Larson Leaving the Program

[NorthCaptivaGator]

Originally Posted by tupacbiff

Silly prediction but if you look at past Xferd plenty went on to shine elsewhere. So who are u referring to? If you are gonna call someone out be man enough to name
Names.

For those curious: certainly was not me

Ahh, guilty conscience eh, no, it was either mad or insti, I get them confused

[tupacbiff]

Originally Posted by NorthCaptivaGator

Ahh, guilty conscience eh, no, it was either mad or insti, I get them confused

Guilty-absolutely not just wanted to e clear and call u out

[rserina]

More than anything this just leaves us little room for the unexpected in the froncourt. Like last year, Young, Murphy, and Yeguete are going to the the post rotation, but we don't have any flexibility to go big with Young off the floor and we can't handle many injuries in the post. I suspect this means Prather will get some spare minutes at the four, which is a nice luxury, though it does mean we will play some more small ball at times.

[ufgator4ever]

Originally Posted by tupacbiff

Unfortunately he never showed he had what it takes to play at an sec level.

From the very beginning he seemed like an insurance policy for Billy's lack of bigs recruiting. Now that a few are in the fold for next year, there's no point in holding on to this guy. He isn't and wasn't SEC material.

[UFreak]

Originally Posted by rserina

More than anything this just leaves us little room for the unexpected in the froncourt. Like last year, Young, Murphy, and Yeguete are going to the the post rotation, but we don't have any flexibility to go big with Young off the floor and we can't handle many injuries in the post. I suspect this means Prather will get some spare minutes at the four, which is a nice luxury, though it does mean we will play some more small ball at times.

Yup. Was thinking the same thing.
I don't think that Cody would have ever been a starter for us, but he was another big. And he did have a nice touch from about 10 feet. You never know when someone is going to turn the corner athletically. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Cody would have turned the corner this year and provided valuable minutes - maybe even been someone we depended on at some level.
Oh well ...

[Go2gtr]

Originally Posted by NorthCaptivaGator

you know the guy, the one who thinks he is never wrong

I was wondering who this statement would bring out.

[bullish]

One injury to Patrick and we have big trouble. Billy plays a short bench and has in return given players that add depth, reasons to leave. I am sure Cody didn't fulfill his contract with Billy, I am not defending that. Lack of playing time and labeled a black sheep was probably wearing on him. His motivation with the changing coaching staff was a arrow in his heart. I hope Cody goes on to play Div. 1 ball and gets a degree he can use because he is not NBA talent. The ball is in Cody's court. Good luck Cody, you chose Fla. from a land far off, to that I hope you can find some fun back in your life.

[NorthCaptivaGator]

Can Chris Walker give any minutes at the 4? Don't know much about him

[rserina]

Originally Posted by bullish

One injury to Patrick and we have big trouble. Billy plays a short bench and has in return given players that add depth, reasons to leave. I am sure Cody didn't fulfill his contract with Billy, I am not defending that. Lack of playing time and labeled a black sheep was probably wearing on him. His motivation with the changing coaching staff was a arrow in his heart. I hope Cody goes on to play Div. 1 ball and gets a degree he can use because he is not NBA talent. The ball is in Cody's court. Good luck Cody, you chose Fla. from a land far off, to that I hope you can find some fun back in your life.

An injury to Young and we would trouble, Larson or no Larson. The short rotation argument is crap. How many programs go four deep in the post and give those guys 10+ minutes a game?

[rserina]

Originally Posted by NorthCaptivaGator

Can Chris Walker give any minutes at the 4? Don't know much about him

Walker could legitimately play all three frontcourt positions. He starts out at the four, in my opinion, because he is a perfect fit for our system. Deadly pick and roll or pick and pop tandem with Hill who can space the floor with his shot or operate out of the high post. Skilled enough and athletic enough to give us a big wing if needed (still think that goes to Finney-Smith, who sounds like a much better passer and facilitator), but long enough to provide some help at the five. I like that Yeguete has added weight and they are using him some more at the five. He doesn't have the best height, but he is a great post defender and rebounder. Sort of a leaner Chuck Hayes with a French accent.

[oneatatime]

WY is Dennis Rodman without the tattoos and dramatics.

He'll play the "5" if needed

[madgator]

I made that prediction....and I would still stand by it. Unfortunately, we may never know. However, this is a player who was recruited by the likes of Indiana, Ohio St., Michigan, and signed at Florida.....but you're right. He has no skills, no talent, nothing. The Florida coaching staff put up with quite a bit with this kid over the years giving him second and even third chances to right himself. There is a reason why and it certainly has nothing to do with doing the right thing for a kid. They would've bailed on him long ago if he didn't have potential on the court.

the simple fact is that a lot of things I saw from him in his first year of action was very similiar to what I saw from Noah his first year. Not saying that they were identical in every way. However, Larson did certain things that impressed me enough to make that bold prediction. Not something I do capriciously. There was a basis in fact for what I said.

NCG, you have the right to agree or disagree.....I could really care less as I don't hold your opinion in very high regard. That being said, if you ever want to have a rational, facts based discussion about basketball. I can do that and if you ask around I have had several quality discussions about basketball with people on these boards. Problem is that you seem to have an obsession based vendetta against those that have a difference of opinion than you. As evidenced by you taking every opportunity to make some snide, off-topic remarks in forums that have nothing to do with basketball. Frankly, I find it pathetic.

[themistocles]

He originally did sign with Iowa.

My guess is that the family decided that paying the out of state tuition, plus room and board would put them out. Florida has the 2nd lowest undergraduate in-state tuition in the nation (for the State University System), but our non-resident tuition is roughly average, which is substantial.

Hopefully he makes progress toward whatever he decides to focus on.

Unfortunately, this makes the Gators woefully thin in the paint, and assures that Prather will play some strong forward which may leaves an extra 5 or 10 minutes per game for one of the taller freshman to play the 3 (Walker, Frazier, Graham).

[gatordavisl]

Wait . . . was that an admission of being incorrect?

Good luck to Cody. Hope he experiences academic success and finds a way back on the court elsewhere.

[rserina]

Originally Posted by themistocles

Unfortunately, this makes the Gators woefully thin in the paint, and assures that Prather will play some strong forward which may leaves an extra 5 or 10 minutes per game for one of the taller freshman to play the 3 (Walker, Frazier, Graham).

One thing that intrigues me going forward is how much Donovan loved the unit down the stretch last year with Murphy and four guards. He said repeatedly how difficult it was to defend because the floor was so easily spaced and made getting in the lane or crashing the offensive glass much easier, not to mention the fact that we had enough guys on the perimeter to get back in transition.

The downside, rather obviously, is that you are at a disadvantage protecting the rim and also defending bigger fours with a wing. That means it can't be a regular lineup or anything, but sort of has to be personnel-specific, especially against other perimeter oriented teams who won't take advantage of the more open lane (Mizzou) or teams with great shotblockers who now can't protect the rim themselves without leaving a shooter (Kentucky).

Should be fun to watch as it develops.

[GatorLurker]

Originally Posted by rserina

One thing that intrigues me going forward is how much Donovan loved the unit down the stretch last year with Murphy and four guards. He said repeatedly how difficult it was to defend because the floor was so easily spaced and made getting in the lane or crashing the offensive glass much easier, not to mention the fact that we had enough guys on the perimeter to get back in transition.

Having a player like Beal helped. He really knows how to play and is athletically gifted. The sky is the limit with him. He is better than any Gator I have ever seen and I have seen a lot.

In fact he is better than most of anybody's that I have ever seen. He can really play.

[rserina]

Originally Posted by GatorLurker

Having a player like Beal helped. He really knows how to play and is athletically gifted. The sky is the limit with him. He is better than any Gator I have ever seen and I have seen a lot.

In fact he is better than most of anybody's that I have ever seen. He can really play.

Very true. But remember Donovan also ran some of that with Wilbekin at three and even at the four. While Wilbekin isn't in the ballpark with Beal as a player, he brings some of the same intangibles in terms of competitiveness, toughness, and smarts, as well as a fairly think, physical frame for a guard and good defensive chops. That's why I continue to think that he may be the real key to this team's upside. We don't have anyone with the versatility he offers in terms of defending three, even four positions, and playing three offensively.

[bullish]

Rserina, Donovan has played a short bench his whole Florida career. It has caused a lot of transfers. This year adds to that list. We are now playing against Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama and others that have big men. One turned ankle and we are toast against decent teams. Larson could have given a few minutes of rest for Patrick. Div 1 seasons are long and our schedule is tough. Another body would have helped even knowing he is not Patrick. Not many people are. We need bigs and we have turned one off that we have just gotten a commitment from. If we don't get two bigs to go with Kasey and Chris, we will still be short on bigs. I guess Billy could go and sign another guard, LOL! He has put all his chips on a couple of bigs, I hope he can pull even one of them, we need depth on the front line.

[GatorsGators]

Originally Posted by bullish

Rserina, Donovan has played a short bench his whole Florida career. It has caused a lot of transfers. This year adds to that list. We are now playing against Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama and others that have big men. One turned ankle and we are toast against decent teams. Larson could have given a few minutes of rest for Patrick. Div 1 seasons are long and our schedule is tough. Another body would have helped even knowing he is not Patrick. Not many people are. We need bigs and we have turned one off that we have just gotten a commitment from. If we don't get two bigs to go with Kasey and Chris, we will still be short on bigs. I guess Billy could go and sign another guard, LOL! He has put all his chips on a couple of bigs, I hope he can pull even one of them, we need depth on the front line.

How will we be short on bigs even if we do strike out on Embiid and Randle? We'd still have Yeguete, Walker, Harris, and Finney-Smith. Embiid probably wouldn't play much over those four in his freshman year. Randle would play, but that's because he's an elite talent, and not because we'd be thin down low.

Larson leaving changes nothing outside of what we can do in practice. He failed to get playing time down low over a 6'6" Prather after Yeguete went down. Unless he had dramatically improved his game, he wouldn't have gotten significant time this season. If Young goes down, we're screwed. But that would have been true even if Larson was still playing.

[tampajack1]

Originally Posted by bullish

Rserina, Donovan has played a short bench his whole Florida career. It has caused a lot of transfers. This year adds to that list. We are now playing against Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama and others that have big men. One turned ankle and we are toast against decent teams. Larson could have given a few minutes of rest for Patrick. Div 1 seasons are long and our schedule is tough. Another body would have helped even knowing he is not Patrick. Not many people are. We need bigs and we have turned one off that we have just gotten a commitment from. If we don't get two bigs to go with Kasey and Chris, we will still be short on bigs. I guess Billy could go and sign another guard, LOL! He has put all his chips on a couple of bigs, I hope he can pull even one of them, we need depth on the front line.

Billy played 10 guys when he had 10 guys who could play. In 1999-2000, Matt Bonner played 13.5 minutes per game, which was the 10th most on the team.