Florida basketball: Noah Locke transferring puts Gators in rebuild mode
By Ryan Kately
It has been a tough week for the Florida Gators basketball team and Florida basketball fans. On Sunday, the Gators basketball team suffered an upset loss to No. 15 seed Oral Roberts, for a chance to go to the Sweet 16. That loss allowed Oral Roberts to become only the 2nd 15-seed to advance to the Round of 16.
On Wednesday, Tre Mann announced that he was forgoing his junior and senior years to enter the 2021 NBA Draft. That move was expected, as Mann has proved this season that he is ready for the bright lights. It was also smart for Mann to cash in while his stock is high and not risk an injury.
The departures did not stop there for Florida. This past Thursday, reserve point guard Ques Glover, a sophomore from Knoxville, Tennessee, entered his name in the transfer portal. Glover, who averaged 2.5 points a game this year, was looking like he would play a prominent role next year with Mann’s departure.
After Glover’s departure, yet another Gator has entered the transfer portal, with that Gator being Noah Locke. Locke averaged 10.6 points per game this year and was solid from the 3-point range, shooting 40%. He thanked his coaches, teammates, staff, and Gator Nation for his 3 years in Gainesville as he announced his decision on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/_NoahLocke/status/1375217570681389058?s=20
With Mann, Locke, and Gator star Keyontae Johnson’s uncertain future, Head Coach Mike White may be losing three starters from the beginning of this season.
Along with players transferring and leaving for the NBA Draft, the Gator’s coaching staff will have to replace assistant coach Jordan Mincy, who went to take the Jacksonville University Head Coaching job. Mincy was ranked as one of the nation’s top assistant coaches and will undoubtedly succeed wherever he coaches.
This offseason will definitely be one of the toughest in Mike White’s tenure at Florida. The Gators do have Kowacie Reeves Jr., a 5-star recruit, coming into the program, and he should see playing time right away with all the departures. Coach White has also been able to bring in some transfers from other schools to contribute right away. Most recently, Colin Castleton from Michigan.
The lack of recruits in this year’s recruiting class should be a sign that Coach White expects some transfers to take up roster spots on next year’s roster. Though, be on the lookout for Florida basketball to be in rebuilding mode for the next few years, especially after all of this bad news.