Minutes are going to be tough to come by for the Gators next year.
Though the Gators only lost two players that saw the floor to graduation there will be a lot more mouths to feed when it comes to court time. Gorjok Gak and Dontay Bassett, two guys who had injuries last year that limited them, are both expected to be totally healthy and Isaiah Stokes and Chase Johnson, both who redshirted last year due to injury, are active too. That doesn’t even factor in the talented recruiting class of Andrew Nembhard, Noah Locke, and Keyontae Johnson, the highest rated class Mike White has ever secured.
Mike White silenced any questions about whether young players would factor into the rotation.
“We’ll be playing a bunch of young guys. We’ll be depending upon, I want to say eight underclassmen that will play, that will compete for minutes. Who knows. All eight of them may play.”
When asked specifically about the freshman group, he was a little more direct.
“Yeah, they’ll play.”
This was almost assumed when it came to Andrew Nembhard, perhaps the only true point guard on the team and someone expected to have a starting role on November 6 when the Gators play their first game of the season against Florida State. For the two other freshman it was a little cloudier on how they might make the rotation with wings like Jalen Hudson, KeVaughn Allen, Michael Okauru, and Deaundrae Ballard ahead of them in experience.
“Keyontae, he’s a big-time athlete. He’s got a chance to be a really high-level defender, rebounder from the wing spot. We’ve got to get his motor going. He’s got to play with that athleticism all the time and utilize it. A great kid, working hard, I think he’s going to be a good player.”
The Gators lacked a shutdown wing with size to lock down some of the SEC’s bigger and more talented small forwards and Johnson has all the physical tools and the mindset to find himself in that role. Defense comes first on a Mike White coached team and if Johnson can make his check’s night difficult whenever he enters the game he could get a regular shift and if he can defend elite wings in the SEC he could be one of the first players to have his name called off the bench.
The chance to get on the court right away is a focus for Johnson.
“I just want to come in and make an impact on the team and do my job and just get wins.”
Johnson is already seeing a change in his game since he came to Gainesville and is feeling a lot more confident then when he first showed up.
“Everything is slowing down for me, and I’m getting the hang of everything. The older guys were pushing me to go harder, I feel like doing that early, it helped me out through now, I feel like I’m better than when I first got here.”
For Noah Locke, his scoring ability has always been noted throughout his high school career but Coach White has noticed some other things since the Maryland product has come to town.
“Of course, Noah Locke’s had a really good fall to this point. Not a guy that we’ve had to question effort one day. Takes good shots, high-level shooter. Understands the game, probably was an underrated defender coming out, and we’ve been very pleased with his work ethic and toughness to this point.”
With the chance to be one of the team’s best shooters from day one the fact he has been able to defend at a high level is a good thing for his playing chances. He might lack some of the physical tools you might expect in a shutdown defender but he moves his feet really well and is an intelligent player, all things that lead me to believe he shouldn’t struggle on that end. You can always find room in your rotation for guys that can knock down shots and defend their position and I could see Locke slotting in as an instant-offense guy off the bench. If things are ever starting slow for the Gators he could come in a fling a few deep balls, or come in a little bit later and be one of the primary weapons with the bench unit. However it factors in, he should play a factor on this year’s roster.
There was lots of talk on Andrew Nembhard throughout media day as the Canadian point guard is expected to be a major piece right away. Though he wasn’t totally committal on whether or not Nembhard would start, the idea that one of the new point guards would be leading the way is pretty new to Coach White.
“I guess this would be my second time assuming that either Andrew Nembhard or Mike Okauru wins that spot, and Mike not being a first-year guy, but it would be his first year really playing exclusively the point. First year starting, I guess.”
He then outlined what it could look like to work a first-year point guard into a position where he’s comfortable for the meat of the season.
“There are a lot of challenges. I guess it would probably start with, as it did where Speedy (a star point guard White developed at Louisiana Tech), with Andrew trying to simplify the game for him as much as possible. Simplify his role, through film, trying to help him become as comfortable as possible as soon as possible. We won’t be relying upon him to be a huge vocal leader, to be an emotional leader for us, but we will be relying on him to direct some traffic and to lead in that regard, then also allowing young guards to play through mistakes. He’s going to have to play through mistakes, and Mike Okauru is as well, and continue to breed confidence as much as possible, and, of course have an open line of communication, not only with staff, but with myself on a daily basis. At the same time, ride him. Let him do what he does, because it’s not like he’s a huge work in progress. Andrew is a very talented young man, and he’s a high-level passer, he’s a very high-level IQ guy, and he’s going to be a really good player.”
Since Chiozza was such a great distributor Nembhard might have some big shoes to fill but Coach White was bullish when it came to his passing ability.
“He’ll have a chance to be in the conversation to be one of the better passers in college basketball. Who knows how many assists that means, how many highlights he produces, how many minutes he’ll play. I’m not sure. But that is his gift. He sees the game at a high level. He’s a split-second thinker. Again, he’s very intelligent. Not only is he an elite passer, he’s an elite passer with size, which makes it even a little bit easier for him to deliver some passes that other guys with equal vision can’t deliver.”
Whether it’s Nembhard’s passing ability, Locke’s shooting talent, or Johnson’s defensive intensity, the freshman are ready to play major roles and they’ll be x-factors in what the team can achieve this season.