said and done UMass got the win by 12 and UF didn’t end up where they wanted to be as the season came to a close.
The Gators only had 9 scholarship players on the roster this season, which made depth one of their biggest weaknesses. Due to this, many of the players didn’t really have a defined position. Did Nick Calathes play point guard, shooting guard, or small forward? Who was the primary backup to Marreese Speights? Was Walter Hodge or Jai Lucas considered the floor general? When Adam Allen and Alex Tyus came off the bench what were their positions? It’s hard to answer any of these questions, because they seemed to change not only every night, but every few minutes on the court. If Lucas is truly a point guard, then he can’t start every game and only finish 4th on the team in assists. If Speights is playing center, then he needs to man up and use his strength to go after every rebound (something he actually did well against UMass). And if Calathes is going to be the primary scoring option, then the rest of the team needs to look to get him the ball and help him create high percentage shots.
Speaking of high percentage shots, the Gators desperately need to find them next year. If Speights hangs around for his junior year, they need to work with him on the low post. He doesn’t have much range outside a few feet from the basket, but he did shoot .624 from the field. Speights can convert down low; he just needs to get the ball in the right opportunities more often. And if he doesn’t have the chance to make a move and get to the basket, he needs to be able to find Calathes outside for the easy shot. Calathes tried to take over games late when the Gators were down and because of that he didn’t always take the best shot. As he matures, this won’t be as much of a problem. We have to remember, he was asked to do a lot as a freshman. Calathes and Speights led the team in scoring at 15.3 and 14.5 points per game, but in this offense – if used correctly – they both should’ve been closer to 20.
And something I’ll never understand: how can basketball players at this level not make at least 80% of their free throws? I’ll admit it’s been a very long time since I’ve played basketball, and the crowds I played in front of were made up of maybe 50 parents so my frame of reference may be a little off, but how do players miss so many free throws? This is a game these guys have been playing since they could walk. A free throw is an uncontested shot from a predetermined spot on the floor. Of the regular players on the Gators, Dan Werner had the highest free throw percentage at only .773. This is an area that needs to be painstakingly worked on, even though in my humble opinion, at the college level we should be past worked on free throws. Hats off to walk-on Hudson Fricke who didn’t miss a free throw all season. Of course he only attempted 4.
Perhaps the biggest issue all season was desire. The last 2 Gator teams wanted it. The 04’s wanted to return and win another title. They set their goal and went out and got it. They played every night with heart. As annoying as Joakim Noah was from time to time – dancing around like a clown and yelling after every basket – no one who cheers for any program can doubt his passion. This year’s team seemed to lose it as the season progressed. From time to time, the team looked sluggish and as if they were just going through the motions and didn’t really want to be out there. Everyone saw it, but when Billy Donovan came out after the loss to Alabama in the SEC tournament, no one wanted to admit it and suddenly he was a bad coach for calling out his team. If the NIT is any indication, then what Donovan did was completely justified and if you watched the Gators play at times this year, it’s not like he was lying. We know this team lacked motivation, and I think after the way the season played out, the players know it too.
Those of you Gator fans out there might not be too happy with what I have said in this article, but there are some definite areas that need to be addressed going into next season. This season is over; it’s time to look forward.
All things being equal, every scholarship player on the team is scheduled to returns. There have been rumors circulating about Hodge possibly leaving to return to Puerto Rico and a lot of talk about Speights heading to the NBA. But until either of those is official, let’s assume the team will remain intact. There are some obvious areas where the Gators need to improve and I have no doubt in my mind that Billy Donovan will address them. The recruiting class coming in includes 2 6’10” studs in Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas who will contribute right away, as well as a true power forward in Allan Channey. I won’t go as far as saying this team is a championship contender next year, but they definitely have the talent, and if Donovan can get the passion and desire out of them, then it’s not that farfetched.
Next week, I’ll profile the 2008 recruiting class and take an early look at next year’s depth chart.