Gator Country

akaGatorhoops · 02-09-2013, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sec1

Yes , i am concerned because i think he is gone for the year and that is a big loss , we will not go deep without him in march

I am curious as to why you think differently than what Donovan has said publicly. I am not suggesting you are wrong.... Just interested in your reasoning.

HALLGATOR · 02-09-2013, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorsGators

Yeguete is our best wing defender and our only real rebounding presence off the bench.

So losing him is good reason for concern. However, I do think many are overreacting. I'm not panicking. We'll have to adjust, but in the end I think we will. Prather needs to step up, but he's shown he's capable of doing so (in the tourney last season and pre-injury this season).

Don't count out Frazier II, off the bench, in rebounding. Over the last 4 games he has pulled down 8, 7, 2, and 9 boards which gives him an average of 6.5 a game.

rounds · 02-09-2013, 04:13 PM

Frazier has played lights-out and will keep Prather on the bench if he performs like he did vs. Arky.

**sec1** · 02-09-2013, 04:16 PM

i guess i am thinking this way because Yeguette has had so much trouble with injuries

rounds · 02-09-2013, 04:33 PM

He had a BROKEN foot last yr., big difference.
His "tendinitis" this yr. has actually been floating & loose cartilage which has been trimmed and removed arthroscopically.
Barring complications, he should be back healthy with a vengeance by KY there.

LoyalGatorFan · 02-09-2013, 05:52 PM

Well fellas some good news from the 1st half today...Prather and Frazier have stepped up big time!!

ufgator4ever · 02-09-2013, 06:03 PM

Sorry peeps, but if wy was part of team last tourney they are in final 4. He's a huge piece given lack of bigs for rebounding and his versitile good d.

themistocles · 02-09-2013, 06:14 PM

Most people simply do not appreciate just how important Yeguete is.

He is the SYN in SYNergy.

Is is the TOGETHER in Togetherness.

He is the Parmesan on a Good Pizza, without which it becomes a very mediocre pizza.

rserina · 02-09-2013, 07:33 PM

Yegeute is tremendously important for a couple reasons. One is that he can play (and most significantly) defend three positions, including both post spots. That makes your rotation work. Another reason is that he can defend and outrebound much bigger players, allowing you to play smaller (and thus quicker) than you can otherwise. But maybe the biggest reason is that he brings an energy to the floor and a competitiveness that we don't have otherwise. One of the biggest things Donovan singled out after losing him last year was a lack of on-court vocal leadership. Wilbeking, Young, and Rosario offer a little of that, but Yeguete commands a ton of respect.

That being said, this just forces us to adapt to some different looks. Like last year, we get some better floor spacing by bringing more threes down to the four. Also, it gets another shooter like Frazier additional minutes. And in conjunction with that additional space, you have more driving lanes for Wilbekin, Rosario, and Boynton.

This is hardly the end of the world. Yes, it probably means an extra loss or two in league play, which in turn means a two- or three-seed rather than a one. It also makes us more susceptible to foul trouble in the tournament and that could potentially mean an earlier out than seeding would indicate. But we aren't going to lose the remainder of our league games like we did last season without him.

This makes us far more like 2006 Nova or 2012 Mizzou. Still a high seed, still the odds on favorite to win the league, but less of a margin for error against certain teams.

1gatorbear · 02-09-2013, 07:35 PM

I think his loss will be Hugh, especially against bigger teams like Kentucky.

rserina · 02-09-2013, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1gatorbear

I think his loss will be Hugh, especially against bigger teams like Kentucky.

Why would it hurt us? No one in Kentucky's post rotation backs you down in the paint and on offense the extra floor spacing will take way their shotblocking ability. Do you think Calipari wants Noel and Cauley-Stein defending Prather or Frazier out at 20+ feet? Or Murphy plus one of them? The lane will be open all night unless they go small, too.

gatordave96 · 02-09-2013, 08:11 PM

I worry about how much we will be able to press without Will. His length is a big help in that regard. Mississippi State beat us a couple of times for some dunks in the first half.

**Osiris_DPM** · 02-09-2013, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1gatorbear

I think his loss will be Hugh, especially against bigger teams like Kentucky.

I knew a couple guys named Hugh in college and neither of them were that big or intimidating, so I'm not sure I agree with your analogy

rounds · 02-09-2013, 08:44 PM

I didn't know Hef cared about anything other than womens.

GatorsGators · 02-09-2013, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sec1

Yes , i am concerned because i think he is gone for the year and that is a big loss , we will not go deep without him in march

How do you know that?

SM1010 · 02-09-2013, 08:57 PM

Just on paper, not even counting everything Will brings to our team...

We now have 2 players on our roster taller than 6'6. We have serious size issues.

And again that's not even counting the leadership, energy, hustle, defense, etc that we get from WY.

It's clearly a huge loss with our lack of front court depth.

**RattlerGator** · 02-09-2013, 08:57 PM

I don't know why, but it seems as though a bunch of y'all are SERIOUSLY underestimating Prather and Frazier. Yeguette being out is going to pay nice dividends come tournament time.

rserina · 02-09-2013, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SM1010

Just on paper, not even counting everything Will brings to our team...

We now have 2 players on our roster taller than 6'6. We have serious size issues.

And again that's not even counting the leadership, energy, hustle, defense, etc that we get from WY.

It's clearly a huge loss with our lack of front court depth.

I don't disagree that it is a loss. You would be crazy not to think that. But Butler made consecutive trips to the national title game (beating a much larger team one of those years) with roughly the same height constraints. And Nova made the regional finals against us with only three guys over 6'4". Had they not run into us, they could have beaten anyone else in the tournament.

akaGatorhoops · 02-09-2013, 09:05 PM

I am baffled as to why these discussions continue to presume he is lost for the tourney when our coach has stated the hope is for an end of regular season return.

**Osiris_DPM** · 02-09-2013, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akaGatorhoops

I am baffled as to why these discussions continue to presume he is lost for the tourney when our coach has stated the hope is for an end of regular season return.

Because people assume all knee surgery is the same. He had some meniscus tissue cleaned in a simple arthroscopic procedure, he didn't have a cruciate ligament reconstructed. He's a college athlete... he'll be back playing in weeks. Jerry Rice played in the Super Bowl less than 4 weeks after a similar procedure.