Golden Likes Where The Gators Are So Far

BY FRANZ BEARD

GATORBAIT MEDIA

So far, so good.

A month of practice is in the books along with one closed-door scrimmage with Miami. A second closed door scrimmage with Jacksonville University will take place this weekend and then there is the Orange and Blue Scrimmage, open to the public at the O-Dome Tuesday night (7 p.m., free admission).

After that, it’s time for Todd Golden and the Gators to start trending to real basketball against real opponents in games that count. The first one is a week from Monday (November 7, O-Dome, 8 p.m.) against Stony Brook, an 18-13 team last year that is picked to finish next-to-last in the Colonial Athletic Association this season.

Golden is young, energetic and an absolute analytical whiz who breaks down every second of every practice, whether it’s a drill or in scrimmage situations to figure out the who, what, when, where and how for this team. It’s a fresh approach that offers promise for a basketball program that had a spinning-the-wheels feel to it the past few years. Mike White is a very good basketball coach, but his way of doing things seemed mired in inconsistency. Maybe White didn’t have the right players for his brand of basketball or perhaps his approach just didn’t work in this place, but whatever the reason, it was time for a fresh breath of air.

That is what Golden has brought to the program. Practice is done at breakneck speed. There is very little yelling other than to shout approval or encouragement when something goes right or is done spectacularly. When things bog down or there is a series of mistakes, the whistle blows and the team encircles Golden at midcourt. There is no yelling and screaming, but he gets his point across.

Golden’s way of doing things seems to have caught on rather well with a team that is blending six returning players with four transfers and three freshmen. There seems to be good chemistry both on and off the court and players seem to genuinely like the coaching staff. Golden is the CEO and defensive specialist. Carlin Hartman handles the big guys. Kevin Hovde is the offensive coordinator. Korey McCray is the dynamite recruiter who handles point guards and wings.

In the first month of practice, the new staff has had to deal with returning All-SEC Colin Castleton getting used to contact again after offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and back up center Jason Jitoboh going through a grueling rehab after four spring and summer surgeries on a severely damaged eye dating back to the Tennessee game in Knoxville last year. St. Bonaventure transfer point guard Kyle Lofton, a three-time All-Atlantic 10 performer who was one of the most heavily recruited transfers, missed more than two weeks after a groin strain suffered during a Saturday morning practice. Belmont shooting guard transfer Will Richard injured an ankle and is only recently back to full strength after missing more than two weeks of practices. There are two other transfers and the freshmen, all of whom are getting acclimated to classes at the University of Florida, new teammates, new coaches and basketball at the speed of Golden.

The speed of Golden is often determined by hustle stats. Without them Golden never would have progressed from walk-on to a valuable contributor in Randy Bennett’s ultra-successful system at Saint Mary’s. Hustle stats became an invaluable asset to Golden’s successful three-year stint at San Francisco and they already determined who was starting last Saturday in Florida’s closed-door scrimmage with Miami, an Elite Eight team from last year.

“With our scrimmage against Miami, we started the five guys that are winning in their respective spots,” Golden said. “That’s not necessarily going to be the case on opening night – it could end up being that way – but we’re not saying, ‘Hey, whoever is in this spot on November 6 is starting on November 7,’ but our hope was that our hustle stats generally correlate to winning and losing plays. So, guys who are doing well are making more winning plays in practice so we wanted to give them the positive affirmation of what they’re doing. And, some of those guys were able to play really well Saturday.”

The five who started the Miami scrimmage game were Castleton, CJ Felder, Kowacie Reeves, Riley Kugel and Trey Bonham. Kyle Lofton, who, along with Castleton has already been named a starter for the opening against Stony Brook, was held out of the scrimmage since he was just coming back from the groin injury.

There has been no published report of the scrimmage outcome although word has leaked out that the Gators won on the scoreboard. Golden was more concerned with winning rebounding battles, reducing turnovers and playing at a pace and tempo to his liking, but overall, he liked how the Gators played and how far they’ve come in a month.

“I’m positive,” he said Tuesday. “I feel good about where we are. We had a good closed-door scrimmage against Miami. I won’t get into too many particulars about it, but that’s a good club (Miami) and a team that’s expected to have a very good year. A veteran team that obviously made an Elite Eight run last year and added some good pieces. I thought we played pretty well. A lot of areas to improve on. We didn’t have Kyle so getting him back will make us a little more solid but with two weeks to go before our first game, I think we’re in a good spot.”

Golden liked what he saw of the defensive effort on some of Miami’s veteran players and he found the offensive rebounding a real positive. The defensive rebounding is an area that Golden wants to improve. Three-point shooting continues to be a real plus.

“We shot it okay on Saturday, but I think we’ll shoot it better as we continue on,” he said.

With only Lofton out, Golden got to see 12 of the 13 scholarship players on his roster in action. Probably the one who stood out the most was sophomore Kowacie Reeves, who has come on strong to become a real force at both ends of the court in the past couple of weeks. Against Miami, he made shots from the outside, scored off the drive and inside the 3-point line. He defended and rebounded.

This was the Kowacie Reeves we saw at the end of last season when he was finally cut loose and given minutes by the previous coach. The scrimmage showed how he’s grown and matured as a player.

“I think he’s playing within himself,” Golden said. “He’s understanding through our coaching what we value and again, to his credit, he’s been really receptive to coaching. And, I think for him, he’s not always trying to prove what he can do. He’s just doing the things he does well really, really well and that’s comforting.”

The next week or so will be spent fine tuning the offense and defense in preparation for the season opener and a November schedule that includes Florida State as well as potential matchups with Duke, Gonzaga and Purdue, all of which are ranked in everybody’s preseason top 10.

BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER

Probable starters

Colin Castleton (6-11, 250, 5th YR): Fully recovered from surgery to repair a torn labrum that forced him to play the final six weeks of last season one-handed, Castleton has had an exceptional fall. He has extended the range on his jumper to the 3-point line and he’s shooting well enough that he will have the green light to let it fly if he’s open. What is most impressive is his mobility with the basketball in his hands. He’s been seen in practice to grab a rebound, put the ball on the deck and break out of the pack to start a fast break. He has always been a good passer, but the new offensive scheme gets better spacing so his assists should go way up. All-SEC the last two years, he’s picked All-SEC in the preseason again although Golden thinks he should be on preseason All-America teams. He’s starting to assert himself as a vocal leader on the team which is encouraging.

CJ Felder (6-7, 240, SR): Slowed last year by illness and a sports hernia, he is healthy again. He has had a very strong fall in which he’s played out high as much as he has in the blocks down low. He is the most physical player on the team and despite being 6-7, is a legitimate shot blocker, which he proved in his first two years at Boston College. What he’s shown in the fall is the ability to put the ball on the deck and drive to the rack. He has 3-point range and is a very good shooter from the corner.

Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 192, SO): The lights have come on and he’s starting to play every day in practice the way he played against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament last year. The ability to score has always been there, but in addition to shooting the 3-ball, he’s putting the ball on the deck and driving to the rack where he’s an explosive jumper. He’s also refined his pull-up abilities and has become a lethal threat from 15 feet on in. He’s very much improved defensively and showing more of a willingness to rebound on both ends of the floor. He dominated in the scrimmage with Miami.

Will Richard (6-4, 206, SO): Now that he’s healthy he’s starting to show why he was such a coveted transfer. He has always been an outstanding long distance shooter and he’s been showing that since he’s been able to practice. He also has the ability to get into the paint off the dribble and score. Richard has a strong all-around game. He rebounds better than his size and he’s a capable defender who can handle both wings and even take some turns defending the power forward.

Kyle Lofton (6-3, 188, GR): If the Gators had him the last couple of years, they would have been a real threat to make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. He is a pure point guard with a pass first mentality. He makes everyone around him better at both ends of the court. He is an elite defender. A good, but not a great outside shooter who can knock down a three. When he gets into the paint he pressures opposing defenses because he is always a threat to dump it off, but can take it all the way to the rack.

Off the bench

Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 300, SR): He is in the best shape of his life and playing very good basketball. Golden is being careful with him as he is still not 100 percent recovered from the injury that required five eye surgeries. He is productive on the court at both ends and his value as a teammate cannot be emphasized enough. He is always encouraging teammates and takes particular delight when a teammate does something spectacular.

Alex Fudge (6-9, 200, SO): He can defend all five positions. This is an elite defender who can erase in the paint as well as handle point guards. He will be invaluable when the Gators press because he can defend and score easily in transition. If there is a weakness in his game it is an inconsistent outside shot. He’s streaky and when he gets it going he can fill it up, but he also has spells when he can’t buy a basket. He will be early off the bench and will probably end up playing 20-25 minutes a game. If he starts hitting shots, Golden may have to find a way to start him.

Myreon Jones (6-3, 177, GR): He’s regained the shooting touch that made him a 15-point a game scorer at Penn State. He is most comfortable on the wing, but Golden doesn’t hesitate to give him minutes at the point either. If he can shoot at the 38 percent level from beyond the 3-point line he will have a very big year. When he’s hitting shots the defense stretches and the inside game opens up.

Riley Kugel (6-5, 207, FR): He is surprisingly developed for a true freshman. He plays mostly on the wing, but Golden has given him some reps at the point as well. He is a very good 3-point shooter. When defenders try to crowd him, he’s quick enough to put the ball on the deck and blow by them. He is a spectacular leaper (vertical is 45+ inches) who has had some of the more spectacular dunks in the preseason. He is going to play early and often.

Trey Bonham (6-0, 170, JR): Imagine Kasey Hill’s quickness and Taurean Green’s jump shot. That’s what Bonham brings to the table. He shoots from different area codes and as associate head coach Carlin Hartman says, “He makes them!” He ran the team efficiently in the closed door scrimmage with Miami. He has benefitted from the time as the No. 1 point guard during Kyle Lofton’s recovery time from the groin injury. Lofton is such a good defender that Golden won’t hesitate to pair him with Bonham at times. Bonham will be the shooter on the offensive end and Lofton will take the wing defensively at the other end. He’s an excellent press defender and an absolute blur with the ball in his hands in the open court.

Niels Lane (6-5, 215, JR): This is Florida’s defensive stopper. Lane can defend everything except center with a high level of skill. He will be the guy Golden sends in the game to cool off a hot shooter. During fall practice he has shown the ability to get some points off the drive or in the paint off rebounds. His vertical is in the 43-inch range so he’s a spectacular dunker, but he has a slow release jump shot that will take minutes away from him.

Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 189, FR): He has a future at the point but right now he’s a bit buried on the depth chart behind Lofton and Bonham. He has had some extremely good practices as of late including one that he hit 5-6 from the 3-point line during an intrasquad scrimmage. He makes good decisions with the ball in the open court. Defensively, he still plays like a true freshman at times but he picks things up quickly and rarely makes the same mistake twice. Getting minutes will be a struggle, but he’s capable of playing well when called upon.

Alexs Szymczyk (6-10, 240, FR): He was a late signee out of Germany although before COVID he was playing high school basketball in Lakeland. He has range to the 3-point line plus he’s big and willing to throw his body around. Minutes will be hard to come by but he learns daily in practice and it’s easy to see progress is made. Right now his biggest asset is the five 6-10, 240-pound fouls he has to give that can help eat up minutes if one of the other bigs gets in foul trouble.