The end justifies the means . . . so said 16th Century philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. Applied to last night’s Florida basketball game versus Towson . . . Florida won and it doesn’t matter how. Oh, but it does matter, especially with a horrible loss to FSU in the immediate rearview mirror, and increased competition on the road ahead. And while the kneejerk reaction may be to presume another apocalyptic column following such a narrow win, that’s not the case. In fact, there was some ‘good’ and ‘beautiful’ in this one . . . something beyond ‘peach cobbler’.
Let’s take a look . . .
THE GOOD: Florida won. That is good, certainly for my mental health. But beyond just the win, albeit a narrow win, there was some positivity. Scottie Lewis was inserted into the starting lineup, suggesting Coach White is reading these columns. Lewis was fantastic defensively, showcasing energy, athleticism, recovery speed and length. “That’s what he is capable of down the road – in his career. And hopefully sooner than later we will see it more consistently, because his ceiling as a defender is really high,” Coach White said following the game. Lewis took over the assignment of defending Towson guard Brian Fobbs, who had 10 early points . . . and harassed him into a mere 2 points in the second half. But more exciting for fans longing for some offense was Scottie’s 15-point night . . . one that combined 2-4 shooting from the arc with a couple explosive drives to the basket.
Lewis’ outing was complimented by some very promising production in the paint. Though Kerry Blackshear continued to struggle from the floor, he recorded another double-double . . . 13 points/13 rebounds in 28 minutes. And that was buoyed by the play of both Omar Payne and Jason Jitoboh, both of whom made the most of their minutes – perhaps too few minutes. “With the combination of Kerry, Omar Payne goes 4 –for -4 and Jason Jitoboh draws three fouls in three minutes . . . we did a lot at the 5-spot,” White said.
Florida not only did a nice job getting the ball inside – a major point of emphasis, the Gators also moved the ball around the court much better than it had a game earlier. The attention drawn to the interior allowed for some wide open perimeter shots, but . . .
THE BAD: . . . Florida “couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn”, as my mother would say. The Gators finished 7-22 from the arc, and its top shooters led the ineptitude. Tre Mann, Noah Lock, Ques Glover and Kerry Blackshear (yes, he is a good 3-point shooter) combined to convert 2 of 12. YUCK! Though the paltry shooting has been an early trend, it is not one White forecasts as lasting much longer. “I think we will find our way. We’ve shot it really well in the preseason. They’ll start falling for us from three,” he said. And as you might expect, it’s those first two names White most anticipates returning to form. “I believe in these shooters. Tre Mann and Noah Locke are two of the best shooters I’ve ever coached. They’ll get it going”. Hopefully by Sunday, as this is not a category Florida can afford to land in the “BAD” column too often.
Perhaps not as bad as the three-point performance, but certainly less than good was Florida’s easy-shot conversion . . . those from the stripe or at the rim. The Gators missed far too many point-blank shots. Kerry duffed an easy put-back, Andrew again inexplicably flubbed a layup by switching to his left hand, and the team clanged 35% of its free throws. Against UCONN . . . Florida’s next opponent . . . that’s losing basketball.
THE UGLY: There is absolutely no way Towson should outrebound the Gators, and especially not on its home floor. Despite playing with some big lineups that paired Kerry with either Jitoboh or Payne, Florida ended the game with a 2 rebound deficit. Despite that ugliness, Florida did manage to limit the second half points.
Speaking of points, the Gators are simply not producing enough of ’em. While Andrew Nembhard seemed to pick-up the pace some, and the ball movement improved – this was another game in which an overwhelming roster underwhelmed the scoreboard. The hope is Florida isn’t content to slog out these type wins, but rather that this is a reflection of early growing pains for a team largely playing together for the first time. “Offensively we have to settle in and find some identity . . . who are we, exactly, offensively . . . And put it all together,” White conceded. Right now, it’s U-G-L-Y . . . and with this roster, “we ain’t got no alibi”.
THE BEAUTIFUL: Omar Payne played beautifully, and should’ve played more than 14 minutes. His 4-for-4 performance began with soft-touch hook. Soon after it was a perfect post seal . . . dunk . . . and foul! He later snared an offensive rebound over the head of a Towson player- in a way that seemed to defy either physics or the abilities of the human body . . . and promptly flushed it. And his final bucket was most impressive … an entry pass seemed to place him far too deep, but he calmly collected the ball, spun and softly dropped it through the net. B-E-A-U-T-F-U-L . The ‘end’ and the ‘means’ – all beautiful!
Florida will need more of it, from Omar and his teammates this Sunday. Here’s hoping this is a much longer segment next week!
So, as I search for a beautiful end to this column . . . .
Go Gators!