Thoughts of the Day: April 8, 2021

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

HOW THE BASKETBALL ROSTER IS TAKING SHAPE

Funny, but the sky isn’t falling on the Florida basketball program. Just a week ago there were quite a few who believed Mike White would have to rely heavily on walk-ons next season to have a full roster. A week later, thanks to three transfers, White has a current roster of 11 scholarship players counting Keyontae Johnson, who still has not received medical clearance to return to playing basketball. Losing four kids to the transfer portal might have seemed like a serious blow to the program a week ago but the three new guys actually upgrade the roster.

The third of the transfers committed to White and the Gators Thursday. Penn State’s leading scorer from the past season, Birmingham native Myreon Jones, chose Florida over Arkansas, Ole Miss and LSU. Jones (6-3, 180) has two more seasons of eligibility remaining since the 2020-21 season won’t count against anyone in Division I. Jones averaged 15.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last year while hitting 39.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. That he only turned the ball over 29 times in 25 games should be music to the ears of Florida fans.

Jones joins grad transfer Brandon McKissic, who scored at a 17.2 per game pace at UMKC this past season, and 3rd-year sophomore C.J. Felder, who averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds at Boston College. The three newbies to the Florida roster combined for 42.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Statistically, that’s quite an upgrade from the four who have announced they are transferring out. The combined production of the departed Noah Locke, Omar Payne (to Illinois), Ques Glover and Osayi Osifo (to Jacksonville) was 18.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

With two scholarships open for sure and potentially a third if Keyontae isn’t cleared, White needs to find a point guard and another big guy. The point guard in the transfer portal that UF has had contact with is Deivon Smith (6-1, 165), who averaged 5.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game coming off the bench at Mississippi State as a true freshman last year. Smith was heavily recruited by the Gators out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia.

Among the big guys that Florida is recruiting in the transfer portal are Noah Gurley (6-8, 210, Furman), Tari Eason (6-8, 220, Cincinnati), Jayden Gardner (6-8, 235, East Carolina). Of the three, Gurley and Eason might be 1-2. Gardner seems to be leaning toward either North Carolina State or Virginia.

Returning (6): Colin Castleton (6-11, 235, 5th YR JR); Anthony Duruji (6-7, 220, 5th YR JR); Tyree Appleby (6-1, 172, 5th YR JR); Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 285, 3rd YR SO); Samson Ruzhentsev (6-7, 195, 2nd YR FR); Neils Lane (6-5, 205, 2nd YR FR)

Signed LOI (1): Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 180, Macon, GA Westside)

Transfers (3): Brandon McKissic (6-3, 200, GR); C.J. Felder (6-7, 235, 3rd YR SO); Myreon Jones (6-3, 185, 4th YR JR)

In Doubt (1): Keyontae Johnson (6-5, 240, 4th YR JR)

GATORS SHUT OUT FAMU, 10-0

Jud Fabian hit his 10th home run of the season and Nathan Hickey drove in three runs with four hits as the 9th-ranked Gators (20-9) tuned up for their weekend encounter in Knoxville with 6th-ranked Tennessee by hammering Florida A&M, 10-0.

Fabian’s 3-run homer in the bottom of the first gave the Gators all the offense they needed but Hickey drove in two with a double in the second and capped a 4-run eighth with a run-scoring single.

Picking up the win in relief of starter Timmy Manning was Chase Centala (2-0, 2.31 ERA). Centala came on with two out in the third, got the final out and then gave the Gators another 1-2/3 innings before David Leuthje came on in the fifth. Leuthje pitched 1-2/3 hitless innings. Jordan Butler got the final two outs.

UF SOFTBALL: GATORS SWEEP USF Katie Chronister came on to pitch two perfect innings in relief of Natalie Lugo Wednesday night to preserve a 2-1 win as the 5th-ranked Gators (29-4) swept a doubleheader with South Florida (17-9). The Gators run-ruled South Florida in the first game, 9-1.

In game one, Charla Echols and Kendyl Lindaman homered to back the 3-hit pitching of Elizabeth Hightower (13-2, 1.31 ERA). Echols gave Hightower all the support she needed in the bottom of the first when she hit a 3-run homer to right field, her 10th of the season. In the fourth, Lindaman hit her 6th homer of the season, a 2-run shot to left center field. Hightower walked three and struck out five.

In the second game, Echols broke up a 1-1 tie with a 2-out RBI double to right center to score Hannah Adams, who had singled. Emily Wilkie accounted for Florida’s other run when she led off the bottom of the second inning with her fourth home run of the season. Lugo (9-1, 1.41 ERA) gave up three hits in five innings to get the win. After Echols put the Gators ahead, Chronister came on to earn her second save of the season.

The Gators will play the Canadian national team at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Saturday and Western Kentucky in a non-conference game on Sunday.

OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC (FOOTBALL/HOOPS):

Alabama: Former 5-star recruit Antonio Alfano, who quit before ever playing a game for Nick Saban and then transferred to Colorado, is on the move again. This time he’s on his way to Independence (KS) Community College, which Netflix refers to as “Last Chance U.”

Arkansas: It was a busy day for Arkansas basketball which saw two more players transfer out and one transfer in. The newbie is former Miami point guard Chris Lykes (5-7, 165), who averaged 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the two games he played this past season before he was injured. During his UM career, Lykes averaged 13.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Outgoing are power forward Ethan Henderson (6-8, 210) and power forward Emeka Obukwele (6-8, 235). Still no word on SEC Freshman of the Year Moses Moody (6-6, 205), who averaged 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Auburn: Small forward Javon Franklin (6-7, 220) is transferring to South Alabama.

Georgia: JT Daniels, the latest in a long line of saviors expected to bring Georgia its first national title since Herschel Walker’s freshman year, says, “There’s no denying we do want to win a natty. I think we have the team to do it.” What? Is someone other than Kirby Smart coaching Georgia this year?

Kentucky: Kentucky is very much in the running to land North Carolina transfer Walker Kessler, a 7-1 center who also has Tennessee, Gonzaga and Michigan actively seeking his services. New North Carolina coach Hubert Davis says his top priority is to re-recruit Kessler and keep him in Chapel Hill.

LSU: Trendon Watford (6-8, 220) declared for the NBA and will hire an agent. He averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his two years in Baton Rouge. Expected also to announce their departures are Cameron Thomas, JaVonte Smart and Darius Days. Missouri: Former Mizzou wide receiver Dominic Gicinto is transferring to New Mexico State. He had 23 catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns in his Missouri career.

South Carolina: Darla Moore, the top booster for both the university and athletic department who has donated more than $75 million to the school, says she’s “embarrassed and humiliated” that no one from the university athletic department sent her condolences when her mother died. Moore is also quite peeved that the university hired Bob Caslen as its president a few months ago.

Tennessee: Forward Drew Pember, who was a teammate of former Florida guard Ques Glover at Knoxville’s Bearden High School, announced that he is transferring to UNC-Asheville.

ARIZONA TRIES TO STAY ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE NCAA JAILER Arizona probably could have saved itself some grief by firing Sean Miller a year or so ago for his alleged involvement a pay-for-play arrangement with former assistant Book Richardson that was one of the centerpieces of the federal college basketball corruption trial. When the NCAA got involved, Zona stood by Miller as long as it could before finally caving Wednesday. Nobody will ever admit it, but you can bet the farm Zona was told “either get rid of him now or we may hit you with the death penalty.” The prudent thing was to jettison Miller.

Arizona is still going to get hit with severe penalties and that likely means they’ll go with a young, fairly unproven successor while they weather the storm. I expect Arizona will stay within the family so I believe the three potential successors are Pacific coach Damon Stoudamire, Los Angeles Lakers assistant Miles Simon and Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton. Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner is also an Arizona alum, but Georgia Tech and Pastner have had their own recent run-in with the NCAA. It doesn’t make much sense for a school about to get smacked silly by the NCAA to hire a coach who has run afoul.

Arizona’s decision to go ahead and pink slip Miller might be a warning shot across the bow of Kansas, which was probably singing Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man” throughout the basketball complex in Lawrence last week when Bill Self was given a lifetime contract. Kansas has vowed to go bare knuckles with the NCAA over the notice of allegations stemming from the corruption trials that put Self and Kansas squarely in the crosshairs. Rather than go toe-to-toe with the Committee on Infractions, Kansas has asked for and receive a trial before an independent board that is supposed to be fairer than a bunch of faculty from NCAA member schools. I can’t see Kansas winning no matter who hears the case.

LSU should also be fearful of the NCAA but for slightly different reasons. Basketball coach Will Wade was caught on an FBI wiretap allegedly offering to buy players. If it were only basketball, the NCAA would have already served a notice of allegations, but this situation isn’t that simple. There is that teensy matter of football where a booster embezzled money and then used it to pay players. There is also that Title IX investigation that complicates things even further. Because both the basketball and football violations are both as major as it gets, LSU could face some of the harshest penalties ever handed down by the NCAA. Yes, it has taken a long time to get to the LSU case, but it is indeed complicated.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Back in November, when they played the 2020 version of the Masters, Bryson DeChambeau declared he was going to play Augusta National like it was a par 67. He averaged 324 yards off the tee but as he found out, hitting the ball a long way at Augusta National doesn’t always equate to the best score. Augusta National is all about course management, keeping the ball in the fairway and out of the tall pines and azaleas, and making putts. Dustin Johnson made so many putts that he won at 20-under in November while DeChambeau finished tied for 34th. I think DJ has a really good chance to repeat, but the two guys I believe have the best chance to wear the green jacket are Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. Thomas is 64th on the PGA Tour in average driving distance but he’s first in fewest putts per hole at 1.658. Spieth, who has won at Augusta National before, is 89th in driving distance but he needs an average of 1.71 putts per hole. My heart says Spieth will win. My head is going with Thomas. DeChambeau, I think will finish somewhere around 20th.