When it comes to improvements head coach Todd Golden and his staff will be looking to make in their second year at Florida, one category sticks out.
Defensive rebounding.
Golden has always seen the immense value in controlling the glass and it’s something that was a huge part of the reason his NCAA Tournament team at San Francisco was so successful. Though not for a lack of trying, the Gators struggled all season long controlling missed shots, and they finished the season 285th in the country in defensive rebounding rate.
Being undersized in the SEC certainly didn’t help, and their chances of even being somewhat competitive on the glass went out the window when Colin Castleton went down to injury.
This season the Gators are determined to be infinitely better on the glass, though how reasonable is it to suggest they will be much improved? Let’s start by looking back at last year’s rotation in defensive rebounding percentage–the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while on the floor:
Colin Castleton: 20.2%
Alex Fudge: 16.4%
Myreon Jones: 14.7%
Will Richard: 13.4%
Kowacie Reeves: 12.5%
Trey Bonham: 12.2%
Riley Kugel: 9.8%
Kyle Lofton: 8.3%
Jason Jitoboh: 8.2%
Defensive rebounding percentage may not be a stat you look at regularly, so here is a bit more context. Colin Castleton was 217th in the country in defensive rebounding rate, down from 84th last season to a number that’s acceptable from an SEC center–but not necessarily a dominant one. After that, it’s an entire roster of players that are well below average for their position in defensive rebounding numbers. No one would have predicted Myreon Jones to have the third best defensive rebounding percentage on the roster, and if they did–you’d probably know the Gators had some issues there. Having a 6’11”, 300 pound center dead last on the roster putting up numbers that would be low even for a point guard certainly doesn’t help, either. Will Richard was known as an excellent rebounder at Belmont where he often had to play the four, but in the SEC having to play as an undersized frontcourt player he was overmatched physically and ended up with a percentage he’d certainly like to improve.
How much will Florida’s rebounding be helped out with the players they grabbed in the portal? Let’s take a look.
It’s clear that defensive rebounding was the major focus when it came to landing Marshall’s Micah Handlogten who was 27th in the country in defensive rebounding, posting an astonishing 26.3% defensive rebound rate. Yes, he did it in a mid-major league–but those numbers should still suggest he’s going to be an excellent defensive rebounder at the high-major level. His length at 7’1” will easily translate, and if he’s able to control Florida’s backboard he could command a massive role.
Right now Tyrese Samuel is a presumed starter and the only question is whether it will be as a power forward or center–and defensive rebounding could play a huge role in that. On one hand, Golden loved playing two centers at San Francisco where he could dominate the glass and play through the post, but on the other hand having Samuel at center and opening up the power forward spot for more shooting from someone like Thomas Haugh would really help what was a struggling offense from last season.
Here is a possible cause for concern–Seton Hall wasn’t much better on the defensive glass than Florida last season ranking 251st in defensive rebounding percentage. Samuel’s individual defensive rebounding percentage was 16.7%, a disappointing number for someone who played most of his minutes at center. Yes, the Big East had some of the best rebounding big men in the country–but still those are some concerning numbers for Samuel. How well he is able to rebound the ball will be huge for his impact at Florida, and for what position he ends up playing most of his minutes at.
Guards might not play the biggest role when it comes to rebounding, but it certainly helps when you’ve got smalls that will dig down and help out the post players when it comes to getting the basketball.
That’s why it’s huge to note that Zyon Pullin posted a 14.5% defensive rebound rate last season, using his good length for a point guard at 6’4” to help out and battle on the glass. Pullin’s efforts with rebounding also played a role in UC Riverside being one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country last year ranking 10th in defensive rebound rate. Considering that Lofton had a 8.3% defensive rebound rate last year, the Gators should be improving a lot in their rebounding at that position. While he might not be able to turn Florida’s defensive rebounding around on his own, Pullin should be a major contributor in this area.
Walter Clayton also was a good rebounder for his position putting up a 13.9% rebounding rate. While he doesn’t have great length he is physical, quick, and sneakily bouncy–and that helps him when he goes back to try to board.
Florida’s rebounding prospects took a bit of a hit when EJ Jarvis announced he would be stepping away from basketball as he was a solid rebounder at Yale who was 11th in the country in defensive rebounding last season. While his individual defensive rebounding rate of 17.0% wasn’t incredible, he was diligent with boxing out and allowing his teammates to grab the ball, contributing to such an elite defensive rebounding number. His departure should hurt the Gators from a rebounding standpoint.
The freshmen Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon have been pushing for big minutes to start their college careers and if they’re able to rebound alongside the other skills they bring they could very well do that. Haugh is 6’9” and 210 pounds and has decent strength, and that length at the power forward spot is solid. Condon is up to 6’11” and 230 pounds and he plays with incredible physicality that goes back to his days playing Australian Rules Football (a heavy collision sport similar to rugby) at an elite level. He loves mixing it up on the glass and if he sees rebounding as a pathway to more minutes, he’s going to do it like his life depends on it.
Florida being an improved rebounding team should be a safe bet, but just how much is the question. Florida would love to be not just an average but a very good defensive rebounding team, but it’s unknown what kind of improvement will be made from a team that was 285th in that area last season. With it being a major focus of the team this year, which players can dominate the glass could end up deciding difficult rotation decisions and who starts in big games.