I start out this day with the conviction to renew my vow not to take everything—including myself– so seriously. Not to take the bait from the Nabobs of Negativism. Stress is overwhelming. So I’m invoking these rules: 1) Start out with something positive, like maybe a Norman Vincent Peale quote. 2) Make a joke, or laugh at something, even yourself. 3) Don’t get into one of those senseless debates on a meaningless, tired topic. OK? So that takes the subject of Mike White off the table, right? Did you hear the one about …? Well, hold on a second. I read a column by a writer I don’t know which excoriated Florida’s basketball coach as if he were a Trump Supporter at a Democratic Caucus. A recent article on InAllKindsOfWeather.com not only paints White as a hopeless cause, but suggests his replacement already. If I am to believe all the diatribe on White in a column by Neil Shulman, I’d say the coach should not only be fired, but tarred and feathered and sent packing out of town. But wait, I promised to avoid rabbit holes today like they were potholes on life’s highway. So let’s backtrack with this from Norman Vincent Peale’s “Power of Positive Thinking”: “Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities -- always see them, for they're always there.” Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking. The news didn't get any better Thursday after learning that three-point specialist Noah Locke has chosen to enter the transfer portal and leave the program, meaning that the the shooting firepower has been severely diminished. And then there was another setback when Colin Castleton announced he would test his NBA without hiring an agent. Shortly before that, the backcourt took another hit when guard Ques Glover announced he was leaving through the portal, although his role had diminished considerably in recent games. So it's been a tough week for Mike White, who no doubt feels like his island is getting smaller. Those kind of blows feel a little bit like piling on, but it is the nature of today's game. Now the heat is about to be turned up and Coach White's mettle is going to be severely tested. Still, there’s always that possibility things could turn around for Gator basketball, even with the Locke and Glover transfers and Tre Mann and Castleton (possibly) leaving for the NBA -- and despite the illness of SEC Preseason Player of the Year Keyontae Johnson. Even though recruiting may not meet the expectations of those who consider themselves basketball “experts,” there are potential quick fixes out there now from the transfer portal (just ask Dan Mullen). Maybe there's another Locke in there. Two or three transfers and one outstanding signee could provide a quick basketball makeover. And what if Keyontae DOES come back to play? Isn’t it totally absurd to give up on the program? Apparently not… “There is nothing on this blue and green marble that we all live on that will change my mind on Mike White short of literally winning the national championship or a 2013-14 type season that features a perfect 21-0 record in the SEC and a run to the Final Four. I don’t care if Florida goes on the road and beats Kentucky and Tennessee back to back by sixty points. I don’t care if Florida draws Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 challenge and houses them by forty in Lawrence. I don’t care if Florida goes 25-8, gets a 2 seed and makes a run to the Elite 8. We’re past the point of ‘fighting hard,’ we’re past the point of ‘growing and developing,’ we’re past the point of excuses, and we’re past the point where arguing that Mike White belongs at Florida is a rational opinion.” -- Neil Shulman, IAKOW Hold on here. At the risk of sounding like somebody from an era of stuffed footballs, leather helmets and 30-foot, two-handed set shots for 2 points and not 3, when I was at Florida playing a little (very little) baseball, the head basketball coach was a part-timer, a football assistant, John Mauer. It wasn’t until Norm Sloan came along that it was a full-time job. So maybe my perspective from where the program has come is a little different? Fire Mike White, one of six coaches to make the NCAA Tournament every year since 2016? Well, as some critics say, maybe he should just leave? Or how about that shiny new thing in the window? Could Chris Beard or Dana Altman or Porter Moser be the next Billy Donovan. Really? Well, the next time a turnip truck comes through Gainesville, let’s out go to Archer Road and see if another Billy Donovan falls off the back of it. Let’s get real! Even Joe Namath as a young bachelor back in his bar-hopping days trying to hook up with girls at a so-called “club” would sometimes say in resignation to his friends: “OK, fellas, it’s midnight. And Miss America ain’t coming through that door.” In today’s parlance, when it comes to hiring coaches, you’d have to add: “And neither is MISTER America!” I’m a big-time believer in the first amendment and support the right of Mr. Schulman to express his frustration over the Gators blowing an 11-point lead with four minutes to play, despite already having one foot in the Sweet Sixteen. I agree that the coach-mandated slowdown was a mistake, given how Mann and his team were on the verge of blowing out the short-handed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. Criticize, just don’t desecrate. Go ahead and grouse, post on message boards, call a talk show, yell at your dog or cat or neighbor, but stop and think about the realistic options. Give a guy a little break after a season, however, in which he spent the night at the hospital, not knowing if his player was going to live through it – an experience that makes wins and losses seem almost insignificant. The following Shulman evisceration of White was more than over the top: “The past four years show that any success next year would be a fluke, an anomaly, an aberration, and would only buy him four more years of patience with his bosses as his program inevitably regresses to the mean.” Let’s take a breath here and bring the author of Power of Positive Thinking back on stage: “Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.” -- Norman Vincent Peale. I received a call this week from a former player who knows the inside of the Gator basketball program as well as anybody, but has been silent about the barrage of criticism heaped on White. He was livid -- not only angry because of what was said, but outraged at such uninformed opinions, unfounded criticism and unwarranted outrage. “A hundred and eighty degrees the opposite,” he said, outlining the real problems he felt the program has endured. Among them: Lack of player leadership: “There have only been three great leaders on the team in the last 15 years,” he said. “Udonis Haslem. Al Horford. And Keyontae Johnson.” Which accentuates even more how critical the loss of Johnson was. Actually, he said, the program suffered a lag at the end of Donovan’s tenure because of his ostensible blackball from the Orlando Magic, who kept him from going to the NBA after he signed with them one day and changed his mind the next. “Billy really wanted to be in the NBA but was blocked.” But I digress, on the verge of breaking promises. Let’s dig out of this rabbit hole with a little humor. Today’s corny joke: “I went down the street to a 24-hour grocery store. When I got there, the guy was locking the front door. I said, "Hey! The sign says you're open 24 hours." He said, "Yes, but not in a row!" Rim shot, please. (I never said “funny” – corny!) A final missive from Shulman's Defcon 1: “He’s shown us too many times exactly what he is, and what he is -- a mediocre basketball coach -- not great, not terrible, but mediocre -- and a quick tour of the various athletic facilities at the University of Florida will tell you that mediocrity is not good enough.” I need to leave this final Peale-ism right here: “When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.” -- Norman Vincent Peale. I was feeling all optimistic again, but after I finished writing this, I heard a jackass named Mac from Baltimore calling the Paul Finebaum to whine “I don’t want to see him as Florida Gators coach anymore.” When Paul asked him why, the best Mac could come up with was “because he’s not a leader of young men.” Based on what? “Well, I was in a bar one night and I saw four players in the bathroom …” Before Mac could drum up any smut on him, Finebaum cut the guy off at the knees and took the bat out of his hands that he was using to whack Mike White like pinata. Seems like that has become a bit of a favorite sports by bullies. The bad news notwithstanding, I've added one more: “Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.” – Norman Vincent Peale

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: WHERE THE BASKETBALL ROSTER STANDS This could be a critical week for Florida basketball coach Mike White, who is already looking at a rebuild of his roster after a week in which Tre Mann declared for the NBA Draft and Noah Locke, Ques Glover and Osayi Osifo all placed their names in the NCAA transfer portal. Additionally, second team All-SEC center Colin Castleton announced he will test the NBA Draft waters although he will not hire an agent. Four players are gone for sure and Keyontae Johnson’s health makes it unlikely that he will return. Here is a breakdown of the roster as of Sunday night: Declared for the NBA (2): Tre Mann (6-5, 192), Colin Castleton (6-11, 235) Mann played himself into the top half of the NBA Draft and if he has a good NBA Combine and pre-draft workouts, he could easily be a lottery pick. The NBA is always on the lookout for a scorer that can create his own shots and Mann can do that. Castleton is going to go through the draft process but he won’t hire an agent. He will get some workouts and good evaluations that will tell him what he has to improve on to become a legitimate NBA prospect next year. Barring something totally unforeseeable, he will be back next year. In the portal (3): Noah Locke (6-3, 203), Ques Glover (5-11, 182), Osayi Osifo (6 -7, 225) Locke is in the portal, which doesn’t ensure that he will be gone although his return is unlikely. Glover and Osifo need to go to a low major or a Division II team. They can’t compete with any consistency at the SEC or high major level. One foot out the door? (1): Scottie Lewis (6-5, 189) The way Lewis began the season he was being projected late first or early second round for the NBA Draft but he regressed during the season. His final month was dreadful, to the point that he has totally played himself out of draft contention. He may declare and take his chances that he’ll get a G-League contract for a chance to develop. Or he may decide he needs a brand new place to play. There will be no shortage of suitors if he elects to transfer out. Right now, the odds he returns to UF next season seem no better than 50 percent. Doubtful for health reasons (1): Keyontae Johnson (6-5, 240) Ever since he collapsed on the floor in Tallahassee, the information regarding the health of Keyontae Johnson has almost entirely come from his family. There has been nothing of late to indicate one way or the other what’s in store for Keyontae in the future, except to say that he continues to get excellent medical care and testing. All that being said, it’s hard to imagine that he will be cleared to play next season, so until there is some sort of announcement from his family to indicate otherwise, consider him highly improbable. Staying for sure (4): Anthony Duruji (6-7, 220), Tyree Appleby (6-1, 170), Omar Payne (6-10, 230), Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 285) Duruji and Appleby are returning starters and Payne has started off and on the past two seasons. With Castleton expected to return, White would have a good core of four veterans to work with. Jitoboh has had a few productive games and if he can get himself into good physical condition and stay healthy, he could be a contributor. Probably staying (2): Samson Ruzhentsev (6-7, 192), Neils Lane (6-5, 205) Both Ruzhentsev and Lane are expected to stay, but there hasn’t been anything concrete to indicate that they will be back. Ruzhentsev is a pure shooter who should get every opportunity to earn starter minutes with both Mann and Locke gone. Lane had a great game against Tennessee in January then hardly played the rest of the way. We don’t know if it was COVID or injury that kept him on the bench. Signed (1): Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 180) Reeves is an athletic scorer who gets to the rim and has a nice mid-range game. He extended his range as a senior to the point that he was respectable from the 3-point line. That has to improve for him to be effective at the next level. Roster math: The NCAA allows 13 scholarship basketball players. Four are gone for sure and there is one signee. So, if no one else bolts, that leaves 10 scholarships to work with. Until Castleton announces he’s not coming back or that he’s hired an agent, expect him to be back next year. Let’s assume that Ruzhentsev and Lane will see the departures as opportunity to compete for starting jobs and will stay. Subtract one for Keyontae since it’s almost unfathomable that he will be cleared medically to return next year. So, we’re at nine scholarship players. Scottie Lewis is a wild card. There is much speculation that he will not be back, but a close examination of the UF roster should convince him there will be ample opportunity to become the star he was predicted to be when he came out of high school, the nation’s 7th-ranked recruit. My instincts tell me Lewis will either decide to enter the NBA Draft or seek a new destination. If he leaves, then UF is at eight scholarships. Filling out the roster: There aren’t that many unsigned high school kids who are good enough to play in the Southeastern Conference so White might not be able to sign more than one or two kids. Because there is a limited pool of prep resources, that would mean looking for transfers. There are some good juco players still unsigned, but it’s hard to find jucos who can get in school due to the University of Florida’s academic requirements. If White tries to fill out his remaining scholarships with players from the NCAA transfer portal, does he go top heavy with graduate transfers or does he trust the NCAA to enact the legislation that will enable every athlete a one-time transfer without having to sit out a year? It has been recommended that the NCAA make this change, but as we all know, the NCAA marches to its own drummer. Since transfers are not a way to build a healthy roster long term, White probably needs to save a couple of scholarships for high school kids in the next recruiting class. But even that has a couple of pitfalls due to COVID-19. The virus hasn’t been eradicated and because schools like Texas A&M missed an entire month of the past season, the NCAA is unlikely to stick with the same protocols for 2021-22. Changes in the protocols may make it necessary to have all 13 scholarships filled to make sure there are enough players to move forward if there are three or four positive tests on a team. Best guess scenario: White signs one high school kid, brings in three transfers and leaves one scholarship open just in case. ABYSMAL WEEKEND FOR UF BASEBALL Starting with a 9-8 loss in 14 innings Friday night, it was a disaster of a road trip to South Carolina (16-6, 4-2) for the Gators (16-8, 3-3 SEC), who lost to the Gamecocks, 4-1, Saturday and 8-5 on Sunday. Not only did the Gamecocks rough up all three Florida weekend starters – Tommy Mace (4-1), Jack Leftwich (4-1) and Hunter Barco (3-2) – but their pitchers struck out 45 UF hitters. Nathan Hickey, Sterlin Thompson and Kirby McMullen homered for the Gators in the series while South Carolina hitters left the yard six times. Next up for the Gators is a Tuesday night non-conference game with Mercer of the Southern Conference and a weekend SEC series with 4th-ranked Ole Miss (20-4, 6-0 SEC) at the Florida Ballpark. OTHER UF SPORTS Men’s swimming: The Gators finished third with 367 points at the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was the highest finish for the Gators since 2017. The Gators finished with three individual titles and two second place finishes. Softball: The 5th-ranked Gators (24-3, 8-1 SEC) got a 3-run double and a 2-run homer from Cheyenne Lindsey Sunday as they smacked 13th-ranked LSU (18-11, 4-5 SEC), 9-3, to complete a weekend sweep of the Tigers. Behind a 3-hit, complete game shutout by Elizabeth Hightower and a 3-run homer by Julia Cottrill, the Gators beat LSU, 5-0, Friday night. Saturday, the Gators got 2-run homers by Kendyll Lindaman and Jaimie Hoover plus 3-2/3 innings of shutout relief from Natalie Lugo (6-1) to score a 7-4 win. Hightower (12-1) went the distance Sunday. The Gators will travel to Jacksonville Wednesday for a non-conference game, then travel to Athens to face 18th-ranked Georgia (22-5, 3-3 SEC) next weekend. Lacrosse: The 11th-ranked Gators (7-2, 4-0 AAC) beat Cincinnati, 20-5, on Friday and 19-4 Sunday to remain at the top of the American Athletic Conference standings. The Gators will play host to AAC foe East Carolina Thursday and Saturday at Donald Dizney Stadium. Women’s tennis: The 22nd-ranked Gators (9-6, 7-3 SEC) finished off 36th-ranked Mississippi State, 4-1, Saturday, for their fourth straight win. Next up for the Gators are SEC matches with Kentucky (13-4, 5-4 SEC) on Thursday and Vanderbilt (12-5, 4-5 SEC) on Saturday at the Ring Tennis Complex. ARKANSAS SEC’S LAST TEAM STANDING Arkansas (25-6) took out 15th-seeded Oral Roberts (18-11) Saturday to advance to the South Region championship game against No. 1 seed Baylor (25-2). The 3rd-seeded Razorbacks are the last SEC team standing in the NCAA Tournament after 2nd-seeded Alabama (26-7) was shocked by 11th-seeded UCLA (21-9), 88-78, in overtime in the Midwest Regional Sweet 16. Arkansas had to rally from 12 points down in the second half and survived a last second 3-point shot by the nation’s leading scorer Max Abmas, who 25-footer at the buzzer just missed being a game-winner. The Hogs and Baylor will play tonight (9:57 p.m., CBS) for the South title. Alabama has only itself to blame for losing to UCLA. The Crimson Tide, which trailed by 11 at the half, could have won the game in regulation with any kind of consistency at the foul line. Alabama went 11-25 for the game and was 1-4 in the final 36 seconds of regulation. UCLA scored only 25 points in the second half but scored 23 in overtime. Other than Gonzaga (29-0) continuing its quest to become the first team to finish a season undefeated since Indiana did it in 1976, the highlight of the weekend was the Pac-12 advancing three teams to the Elite Eight. Oregon State (20-12), which only made the big dance by scoring a surprising Pac-12 Tournament championship, got to the championship game of the Midwest Region with a dominating 71-58 win over Loyola of Chicago (26-5). The 12th-seeded Beavers will face No. 2 Houston (27-3) tonight (7:15 p.m., CBS) for a shot at the Final Four. UCLA will face No. 1 seed Michigan (23-4) Tuesday night in the East Region championship game. Southern Cal (25-7), the 6th-seeded team in the West, blew the doors off 7th-seeded Oregon (21-7), 82-68, for the right to face Gonzaga. The Zags shot 59.6 percent and had 23 assists on 34 made baskets in their 83-65 win over Creighton (22-9). ONE FINAL PITHY COMMENT: Last week Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors proclaimed himself the greatest defensive player in the history of the NBA, which caused Shannon Sharpe to respond with this comment: “He should be thrown in jail. They should put a case on his butt for saying that out loud. Draymond Green is not even a top 20 defender all time. He is crazy, crazy.” I rarely agree with Shannon Sharpe, but he’s right about this. Green may be a very good defender, but better than Bill Russell or Bobby Jones or K.C. Jones or Dennis Rodman? I don’t think so, and I can think of another 30 or 40 that I would say are better.

The moment the basketball season ended for the Florida Gators in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last Saturday, it was only a matter of time before Tre Mann did what everyone expected and declared for the NBA Draft. No one was caught by surprise when Mann announced he’s leaving on Wednesday but no sooner did he have both feet out the door when Noah Locke and Ques Glover announced they have placed their names in the NCAA transfer portal. Locke was a high profile recruit out of Baltimore three years ago who has lived up to his reputation as a lethal weapon three kind of guy. Glover was not highly recruited but he had some positive moments the last two years only to see them offset by defensive limitations and issues with turnovers. Locke leaving is a shock, Glover not so much. The departure of three players – two of them starters – plus the unanswered health questions regarding Keyontae Johnson give the appearance that storm clouds are gathering over Mike White and the Florida basketball program. Rumors persist that at least one or two players – perhaps more – will be transferring out, leaving White with only five or six scholarship players. Additionally, assistant coach Jordan Mincy, who came to Florida with White from Louisiana Tech, was named the new head coach at Jacksonville University on Thursday. In this day and age, transfers are the norm and not the exception but a mass exodus can bring any program to its knees. Even with the NCAA sitting on legislation that will grant scholarship athletes a one-time transfer without the one year penalty, a number of programs are already seeing their rosters decimated by players putting their names in the transfer portal. Florida is not at the equivalent of nuclear winter but the very last thing Mike White needs is the perception that he, too, has lost control. How he addresses the transfers of Locke and Glover while stabilizing matters within is going to go a long, long way toward determining success moving ahead. This is one of those hope for the best but plan for the worst scenarios that White has to deal with if the Gators are going to be anything more than simply competitive next season. If Locke and Glover are the only two to leave, then White has the nucleus of a very good basketball team that should compete for a top four finish in the Southeastern Conference next year. If the transfer floodgates are open, how will he re-fill his roster with quality players? Will he focus more on high school recruits? Only a few quality players remain unsigned but there are still some very good players with whom White and his staff have had an ongoing relationship. White may have to dip further into the transfer portal than he ever intended, especially if he can’t land any quality high school recruits. Here is a breakdown of the Florida roster along with the names of potential high school recruits and some prominent transfers that might fit what Florida needs: GONERS: Tre Mann (6-5, 192, 2nd-year freshman), Noah Locke (6-3, 203, 3rd-year sophomore); Ques Glover (5-11, 182; 2nd-year freshman) Mann’s NBA draft stock has been on the rise since January and it really took off in the last month of the season. He’s almost certain to be selected in the first half of the first round. ESPN ranks him as the 15th best draft-eligible player but if he does well enough in the pre-draft workouts it’s not unfathomable that he breaks into the lottery or possibly top ten. He has deep range on his 3-ball and he can create his own shot, both traits that will make him a commodity in the NBA, which puts a premium on scorers. The decision by Locke to enter the transfer portal was unexpected. A career 40.3 percent shooter from the 3-point line, Locke leaves ranked among the top 10 3-point shooters in UF history. Locke scored 933 points in his UF career and averaged 10.1 per game. His loss is huge since 3-point shooters of his caliber don’t grow on trees. Locke will have two years of eligibility remaining wherever he transfers. Glover’s decision to transfer wasn’t a shock. As his liability to defend in the half court became more pronounced his playing time nosedived. He didn’t sniff the court in either of Florida’s two NCAA games. He has three years of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA ruling that made 2020-21 a mulligan year for every Division I player. Glover needs to play at a mid-to-low major where the players he defends aren’t nearly as big and he won’t have to worry about getting his shot blocked. ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR?: Scottie Lewis (6-5, 189, 3rd-year SO), Omar Payne (6-10, 230, 3rd-year SO), Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 285, 3rd-year SO), Osayi Osifo (6-7, 225, 4th-year JR) Do not be surprised if Lewis declares for the NBA. When he arrived at UF in 2019 he was predicted to be a one-and-done. After a good but not great freshman year, he digressed to the point that if he left now, at best he would be a second rounder and a G-leaguer. The NBA is about potential and Lewis has plenty of that to go with the kind of athleticism few can match. Lewis needs to return to college for another season to develop, but if he does come back – especially to Florida – he would be wise to focus more on basketball, not so much on social issues. Had he spent more time on basketball than social activism this past season he might have played himself into the first round. Odds he stays: Less than 50%. Payne digressed in 2021. He can’t be happy either with the progress he’s made or his role on the team. Due to diminished playing time this past season there is plenty of speculation that he wants a fresh start. The talent is definitely there, but there is a disconnect somewhere because either he’s not being coached well or he’s not responding for reasons unknown. If he stays he needs a lot of TLC and a fresh approach to development because he has the physical abilities to be exceptional. Odds he stays: Less than 50%. Jitoboh played in only 12 games and only once (vs. Tennessee in January) did he play more than 10 minutes. Were there health issues such as weight or COVID-19? Student confidentiality rules prevent us from knowing the answer to those questions. He has great size and if he can ever get himself into good playing shape there is a chance he could be productive. Odds he stays: A little more than 50%. Osifo doesn’t rebound, defend or score well enough to play in the SEC. He can stay a year and be a role player or he can go somewhere else. The more players who leave the program the more likely he will remain at UF. Odds he stays: Less than 50%. SERIOUSLY DOUBTFUL Keyontae Johnson (6-5, 230, 4th-year JR) There has been little to indicate whether Johnson will be cleared to play basketball again. Nothing is official until it’s announced, but the image of his collapse on the floor in Tallahassee makes it hard to see him playing anytime soon if ever at all. If he can’t play will he remain at UF and hone his coaching abilities? Is Noah Locke’s departure a sign that Keyontae will also be leaving? They are closest of friends so it’s hard to imagine Keyontae remaining in Gainesville while Locke moves on somewhere else. Odds he will be cleared to play: Next to 0. Odds he will be a student assistant coach at UF: 50% at best. IF THOSE GUYS ARE GONERS, THEN WHAT REMAINS?: Colin Castleton (6-11, 235, 4th-year JR), Tyree Appleby (6-1, 170, 5th-year JR), Anthony Duruji (6-7, 225, 5th-year JR), Samson Ruzhentsev (6-7, 195, 2nd-year FR), Neils Lane (6-5, 206, 2nd-year FR), Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 190, FR) Castleton averaged 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game. If he adds 10-15 pounds of muscle and develops a free throw line on in jump shot to complement what he does around the rim, he could become a big-time scorer next season. The added strength would also help him increase his rebounding. He’s already an elite defender in the paint. Next season: Starter. Appleby can be a blur with the ball in his hands, but that’s also the problem. He may be the fastest point guard in the SEC, but he hasn’t exactly learned to harness the speed and play under control. He gets himself into trouble off the dribble far too often. He averaged 11.3 points per game but he had nearly as many turnovers (72) as he had assists (82), numbers that don’t cut it as a point guard in the SEC. He has to learn to play under control. He would benefit from a new offensive scheme as well. Next season: Starter. Duruji is the most athletic player on the UF roster with one of the best verticals (said to be 48 inches) in the country. He’s an outstanding defender but was an inconsistent scorer and rebounder in his first season in the SEC, quite often due to foul trouble. General consensus is that he needs to abandon the 3-ball and focus his scoring from 15 feet on in and especially around the rim where he can outjump people. Next season: Starter. Ruzhentsev has enormous potential as a shooter although he was erratic as a true freshman when he shot only 28.6% on his 3-pointers. His opportunities to earn starters minutes increased dramatically when Noah Locke entered the transfer portal. He has to get serious in the weight room to add 15-20 pounds of muscle much the way Tre Mann did after his freshman year and he has to become a better defender. He will be given every chance to play serious minutes because he’s a pure shooter with tremendous range. Next season: A chance to start or be early off the bench. In Florida’s January win over Tennessee, Lane played 18 minutes and had a productive game with six points and five rebounds. He played only 26 minutes and took three shots the rest of the season. Were there health issues? That we don’t know. What we do know is that Lane can defend all the perimeter positions. He should see a large increase in minutes. Next season: Early off the bench or possibly starter. Reeves is a dynamic scorer who has an excellent mid-range game and is good taking it off the bounce to the rack. He’s an explosive leaper who can also excel on the defensive end. Reeves showed major improvement with his 3-point shot during his high school season. He needs to continue to work on that aspect of his game, plus he needs to get physically stronger. He’s athletic enough to play early and often. Next season: Potential starter. STILL ON THE RECRUITING BOARD: It’s late in the process to land quality high school kids, but the Gators are still recruiting several players. Wesley Cardet (6-6, 175, Oakland Park, FL/Orlando FL West Oaks Academy): He’s a scorer, not so much a shooter, but he gets to the rim and to the foul line a lot. His offer list includes UF, Auburn, Illinois, Alabama, Clemson, Miami and Southern Cal. Right now, Alabama seems to have the edge on everybody. Jordan Shorter (6-5, 180, Miami, FL/Orlando, FL West Oaks Academy): He plays AAU ball for Team Breakdown, which sent Kenny Boynton to UF years ago. He has narrowed his choices down to UF, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, South Florida, Florida International and Saint Louis. Nate Tshimanga (6-9, 230, Kinshasha, Congo/Granbury, TX North Central Texas Academy): His shot beyond 10 feet is somewhat of an adventure but he’s a pure power player around the rim who can score through contact. He has offers from UF, Ole Miss, UConn, TCU and Auburn. Bretner Mutombo (6-11, 220, Kinshasha, Congo/Chattanooga, TN Hamilton Heights Christian Academy): He played his AAU basketball for Georgia Stars. He has offers from UF, Pitt, Georgia, TCU, Xavier, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Auburn. Some say he’s a lean to Auburn while others predict he will go to Pitt. By all accounts, he has a very good relationship with Mike White, who has landed two recruits (Jitoboh, Ruzhentsev) out of Hamilton Heights the last two years. Kristian Kocab (6-11, 220, Prague, Czech Republic/Chattanooga, TN Hamilton Heights Christian Academy): Kocab first caught everyone’s attention a couple of years ago at the European Under 16 Championships. He played briefly at Hamilton Heights before returning to Czech Republic to play in an under-19 league where he averages 21 points, 17 rebounds and 4.0 blocks. If he decides to play college basketball in the US, Florida, by most accounts, has the inside track. Efton Reid (7-1, 235, Richmond, VA/Bradenton, FL IMG Academy): The Gators have been recruiting him for the past three years, but so has everybody on the planet. Still, he continues to list Florida as one of his interests and he’s worth pursuing until he says go away. He needs a year or two of college basketball but with his size and mobility he may decide to forego college to spend a year in the G-League before going into the NBA in the 2022 draft. GOING THE TRANSFER ROUTE: With three players already gone, the possibility that two or three more will follow and the unlikely possibility that Johnson will be medically cleared to play again, White will need to turn to the transfer portal to bring in some experienced players. The question is how many? Very few coaches have been as successful landing quality transfers as Mike White over the last six years. Transfers Canyon Barry (Charleston), Jalen Hudson (Virginia Tech), Egor Koulechov (Rice), Kerry Blackshear Jr. (Virginia Tech), Tyree Appleby (Cleveland State), Anthony Duruji (Louisiana Tech) and Colin Castleton (Michigan) all had an impact on the UF program and helped make up for recruiting deficiencies. Can White find similar impact players this year? Here are a few players that could be on the UF transfer radar: Jarrod West (5-11, 185, Marshall, GR): West is a grad transfer point guard. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 40.8 percent from the 3-point line. He has offers from Ohio State, Louisville, Georgetown, Texas, West Virginia and Maryland. Myreon Jones (6-3, 180, Penn State, 4th-year JR): Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Jones is one of many Penn State players who elected to transfer out when Pat Chambers was fired. Jones averaged 15.3 per game last season when he shot 39.5% from the 3-point line. Ole Miss was his only SEC offer coming out of Lincoln Academy in Suwanee, Georgia, so he has overachieved at the collegiate level. Earl Timberlake (6-6, 220, Miami, 2nd-year FR): He’s a former 4-star recruit from DeMatha who began the exodus that is taking place from Miami. Timberlake had injuries, which is why he played in only seven games. He averaged 9.3 points and 5.09 rebounds. Florida had a legitimate shot at landing him out of high school. Since he’s from Hyattsville, Maryland, Maryland and Georgetown will be the presumed front runners. Kellan Grady (6-5, 205, Davidson, GR): He is a grad transfer who can light it up. Grady has scored 2,002 points in his career, averaging 17.4 points per game in the tough Atlantic 10 Conference. He can score inside and outside and is comfortable at the point or either wing. CJ Felder (6-7, 230, Boston College, 3rd-year SO): Felder had a handful of SEC offers coming out of Sumter, South Carolina. Two years playing for two bad Boston College teams and a change at HBC hastened his exit. He averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds this past season. He scored 11 points in BC’s loss to the Gators in November. He has long arms and is a very quick leaper. Good rebounder, good defender and not a very good shooter outside 15 feet. Tre Mitchell (6-9, 235, UMass, 3rd-year SO): Mitchell scored 792 points and grabbed 315 rebounds in 44 career games at UMass playing for former Florida assistant Matt McCall. He averaged 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds last year when he shot 51.9% overall and 37.5% from the 3-point line. He’s a high volume scorer who is very effective in the paint using either hand. He had offers from Arkansas, Illinois, Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Tennessee coming out of high school. Jamison Battle, 6-7, 225, George Washington, 3rd-year SO): Battle scored 636 points in two seasons at GW after being a lightly recruited prep out of Minnesota. He averaged 17.3 points and 5.2 rebounds a game last season when he shot 35.4% from the 3-point line. Not a great defender or a consistently good rebounder but there aren’t many 6-7s out there who can shoot like he can. Marcus Carr (6-2, 200, Minnesota, 4th-year JR): Carr, who prepped at Montverde Academy, is a Canadian who originally signed with Pitt then transferred after one year to Minnesota. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season playing for former UF assistant Richard Pitino. Carr has scored 1,361 points in 92 career collegiate games (14.3 average). He’s a pure point guard who is more scorer than shooter and a very good defender. Qudus Wahab (6-10, 230, Georgetown, 3rd-year SO): Wahab had plenty of big time offers out of Flint Hill School in Ashburn, Virginia. He was one of the most improved big men in the country this past season when he doubled his production, averaging 12.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, he is strictly an inside guy who has never attempted a 3-pointer. Jamal Mashburn Jr. (6-2, 180, Minnesota, 2nd-year FR): The son of the former Kentucky great and NBA star, Mashburn is from Miami originally although he prepped at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. As a freshman at Minnesota, he averaged 8.2 points per game backing up Marcus Carr at the point. He’s a good scorer although not a great shooter and a very good defender.

How do you become the guy that follows the guy? That’s the conundrum facing Florida Gators quarterback Emory Jones this offseason. He’s made a good start in spring practice, taking over the majority of the starter reps. Now, heading into his fourth year in Gainesville and looking to pick up where Heisman finalist Kyle Trask left off, Head Coach Dan Mullen has seen Jones evolve from “the backup” to the man at the top. It requires moving beyond simple understanding the game to controlling the game. “One thing he did, he really went from a guy that understands the offense to a guy that's making his reads and working on his technique, fundamentals at the quarterback position, you know? At the backend of spring, if you watch his balance in the pocket throwing the football, instead of just trying to make plays, him focusing on being on balance with his accuracy, you know what I mean? Which is going to improve the accuracy, you know, of making the different types of throws and changing your arm angle to make the different types of throws to be on balance. “Because he's getting a lot of the one reps, so now it's on him and I think, you know, with that comes the responsibility. Also comes that he's comfortable within the offense, so to sit there and say 'Okay, hey, here's the read,' he knows the read, so let's get through on every aspect of being detailed and exact with making the throw.” Over the course of his three years, Jones has averaged a 64% completion rate (55-86) for 613 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. He’s added 514 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. While his implementation into the offense over the past three years and willingness to bide his time while most guys would enter the transfer portal would indicate Emory Jones is the de facto starter for the 2021 season, Mullen hesitates to label him as such. That’s not a knock on Jones or even a coaching tactic to inspire competition. It’s simply a survival method that Dan Mullen uses. One that has already paid off in the form of Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask. “I would say yes [Emory’s the starter], but I don't think of it in terms like that,” Mullen explained. “I mean you've got to prepare at least two quarterbacks ready to go if that makes sense. So my thought process is, 'How are we getting two starters ready and then we have the two young guys, so what's the backup plan after we have two starters?' Does that make sense? I don't know if I'm explaining it in the right way, but in my mind that makes sense, you know what I mean? Instead of, 'Hey, Emory's the starter, you're the backup' we need two starters and then I've got to figure out the backup situation we've got.” So essentially, the quarterback depth chart reads 1a and 1b. The 1b is Gainesville native Anthony Richardson. The Eastside alum will presumably fill the role Jones did the past three years; back-up who receives significant playing time and series in big games. And by preparing Richardson as a starter as well, should the worst happen and Jones go down like Franks did in 2019, then the back-up can step up without any drop off. Even with Richardson nipping at his heels, this is now Emory Jones team. It’s really been his team from the moment the Cotton Bowl was handed over to the young duel-threat passer to conclude the 2020 season. Which means the next five months will determine the Gators course of the 2021 season. Mullen has often stated that the most important development time in a quarterback is from March to August. That’s when a guy goes from a player who’s just been watching to the one leading, to the voice at the front of the room and the face of the team. Over the next five months, Mullen has a punch list of priorities on which Jones can work. For starters, he wants the 6-2, 210 lithe quarterback—and one that relies on his legs at that stature—to learn how to protect his body. "He plays physical and he plays strong at his size out there, so it's about when I get on the quarterbacks, it's about having the stability. The body stability in physical physique, it's that body stability that means you're physical and you're able to stay healthy when you run the ball and when you take hits in the pocket. Do you have the size and the core strength and the body makeup that prevents injury more than getting a specific weight or size or strength? It is that core body makeup for you?” Additionally, coaches can’t do anything with the team that involves a football per NCAA rules, so the roster is left to their own devices to arrange workouts, throwing sessions and such. So this summer is when Mullen wants to see Jones take the reins of his team and do his part to field a potent offense. “We're constantly on [Emory]: consistency and the consistency within his performance. He has great talent to go make plays, but getting the timing down. You know, we have some younger receivers, getting all the timing down with them. Him taking that role, both really he and Anthony. “I talked to the guys [Saturday] and—[Friday] really it was about it— about, you know quarterbacks and receivers right now, you have, April, May, June and July, you have four months where you guys can get out there, you get your timing down, you get that exactness down, you get comfortable with each other and where you're going to be and how you're going to make the throws, and you get the communications down, beyond the coaching where you guys have that kind of feel of how guys are, where they're going to be on field. I think that's a huge part for those guys moving forward.” How do you become the guy that follows the guy? One day at a time. And for Emory Jones, that starts now.

No one likes Monday through Thursday. Nothing but mundane mediocrity comes in the middle of the week. It’s routine for most: wake up, roll out of bed, find a clean shirt, go to work... rinse and repeat. And while we can all agree midweek days aren’t fun, I’m sure we can admit that they matter. The same goes for midweek matchups on the diamond. They might not be the flashiest games. They won’t be played in front of large crowds and they might not be televised, but they matter. I had a JUCO coach tell me not long ago after his team coughed up a non-conference game that he wasn’t going to stress it because it was a midweek, non-conference game. Between you and I, that mentality won’t get him very far. In the game of baseball and softball (and any sport, for that matter), there’s two columns: a win column and a loss column. I know which one I would want to have more checkmarks in. Florida baseball has five losses on the season – two came in midweek matchups. Florida softball has three losses on the season with one coming in midweek fashion. Expecting either team to be perfect is unreasonable. But asking them to be sharper in midweek contests isn’t. Kevin O’Sullivan’s baseball squad’s two worst batting performances came in its midweek losses to Florida Atlantic on March 3 and Florida State on March 16. The Gators, who have a season batting average of .302, hit .152 against FAU and .125 against FSU. Those numbers will not win ball games. Those numbers haven’t won ball games. In the Gators’ 2020 loss to FSU, the final game of last year’s campaign, O’Sullivan’s fellas finished with a whopping .103 batting average. And wouldn’t you know it, it happened on a Tuesday night in Gainesville. In 2019, Florida baseball dropped a Tuesday night game to the University of South Florida after a .065 performance from the plate, followed by a Wednesday night loss to Florida Gulf Coast just weeks later with a .129 batting average. It’s easy to look at the Gators’ five losses on the season and point fingers at the midweek rotation on the mound, which has left a lot to be desired. However, when guys like Jud Fabian and Jordan Butler go for a combined 1-for-12 performance from the plate in Florida’s two midweek losses, it’s hard to pin it all on the pitching staff. The Gators went 4-for-32 from the box during their March 16 beating from the Seminoles. “We've been really good offensively up until tonight,” O’Sullivan said following the Gators first midweek loss to FAU. “I just don't think the focus was quite as sharp as it needs to be. Probably need to tighten up a few things.” Florida softball saw some of those same struggles on Wednesday night as they traveled to Orlando to take on the University of Central Florida in a top-25 matchup. The No. 22-ranked Knights struck the scoreboard in the latter half of the first inning to take a quick one-run lead. UCF’s opening score was spurred by a lead-off walk dished by Natalie Lugo. The right-handed senior saw two innings of action on Wednesday night and gave up four runs on four hits before being relieved by Katie Chronister. And like baseball, while Florida’s pitching efforts did the Gators no favors, the inability to make timely hits haunted them as UCF won the ball game in walk-off fashion. Florida finished Wednesday night’s game batting .240, the seventh-worst batting average of the season. Florida’s batters in the nine, two and three-hole are among the best on the team and arguably in the nation. Cheyenne Lindsey, who rounds out the lineup for the Gators, went 0-for-3 in the loss, depsite carrying a season average of .377. Likewise, Charla Echols, who leads the team in home runs (5) and RBIs (25), went just 1-for-3 from the plate, dropping her season average down to .408. Fifth-year first baseman Kendyl Lindaman, who bats second in Tim Walton’s lineup, also laid a goose egg at the plate despite two at-bats. Her average now sits at .328 on the season. But I get it. Midweek games are tough. But they do matter. Any game played on a day that ends with “--day” matters.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: LOCKE, GLOVER TRANSFERRING OUT That Ques Glover decided to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal should have surprised no one Thursday. With nearly twice as many turnovers (60) as assists (32) in his two years at UF, he was unproductive on the offensive end and a liability on defense where he had issues with opponents’ bigger guards in half court sets. The surprise was 3-point specialist Noah Locke, who has scored 933 points in three seasons at UF while hitting 40.3 percent of his three-point shots. He was thought to be completely bought in at Florida where he’s started for three seasons. His decision to enter the transfer portal is concerning since there are rumors that another 3-4 players may decide to leave. With Tre Mann declared for the NBA Draft, the departure of Glover and Locke and the unlikely return of Keyontae Johnson, Florida coach Mike White has nine active scholarship players: Anthony Duruji (6-7, 220, 5th-year JR); Tyree Appleby (6-1, 170, 5th-year JR); Colin Castleton (6-11, 234, 4th-year JR); Osayi Osifo (6-7, 225, 4th-year JR); Scottie Lewis (6-5, 189, 3rd-year SO); Omar Payne (6-10, 230, 3rd-year SO); Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 285, 3rd-year SO); Samson Ruzhentsev (6-7, 192, 2nd-year FR) and Neils Lane (6-5, 205, 2nd-year FR). White has signed one high school player, Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 175). Nearly all the higher quality high school recruits have signed their letters of intent but White has been actively recruiting seven or eight. Perhaps the two who seem most likely to sign with the Gators are Jordan Shorter (6-5, 180, Miami, FL/Orlando, FL West Oaks Academy) and Kristian Kocab (6-11, 220, Prague, Czech Republic/Chattanooga, TN Hamilton Heights Christian Academy). For experience, White will have to go dip into the transfer portal more than ever before. The net experience of White with transfers has been very good during his six previous years. Ten players have transferred out counting Locke and Glover, but only one has had a significant impact elsewhere – Andrew Nembhard, who is a starter for No. 1 and unbeaten Gonzaga, which is the odds-on favorite to win the NCAA championship. Here is the breakdown of the players who have transferred out and the ones who have transferred in during the previous six seasons: TRANSFERRED OUT (10) Eric Hester (2016): In his only season at Florida, Hester played in 18 games and scored 13 points. He took a redshirt at Akron in 2017-18, then transferred to Tallahassee Community College in 2019. He hasn’t been heard from since. Dontay Bassett (2016): In three years and 77 games at Florida, Bassett scored 132 points. He transferred to Weber State in 2020. At Weber State this past season he averaged 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds. Keith Stone (2016): Stone scored 526 points in 85 games at Florida, averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He transferred to Miami for the 2019-20 season, averaging 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Gorjok Gak (2017): In three injury-plagued seasons at Florida, Gak scored 53 points and pulled in 96 rebounds. He transferred to California Baptist after the 2019-20 season where he averaged 13.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. DeAundrae Ballard (2017): He played in 59 games and scored 242 points in two seasons then transferred to South Alabama where he sat in 2019-20. Was not listed on the South Alabama roster in 2020-21. Isaiah Stokes (2018): Stokes had weight issues (6-8, 280) and left after scoring 70 points in 26 games, transferring to Memphis. He sat out the 2019-20 season and was not listed on the 2020-21 roster. Mike Okauru (2017): Okauru scored 179 points in 69 games at UF. After backing up Andrew Nembhard in 2018-19, he elected to transfer to UNC Wilmington. In two years at UNC-W he scored 537 points in 49 games, averaging 14.2 as a senior this past season. Chase Johnson (2017): Johnson was expected to be a major contributor but a concussion ended his season in 2017-18 after four games. He played two games in 2018-19, then sat a semester before transferring in to Dayton, where he played in eight games in 2019-20, averaging 5.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He played in five games this past season, averaging 12.2 points and 6.0 rebounds before concussion issues resurfaced forcing him to leave the program. Andrew Nembhard (2018): Nembhard came to Florida along with Keyontae Johnson and Noah Locke. In two seasons and 67 games at UF he scored 666 points while handing out 367 assists. He transferred to Gonzaga where he’s currently averaging 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the unbeaten Zags. Noah Locke (2018): Locke leaves Florida having scored 933 points in 92 games (10.1 per game) while hitting 217-538 of his 3-pointers (40.3%). He averaged 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Ques Glover (2019): Glover leaves Florida after playing in 51 games in which he scored 185 points and had more turnovers (60) than assists (32). Assessing those who left: The loss of Nembhard may well have allowed Tre Mann to reach his offensive potential this past season but Florida suffered mightily in the turnover (375 in 25 games) and assist (293) departments. Locke could prove to be another difficult loss. You could chalk up nearly all of the others as recruiting mistakes although we’ll never know what might have happened if Gorjok Gak and Chase Johnson had remained healthy. TRANSFERRED IN (7) Canyon Barry (2016): A grad transfer from Charleston, Barry was the SEC Sixth Man of the Year in helping the Gators to the 2017 Elite Eight. He averaged 11.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while hitting 42.2% of his shots from the field and 88.3% of his free throws. Jalen Hudson (2016): Hudson sat the 2016-17 season after transferring in from Virginia Tech. He had a brilliant 2017-18 season in which he averaged 15.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while hitting 40.4% of his 3-pointers. He slumped as a senior in 2018-19 when he averaged 9.3 points and 2.9 rebounds. His 3-point percentage dipped to 28.0. He scored 861 points in 70 games at UF. Egor Koulechov (2017): In his one season at UF after transferring in from Rice, where he was an All-Conference USA player, Koulechov averaged 13.8 points while hitting 39.5% of his 3-pointers. He led the Gators in rebounding at 6.4 per game Kerry Blackshear Jr. (2019): Blackshear transferred in to UF after three seasons at Virginia Tech. In his one season with the Gators, Blackshear averaged 12.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Anthony Duruji (2019): Duruji transferred in from Louisiana Tech in 2019, took a redshirt year, and then averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2020-21 in which he started 17 of Florida’s 25 games. Tyree Appleby (2019): After two seasons at Cleveland State, Appleby transferred to UF and took a redshirt in 2019-20. This past season at UF he averaged 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 34.9% from the 3-point line and 82.9% from the foul line. Colin Castleton (2020): In two seasons at Michigan, Castleton scored 99 points and grabbed 55 rebounds in 44 games. In 24 games at Florida this past season, Castleton averaged 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game. He hit 59.7% of his shots and 78.1% of his free throws while making second team All-SEC. Assessing those who transferred in: All seven of the transfers have had a positive impact on the Florida roster. It does say something about the high school recruiting, however, that three transfers (Duruji, Appleby and Castleton) will start (if they don’t transfer out) with the possibility that two more transfers could fill out the starting lineup. GATOR BASEBALL TRAVELS TO SOUTH CAROLINA The No. 5 Gators (16-5, 3-0 SEC) travel to Columbia for their first SEC road trip of the season this weekend. Tommy Mace (4-0, 2.10 ERA) will get the start tonight against No. 25 South Carolina (13-6, 1-2 SEC). Jack Leftwich (4-0, 1.71 ERA) gets the Saturday start while lefty Hunter Barco (3-1, 5.26 ERA) goes Sunday. Key for the Florida pitcher will be keeping South Carolina slugger Wes Clarke (11 home runs, 23 RBI) in the ball yard. The Gators, who have a team batting average of .302, have hit 27 home runs, led by Jud Fabian who has eight to go with 23 RBI. UF SPRING SPORTS Men’s tennis: It will be Senior Day at the Ring Tennis Complex as the 2nd-ranked Gators (14-1, 8-0 SEC) take on No. 31 Arkansas this afternoon. Softball: The 5th-ranked Gators (21-3, 5-1 SEC) are home this weekend to face No. 13 LSU (18-8, 4-2 SEC) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Game times are 5 p.m. today, 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Men’s swimming: The 5th-ranked Gators are in third place with 161 points after two days of the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. Volleyball: The 7th-ranked Gators (19-3) concluded their regular season with a 3-1 win over Texas A&M (9-9) in College Station Thursday. The Gators wait until Sunday, April 4, to find out where they will be playing in the NCAA Tournament. Lacrosse: The 11th-ranked Gators (5-2, 2-0 AAC) will be home for two American Athletic Conference matches this weekend against Cincinnati. The Gators face the Bearcats at 4 p.m. today and 12 noon Sunday, both matches at Donald Dizney Stadium. Women’s tennis: The 24th-ranked Gators (8-6, 6-3 SEC) beat No. 21 Ole Miss, 4-1, in Oxford Thursday evening. The Gators will be in Starkville to face No. 36 Mississippi State. SWEET 16 PREDICTIONS Saturday Games Midwest Region: I like No. 8 seed Loyola of Chicago (26-4) to knock off No. 12 Oregon State (19-12). I don’t think Oregon State has an answer for Cameron Krutwig, who averages 15.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Loyola is a 7-point favorite … In the other Midwest game, I like No. 11 Syracuse (18-9) to continue its surprising run by upsetting No. 2 Houston (26-3). I think the difference will be that long 2-3 zone that Syracuse runs and the outside shooting of Buddy Boeheim who has scored 55 points while hitting 13-23 from the 3-point line in two NCAA Tournament games. Houston is a 6.5-point favorite. South Region: Baylor (24-2) is starting to look like the pre-COVID-19 Baylor defensively and I think that will be enough for the No. 1 Bears to smother No. 5 Villanova (18-6). Baylor is a 7.5-point favorite ... No. 3 Arkansas (24-6) already owns a win over No. 15 Oral Roberts this season. Expect both teams to score in the 80s but I think the Razorbacks have too much depth. Arkansas is an 11-point favorite. Sunday Games West Region: I’ve seen enough of No. 1 and unbeaten Gonzaga (28-0) to believe they are head and shoulders the best team in this tournament. The Zags are 13.5-point favorites to knock off No. 5 Creighton (22-8). I’ll be surprised if it’s that close. Creighton has no one capable of handling Drew Timme on the inside or stopping Corey Kispert from lighting it up outside … No. 7 Oregon (21-6) looked sensational in destroying No. 2 Iowa in its second round game while No. 6 Southern Cal (24-7) beat No. 3 Kansas by a whopping 24 points. Southern Cal already owns one win over Oregon this year but I like Oregon to win. Southern Cal is favored by two. East Region: I wasn’t impressed with No. 1 Michigan (22-4) against LSU and I think the Wolverines guards won’t know what hit them when No. 4 Florida State (18-6) presses them. Michigan is a 2.5-point favorite but I think the Seminoles will send the last hope of the Big Ten packing … In the other East Region game, I think Alabama (26-6) will beat UCLA (20-9) by far worse than the 6.5 points the Crimson Tide are favored by. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The Tragic strike again! The Orlando Tragic (you might know them as the Magic) can’t win (15-29 record) with three true stars (Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon) so they traded them away for a bunch of second round draft picks and some players who are destined to keep the team battling Houston, Minnesota, Detroit and Washington for a chance to draft Cade Cunningham or Evan Mosely with the No. 1 pick this summer. The Tragic will figure out a way to screw this up. Lest we forget, this is the franchise that put all its eggs in the Penny Hardaway basket and let Shaquille O’Neal go.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: DRAFT STOCK FOR KYLE PITTS CONTINUES TO RISE When Kyle Pitts reportedly ran a 4.46 40 last week it only added to the speculation that the former Gator tight end might very well be the first non-quarterback taken when the NFL drafts in April. Mel Kiper of ESPN, whose draft evaluations are probably the most accurate over the years, has Pitts going fifth to the Cincinnati Bengals after quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), Zach Wilson (BYU), Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Trey Lance (North Dakota State) are selected. Should Pitts turn in a 40 time at Florida’s Pro Day that’s sub-4.5, Kiper may prove to be prophetic. The highest Pitts has been seen in a mock draft is the most recent by Pete Prisco of CBS, who has him going fourth to the Atlanta Falcons. Prisco has Lawrence, Wilson and LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase going ahead of Pitts. Todd McShay of ESPN has Pitts going sixth to the Philadelphia Eagles. Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports sends Pitts to the Carolina Panthers with the eighth pick. About the lowest you’ll see Pitts is the mock draft by Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News, who has him going tenth to the Dallas Cowboys. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes, “My guess is Pitts will be gone in the first six picks or so, and that’s another area where he’s got a shot to be generational. It’s been 49 years since a tight end went in the top five – ex-Broncos Pro Bowler Riley Odoms went fifth in 1972 – and only Odoms and the great Mike Ditka have ever gone that high at the position. Only four tight ends (Vernon Davis in 2006, Eric Ebron in 2010, T.J. Hockenson in 2019 and Kellen Winslow in 2004) have even gone in the top 10 over the last 24 drafts.” NO SURPRISE TRE MANN TO THE NBA It was pretty apparent from the start of the season that Tre Mann was going to be a two-and-through type, gone to the NBA as soon as Florida’s basketball season came to an end. Back then he was thought of as an late first to early second rounder. The way he finished the season, Mann is now mid-first round with a shot at the lottery. His pre-draft workouts could propel him into the top ten. So, it’s not a big surprise that Mann declared for the NBA Wednesday. He’s still growing and has a frame that can hold another 15-20 pounds of muscle to go with an NBA-ready game. What makes Mann so enticing to NBA general managers is his ability to create his own shot. He’s a streaky outside shooter with good range to 30 feet and he proved during the Florida season that the added physical strength (he gained 20 pounds of muscle after his freshman year) allows him to play through contact and finish at the rack. MORE FLORIDA HOOPS STUFF Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports is reporting that Florida assistant Jordan Mincy, who has been part of Mike White’s staff dating back to their days at Louisiana Tech, will be the new head coach at Jacksonville University. Florida is actively recruiting Marshall grad transfer point guard Jarrod West, a second team All-Conference USA selection who averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game for the Thundering Herd. OTHER UF SPORTS Softball: The 5th-ranked Gators (21-3) gave up a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh Wednesday, falling to 22nd-ranked UCF, 8-6, in Orlando. Elizabeth Hightower (10-1) absorbed her first loss of the year, giving up the game-winner on a 1-out, 2-run homer. The Gators will resume SEC play this weekend when LSU comes to Gainesville for a 3-game set. Volleyball: The 7th-ranked Gators (18-3) knocked off Texas A&M (9-8) in straight sets Wednesday evening in College Station. The Gators and Aggies will face off again tonight. Lacrosse: The 11th-ranked Gators (5-2, 2-0 AAC) will host Cincinnati Friday and Saturday in American Athletic Conference matches. Soccer: The Gators (5-8-2) got two goals from Beata Olson Wednesday to knock off previously unbeaten North Florida, 2-0. The Gators (1-6-1 in SEC play) will face Georgia in Atlanta Sunday for their final SEC match of the spring. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC (FOOTBALL, HOOPS) Alabama: Hired just two months ago from Tennessee, special teams coordinator Jay Graham is leaving the Alabama staff to focus on what he calls mental health issues. That’s probably understandable considering he spent three years working for Jeremy Pruitt ... Among those sitting out Alabama’s first Pro Day were wide receivers Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle and running back Najee Harris. Bama will hold a second Pro Day on Tuesday. Arkansas: The offensive line gave up as many as seven sacks at the first scrimmage of the spring last Saturday, attended by somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 fans. Auburn: Freshman big man JT Thor will test the NBA Draft waters but won’t hire an agent, which will allow him to return to school if he gets an unfavorable report. Thor averaged 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game ... Shooting guard Justin Powell (6-6, 205) is transferring out as is forward Javon Franklin (6-7, 205). Powell averaged 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Georgia: Wide receiver George Pickens suffered a torn ACL. Pickens caught 36 passes for 513 yards and six touchdowns in 2020 … Starting guard Tye Fagan, who averaged 9.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assist per game, has put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Also transferring out point guard Mikal Starks, former 4-star small forward Jaykwon Walton and small forward Christian Brown (6-6, 215). Brown averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Kentucky: HBC Mark Stoops says Kentucky’s quarterbacks are throwing the ball with great accuracy and there are fewer dropped passes in the offense being installed by new coordinator Liam Coen … Former 5-star recruit B.J. Boston, is leaving for the NBA and intends to sign with an agent. Boston averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds as a freshman ... Forward Cam’Ron Fletcher is leaving via the transfer route. He averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds last year. LSU: The fallout from the scathing sexual misconduct report at LSU continues to spread. Last week it resulted in former LSU football coach Les Miles being fired at Kansas followed by the dismissal of athletic director Kevin Long, who hired Miles even though he was aware of the allegations at LSU. This week, former LSU president F. King Alexander has resigned for allowing Miles to stay on the job in Baton Rouge for three years after his firing was recommended by then athletic director Crazy Joe Alleva. Mississippi State: Former MSU defensive tackle James Jackson has transferred to South Alabama. Missouri: No sooner did point guard Xavier Pinson announce he’s put his name in the transfer portal than he received an offer from Auburn. Pinson averaged 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game ... At Mizzou’s Pro Day, safety Tyree Gillispee ran 40 times of 4.4 and 4.38. Ole Miss: Chad Kelly, who has bounced around in the NFL since leaving Ole Miss, will be throwing at the Rebels’ Pro Day today ... Forward KJ Buffen, who averaged 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds, has put his name in the transfer portal. Power forward Shon Robinson (6-10, 210) is also transferring out. South Carolina: Cornerback Jaycee Horn ran a 4.39 40 and got in 19 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press at South Carolina’s Pro Day ... Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule says he was “blown away” by South Carolina’s football only facility. Tennessee: Tight end Sean Brown, who played in two games in 2020, has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal … Rick Barnes’ top assistant Kim English is the new basketball coach at George Mason. Texas A&M: Forward Savion Flagg, whose productivity has dipped in each of Buzz Williams’ two seasons as the head basketball coach, has entered the transfer portal. Flagg averaged 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds the year before Williams arrived. In the recently concluded season, he averaged 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds. He will be a hot commodity ... Also leaving is power forward Kevin Marfo (6-8, 247), who averaged 2.6 points and 3.7 rebounds. Marfo averaged 10.2 points and led the nation in rebounding at 13.3 per game in 2020 at Quinnipiac ... Transferring in from UConn is 6-11 center Javonte Brown-Ferguson, who played in only two games. Vanderbilt: Northeastern guard Tyson Walker, who averaged 18.8 points and 4.8 assists per game last year, is transferring out and has Vandy listed among his finalists … Transferring out of Vanderbilt are shooting guard Maxwell Evans, power forward Clevon Brown (6-8, 235) and center Ejike Obina (6-10, 243). Evans averaged 8.4 points and 3.2 rebounds. Brown averaged 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds. Obina averaged 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds. Forward DJ Harvey is transferring to Detroit. He averaged 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds. ARKANSAS COACH ERIC MUSSELMAN FIRES BACK If you were watching CBS coverage of the NCAA Tournament back over the weekend, then perhaps you caught this comment from analyst Todd Fuhrman, who is a former oddsmaker, who said prior to the Arkansas-Texas Tech second round game: “When you look at the head coaches in this game, I think it’s one of the biggest mismatches you’re going to see in the round of 32. [Chris] Beard has to be licking his chops knowing Eric Musselman is on the other sidelines.” Musselman used those comments to fire up the Razorbacks who beat the Red Raiders 68-66 to advance to the Sweet 16. Musselman has since fired back, “I was alerted before the game about somebody on CBS who said something about the coaching matchup, so I was a little shocked we could actually win a close game based on his comments," Musselman said. "Whoever that guy is, I’ve never heard of him in my entire life. So his credibility is absolutely zero … I mean, who is this guy? He’s never called a timeout. I mean, who is the guy? I don’t know who he is.” STRICTLY HOOPS The last two days have North Carolina faithful wondering if Roy Williams has lost his grip. A day after 7-1 Walker Kessler announced his name is in the NCAA transfer portal, 6-11 Day’ron Sharpe declared for the NBA. Former Kentucky and now Brooklyn Nets assistant Kenny Payne is emerging as the leading candidate to become the new HBC at DePaul. The AD at DePaul is former Kentucky associate AD DeWayne Peevy. Kevin Kruger, son of former Florida and current Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger, is the new head coach at UNLV. Johnny Juzang, who was a freshman at Kentucky in 2019-20, has scored 67 points and hit 9-23 of his 3-pointers in three NCAA games for UCLA, which will face Alabama in the Sweet 16 Sunday. Abilene Christian president Dr. Phil Schubert estimates the exposure from winning a first round game and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament will be worth in excess of $100 million to the school. Six Penn State players have put their names in the NCAA transfer portal. Sweet 16 betting lines: In the South, Baylor 6.5-point favorites over Villanova and Arkansas 11.5-point favorites over Oral Roberts. In the Midwest, Loyola 7-point favorites over Oregon State and Houston 6-point favorites over Syracuse. In the West, Gonzaga 13.5-point favorites over Creighton and Southern Cal 1-point favorites over Oregon. In the East, Alabama 5-point favorites over UCLA and Michigan 3-point favorites over Florida State. I’m not into spreads, but here are my winners as of Wednesday night: Baylor and Arkansas in the South; Loyola and Syracuse in the Midwest; Gonzaga and Oregon in the West; Alabama and Florida State in the East. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Kirby Smart says Georgia’s quarterbacks are light years ahead of where they were last year. That might have something to do with the fact that the Bulldogs are so desperate in the secondary that they’ve shifted linebacker Adam Anderson and running back Lovesa Carroll to cornerback. Obviously, Kirby Smart is such a great coach that he could take even a jock-sniffing manager and make a stud out of him.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: MIKE WHITE WILL BE COACHING AT UF NEXT YEAR … MAYBE Let’s get one thing clear. The University of Florida is not going to fire Mike White. Scream until your throat is sore and your lungs ache, but the only way Mike White will not be the basketball coach next year is if he decides to leave on his own accord. No one is going to show him the door here in Gainesville. The loss to Oral Roberts has a majority of the Gator Nation shaking their heads. Some want White fired and those that don’t think athletic director Scott Stricklin should have him on a short leash for the 2021-22 season. There is also a rather large number of fans and booster who remain solidly in White’s corner, but even they know there is ample room for improvement. Monday, I answered a lot of phone calls and text messages about White. I found that even White’s detractors think he is a very nice man who has conducted himself and the Florida basketball program with a high level of integrity. The fact that so many blueblood programs experienced bad seasons and so many also await their judgment day with the NCAA Committee on Infractions seems to tilt in White’s favor among Florida fans. While so many think he is not the right fit as Florida’s basketball coach, they would rather have White in charge than to be facing probation. It is my opinion that the UF administration has no plans whatsoever to relieve White of his job. Here is a list why: 1. Florida is the only SEC team to make the NCAA Tournament every year since 2017: The Gators made the NIT in White’s first year on the job and they’ve made the NCAA the four years the tournament has been held since then. John Calipari (Kentucky) has won more games (122-46) but wherever Cal goes there is always the shadow of suspicion. Bruce Pearl is 112-52 since the 2017 season but Auburn self-imposed postseason sanctions that included no tournaments this year in an effort to lessen the hit from the NCAA due to evidence in the college basketball recruiting scandal. Rick Barnes (Tennessee) is 108-54 but he hasn’t made the tournament every year. 2. No scandals and players that graduate: The Gators make the NCAA Tournament every year, they haven’t had the NCAA sniffing around and they meet or exceed the NCAA academic progress rate (APR) every year. That resonates with the powers that be. 3. Money: The University Athletic Association isn’t teetering on the verge of bankruptcy and UF hasn’t had to cut staff or salaries because of lost revenues in the pandemic year. That’s not to say UF hasn’t tightened its belt. White is under contract through 2024-25 season and while the buyout isn’t enormous ($1.75 million) if White were fired without cause, there is still the cost of compensating assistants and staffers who would be let go plus the cost of bringing in a new coach. 4. Keyontae Johnson and COVID-19: The Gators lost 31 days of basketball, 18 after Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the floor in Tallahassee, 13 due to COVID-19 protocols in February. Four non-conference games were lost during the first pause, three in February. When Florida reconvened its season after Keyontae’s collapse, the Gators got in two practice days. They got in three practice days in February but only one when everyone on the team was present. While it’s true that programs like Texas A&M lost the entire month of February without playing a game and two pauses cost Iona 51 days, the UF administration thinks White did an exceptional job of getting the Gators into the NCAA Tournament under the circumstances. 5. The people in charge like Mike White and they’re willing to be patient: Everybody who meets Mike White likes him. It is very difficult not to like him. He is a high character man who is committed to bettering the lives of the kids who play for him. General consensus in the coaching community and in the UF administration is that White is going to be a big winner over the long haul. It is fair to ask the question does Mike White want to be in Gainesville? This isn’t an easy job because there is a precedent of success at the highest levels. There aren’t a lot of coaching gigs that offer a $3 million-plus salary and a program that has won two National Championships, made four Final Fours and eight Elite Eights since 2000. Not even Kentucky can match those credentials among the schools in the Southeastern Conference. The National Championships, Final Fours and seven of the eight Elite Eights were achieved under Billy Donovan, who will be in the Basketball Hall of Fame in the very near future. Donovan is a legend and following a legend isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world to do but White understood that when he took the UF job. To his credit he never backed down or used that as an excuse. Still, following a legend isn’t the easiest task in the coaching profession. I’m reminded of something Lou Holtz told me back in the 1970s when he was the football coach at North Carolina State. There was speculation that Woody Hayes would be retiring at Ohio State, where Holtz was once a Hayes assistant. Asked if he would like to be the Ohio State coach when Hayes retired, Lou replied, “I don’t want to be the coach who follows a legend, but I wouldn’t mind being the coach who follows the coach who follows the legend.” Depending on your perspective, White has either had the advantage of taking over a program that was elevated to such heights by a legend or he has had the misfortune of trying to deal with expectations that aren’t exactly realistic. We tend to forget, Mike inherited a Florida program coming off a losing season in Donovan’s final year. Billy didn’t exactly rip and shred on the recruiting trail in his final couple of seasons here either so there was no guarantee of instant success. Fans tend to think that this is Florida and if Donovan could do it, then why can’t Mike White. At some point, White might have a career that matches Donovan’s but that will take more patience than fans have at the moment. And, until he can match Donovan by making numerous Final Fours and Elite Eights and perhaps winning a National Championship or two, White will be thought of as an underachieving basketball coach in the eyes of Florida fans. If White elects to leave UF, it will be for a job that he thinks he can win at and where there is considerably less pressure from the fan base to match the accomplishments of a legendary predecessor. There are already rumors circulating that Utah has an interest in White and the interest is reciprocal. Utah last week fired Larry Kryskowiak after 10 years in which he made the NCAA Tournament only two times so the fan base is hungry for a coach who would be viewed as an upgrade. Utah has an NCAA championship in its history (1944 under coach Vadal Peterson). Utah made two Final Fours under Jack Gardner and Rick Majerus took the Utes to the Elite Eight in 1997 and the national championship game in 1998. Facilities are among the best in the Pac-12 and with billionaire alums like John Huntsman there is no shortage of booster money. Would Utah invest $3 million in Mike White? That remains to be seen. Again, at this point it’s only rumor and speculation. Prediction: Right now there is nothing to substantiate the rumors that White could bolt for Utah. My guess is that is exactly what it will remain, a rumor. I believe heis going to be the basketball at the University of Florida in 2021-22. Beyond that, we’ll just have to wait and see. GATORS REMAIN TOP FIVE IN ALL POLLS By rebounding from a midweek loss to Florida State with a 3-game sweep of Texas A&M in their first series of the Southeastern Conference schedule, the Florida Gators remained in the top five in all the college baseball polls. The Gators are as high as No. 2 in Collegiate Baseball and are No. 5 in the other polls. Center fielder Jud Fabian was named the Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Week after hitting two home runs and driving in four in the Texas A&M series. Fabian also had the key defensive play of the series when he made a home-run robbing catch in game two. The Gators travel to South Carolina this weekend in their second SEC series of the season. Collegiate Baseball poll: 1. Vanderbilt 15-3; 2. FLORIDA 16-5; 3. Ole Miss 16-4; 4. Texas Tech 16-4; 5. Arkansas 14-3; 6. Mississippi State 16-4; 7. Louisville 14-5; 8. East Carolina 16-3; 9. Texas 14-6; 10. Michigan 9-2; 11. UCLA 12-6; 13. Oklahoma State 12-5-1; 14. LSU 16-5; 15. Oregon 10-4; 16. Arizona State 12-5; 17. North Carolina 12-6; 18. Pittsburgh 11-4; 19. Georgia Tech 11-6; 20. Oregon State 13-4; 21. Notre Dame 9-3. 22. Southern Illinois 17-1; 23. Arizona 13-6; 24. Alabama 15-5; 25. Florida State 10-6; 26. Stanford 12-3; 27. Tennessee 17-4; 28. Indiana 9-2; 29. San Diego 13-4; 30. Hawaii 11-3. D1baseball.com poll: 1. Vanderbilt 15-3; 2. Arkansas 14-3; 3. Mississippi State 16-4; 4. Ole Miss 16-4; 5. FLORIDA 16-5; 6. Texas Tech 16-4; 7. Louisville 14-5; 8. East Carolina 16-3; 9. Texas 14-6; 10. UCLA 12-6; 11. Georgia Tech 11-6; 12. Tennessee 17-4; 13. TCU 13-7; 14. Notre Dame 9-3; 15. Pittsburgh 11-4; 16. Oregon 10-4; 17. Florida State 10-6; 18. Michigan 9-2; 19. Miami 9-7; 20. Oklahoma State 12-5; 21. Oregon State 13-4; 22. LSU 16-5; 23. Louisiana Tech 13-5; 24. North Carolina 12-6; 25. South Carolina 12-6. Baseball America poll: 1. Arkansas 14-3; 2. Mississippi State 16-4; 3. Vanderbilt 15-3; 4. Ole Miss 16-4; 5. FLORIDA 16-5; 6. Texas Tech 16-4; 7. Louisville 14-5; 8. East Carolina 16-3; 9. Texas 14-6; 10. Georgia Tech 11-6; 11. North Carolina 12-6; 13. Oregon 10-4; 14. Pittsburgh 11-4; 15. Florida State 10-6; 16. Tennessee 17-4; 17. UCLA 12-6; 18. Miami 9-7; 19. Michigan 9-2; 20. South Carolina 12-6; 21. Arizona 13-6; 22. Virginia Tech 10-8; 23. Alabama 15-5; 24. Texas Christian 13-7; 25. Indiana State 11-6 USA Today Coaches poll: 1. Vanderbilt 15-3; 2. Arkansas 14-3; 3. Ole Miss 16-4; 4. Mississippi State 16-4;5. FLORIDA 16-5; 6. Texas Tech 16-4; 7. Louisville 14-5; 8. East Carolina 16-3; 9. Tennessee 17-4; 10. Texas 14-6; 11. UCLA 12-6; 12. TCU 13-7; 13. Georgia Tech 11-6; 14. Notre Dame 9-3; 15. Oregon 10-4; 16. LSU 16-5; 17. Oklahoma State 12-5; 18. Pittsburgh 11-4; 19. Michigan 9-2; 20. Oregon State 13-4; 21. Florida State 10-6; 22. Miami 9-7; 23. South Carolina 12-6; 24. Alabama 15-5; 25. North Carolina 12-6. MARCHING TO THE MADNESS With its 96-77 win over Maryland of the Big Ten Monday night in the East Regional, Alabama (26-6) joined Arkansas (24-5) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. LSU dropped an 86-77 decision to No. 1 seed Michigan in the East Regional. No. 3 Arkansas will face 15th-seeded Oral Roberts Saturday in the South Regional semifinals while Alabama will face 11th-seeded UCLA on Sunday. The other Sweet 16 matchups: In the South Regional, Saturday, No. 1 Baylor will face 5th-seeded Villanova. In the Midwest Regional, No. 8 Loyola of Chicago will face No. 12 Oregon State and No. 2 Houston will face No. 11 Syracuse. Sunday in the East Regional, No. 1 Michigan will face 4th-seeded Florida State. In the West Regional, No. 1 Gonzaga will face 5th-seeded Creighton and No. 6 Southern Cal will face No. 7 Oregon. Power 5 Conference records: Pac-12 9-1; Big 12 7-6; SEC 6-4; Big 10 7-8, ACC 4-5. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: If you aren’t already sick of both Georgia fans and an adoring media proclaiming the Poodles to be the greatest thing since the invention of non-clumping cat litter, then brace yourself because in two months the first preseason football magazines will hit the stands. It wouldn’t surprise me if at least one or two magazines predicts a national title for Kirby Smart and the Poodles. What makes me believe it’s not going to happen at least in 2021 is game one. Circle it on your calendar. Georgia faces Clemson in Charlotte. I can’t see Clemson losing that one just as I can’t see Georgia ending a drought of more than 40 years since the last national title.

The black mask with the NCAA logo obscured some of the pain and shock on Mike White’s face Sunday night as he sat at the podium trying to explain the unexplainable after the Florida Gators literally gave away their second round NCAA South Regional game to 15th-seeded Oral Roberts. There was no mask for White’s voice, however, particularly when he answered a question about the 20 Florida turnovers that ORU turned into 23 points that were the difference between extending the season another week and ending on a disappointing note. “It destroyed us,” White said, pointing a finger at the turnover issue that plagued his team. “It’s been our biggest issue all year.” The Gators turned the ball over 375 times in 25 games, which is 16 per game. That UF finished 15-10 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with so many turnovers is actually quite remarkable considering they (a) had only 293 assists all year and (b) forced opponents into 358 miscues. When you have such a negative assist-to-turnover ratio and your defense forces fewer turnovers than you make it’s like a festering sore that will only get worse with time. This is an issue that got worse as the season progressed, boiling over at the end. You expect teams to be a bit sloppy with the ball early in the season but typically things get better with time and experience. The Gators were certainly hurt by the 18-day layoff after Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the floor at FSU. During the layoff time, there were very few practices and four games were missed. Cancelling the remainder of the season was actually an option that was on the table. Just when it seemed White had the Gators figuring things out, along came the 13-day pause due to COVID-19 in February. Three games were missed and again, there were few practices. These two pauses in the season had a part in curtailing this team’s development, but other teams dealt with postponed games and schedule pauses and some of them are still standing as the madness of the tournament marches on. Even when things were going well, the Gators were never a great passing team nor were they ever much more than average when it came to protecting the basketball. Like any problem unchecked, the turnover and passing issues kept growing and then went into a tailspin in the final six game when UF turned the ball over 102 times while dishing out only 60 assists. Opponents converted the turnovers into 103 points and the Gators finished the season on a 2-4 descent. When March arrived, it was thought UF would be a five seed in the NCAA Tournament with an outside shot at a four if they scored two or three wins and played well in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Rather than embrace the opportunity, the Gators went into a self-destruct mode. Of the two wins at the tail end of the season, the Gators nearly gave away the Vanderbilt game at the SEC Tournament and had to go overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to nip Virginia Tech. The critical factor in the sluggish finish was the inability to pass the basketball well and to avoid turnovers. White insists that he made taking care of the ball a priority item in practice but judging by what happened there at the end of the year, it’s fairly obvious the team wasn’t buying whatever he was selling. “I'm not sure that there's anything else that we could have tried in terms of motivation or film,” White said. “We talked … you can't talk about it any more than we talked about it, working on it in practice.” Perhaps White’s approach to dealing with the turnover issues was too difficult for the Gators to grasp. It is easier to point a finger at the coach and say his methods were too complicated than to blame a bunch of 18-22 year old kids for turning a deaf ear to their coach but no matter who is to blame, the problem persisted and the season ended in disappointment. This is a team that never really improved when it came to passing the ball and avoiding the critical turnovers. When calendar flipped over turned to March, it was as if floodgates were opened and the turnover problems the Gators experienced all year went from bad to overwhelming. Instead of improving, the Gators slammed on brakes and screeched to a half. “To me it was a mentality that this team, unfortunately, never fully embraced the importance, unfortunately, of each possession, and let's just get one up,” White said. What destroyed the Gators is in stark contrast to Gonzaga, which is easily the best team in the country. The Zags shoot 55 percent as a team largely because they are the nation’s most unselfish team. They rank second nationally in assists per game and they are top ten in fewest turnovers. In their opening round win over Norfolk State in the NCAA Tournament, the Zags had 27 assists on 34 made baskets, which is astounding efficiency. In that game, Gonzaga turned the ball over only 11 times. The Zags are on a mission to win a national championship. Getting there means setting egos aside and embracing teamwork. It also means listening to and understanding what the coach asks for and demands in both practices and games. Sunday night, White didn’t blame the team for the failure to correct the turnover issues. He did what smart coaches do and pointed the finger at himself. “This group, I just did a poor job of embracing the level of basketball that's needed to compete at a high level,” he said. Now that the season is over, White has six months before he will be allowed by the NCAA to hold another practice. During that period of time, it’s up to him to figure out how to get the Gators to do the things it takes to succeed and win at a high level in Division I. It might take changes in his own schemes and methods and it could entail changes to his staff but somehow White has to find a way to better connect with his team. No doubt White will have to deal with some personnel issues. Tre Mann’s NBA Draft stock has been constantly rising to the point that he’s borderline lottery so it’s highly unlikely that he will return next season. No one knows at this time what will happen with Keyontae Johnson. We may not know for months whether or not he will be allowed to resume his basketball career, and if he’s given a clean bill of health prior to the NBA Draft, will he elect to declare or will he choose to come back for one more season in Gainesville. It would be unusual if at least one player doesn’t transfer out and given White’s success in luring quality transfers (Canyon Barry from College of Charleston; Jalen Hudson from Virginia Tech; Egor Koulechov from Rice; Kerry Blackshear Jr. from Virginia Tech; Anthony Duruji from Louisiana Tech; Tyree Appleby from Cleveland State; and Colin Castleton from Michigan), it’s difficult to think he won’t dip into that market once again. No matter who suits up for the Gators next year Mike White has to get through to every single one of his players that they can’t have another season in which there is such a lack of focus and discipline. Turnovers and selfishness are merely symptoms of problems solved only through focus, discipline and commitment. Next year will be White’s seventh at the University of Florida. With the exception of the COVID-19 season (2019-20), White has taken the Gators to the postseason every year but only once into the Sweet 16 and beyond. In 2017, White had the Gators within a bad two minute stretch at the end of the game with South Carolina from making the Final Four. Since then the Gators have struggled once into the second round. The recent problems suggest it’s time to re-evaluate the entire basketball program from top to bottom. There are so many things that White is doing right but he needs to figure out what obstacles are hindering the growth of the program and remove them. Change is never easy, but the loss to Oral Roberts is a clear indicator that the time for making changes is now, otherwise the basketball program will be spinning its wheels.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY Let’s start with the obvious. In losing to Oral Roberts, 81-78, in the second round of the NCAA South Regional in Indianapolis Sunday evening, the Gators assisted on 12 baskets while turning the basketball over 20 times. That recipe for disaster was compounded by 19 personal fouls that gave ORU 23 free throws. Two of the fouls were on made 3-pointers that gave the Golden Eagles a pair of 4-point plays. It’s next to impossible to win games with a negative-eight assist-to-turnover ratio. Oral Roberts converted the 20 turnovers into 23 points and the Golden Eagles hit 19-23 from the foul line. Florida managed 13 points off ORU turnovers and ORU’s 12 personal fouls resulted in Florida getting to the line nine times (made seven). It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to figure out that Florida’s miscues and fouls gave Oral Roberts a 22-point cushion. The Gators hit 55.2 percent of their shots and the 7-22 from the 3-point line is a bit deceptive since three of those misses came in the final 21 seconds when the Gators were desperate to score. Yet, somehow the Gators found a way to lose a game they had no business losing. How did they do it? Let’s start with Tre Mann, who led the Gators with 19 points. He hit 8-16 shots from the field and was a respectable 3-8 from the 3-point line. He didn’t score again after putting up eight of Florida’s first 10 points in the second half. Mann hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half. He hit a jumper at the 17:14 mark that gave the Gators a 52-43 lead, his last points of the game. Mann didn’t disappear on his own. He’s a scorer who wants the ball and who is relentless in attacking. Why then, as hot as he was, didn’t the Gators make more of an effort to get the ball to him so he could continue to stick daggers in ORU’s heart? ORU didn’t have anyone who could handle Colin Castleton, who scored 14 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked 10 shots. His numbers could have been much better if the guards had done a better job penetrating and giving him the ball in good scoring position. Then there is the coaching blunder of coaching blunders. Following a pair of free throws by Max Abmas with 3:19 remaining in the game that cut Florida’s lead to 76-75, the ball somehow got in the hands of Osayi Osifo. Almost on cue from the moment he touched the basketball, Oral Roberts defenders swarmed and fouled him. Also, almost on cue, Osifo, who was a 50 percent free throw shooter on a mere 16 attempts all year, bricked the front end of a one-and-one. ORU rebounded and down at the other end, Kevin Obamor scored on a layup with 2:56 to go in the game to give the Golden Eagles a 77-76 lead. You can’t blame Osifo for the Gators losing by three points, but it’s fair to ask why was he in the game in the first place at this critical juncture? His 16 minutes of playing time produced all of two points, three rebounds, three personal fouls and three turnovers. It’s obvious the ORU coaching staff knew what a liability he was because the foul that sent Osifo to the line was part of a plan and no accident. That foul was as good as another UF turnover. Why wasn’t Anthony Duruji in the game instead of Osifo? He’s a far better defender and rebounder (8 points, 5 rebounds in 22 minutes) and he turned the ball over just once. He’s not very good at the foul line either, but he’s hit some free throws this season when games were on the line. We could go on and on when it comes to assessing the blame for Sunday’s loss. We could point out that Scottie Lewis followed up his outstanding game against Virginia Tech by scoring no points and pulling down one more rebound than a dead man against ORU. He looked like a future NBA player Friday. He looked like a total liability in every phase of the game Sunday. This is a game the Gators should have never lost but we could say that about at least seven of Florida’s 10 losses this year. The difference in the Gators finishing the season at 15-10 and being in the Sweet 16 with something like a 21-4 record has everything to do with turnovers, a lack of discipline on both the offensive and defensive ends and unexplained droughts, some of them collective by the whole team (Gators were ahead 67-56 with 9:48 to go Sunday and were outscored 25-11 the rest of the way) and some of them by individuals. It’s the kind of ending that begs Mike White to do a thorough evaluation of where the Florida program is and where it’s heading. While the Gators can play brilliantly one game, they play like they took lessons by mail order and the mail was late far too often. That has to change and change soon because 140 miles to the west Leonard Hamilton keeps bringing in the kind of players that have the Seminoles competing for the ACC championship and eventually will get them to the Final Four. HOOPS DU JOUR The Fighting Sister Jeans are the real deal: The single most impressive thing in Loyola’s 71-58 Midwest Regional second round win over No. 1 seed and nationally 2nd-ranked Illinois was the way the Ramblers handled adversity. Illinois kept applying the pressure and threatening to come back on Loyola in the second half, but every time the Illini were on the verge of taking the game over, Cameron Krutwick made a play. If you were looking at Krutwick and Illini All-American center Kofi Cockburn pregame you probably though Cockburn was going to destroy Krutwick. Cockburn looks like an All-American. Krutwick looks like a bar bouncer. Yet, it was Krutwick who made all the important plays at both ends of the court, finishing the game with 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals to lead Loyola into the Sweet 16 where the Ramblers will face Oregon State, which has wins over Tennessee and Oklahoma State in its first two games. The Ramblers get their inspiration from 101-year-old Sister Jean, who brought the luck that got them to the Final Four in 2018. If you’re the type who’s prone to wager a couple of bucks, don’t bet against Loyola making it to another Final Four. The Pac-12 hasn’t lost a game: By virtue of wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 4 Oklahoma State, Oregon State has advanced to the Sweet 16 where it will face Loyola. The Beavers are part of a rather surprising run by the Pac-12, which has a chance to advance four more teams into the Sweet 16 today. Not counting Oregon’s walkover win over VCU, sent home because of COVID-19, the Pac-12 is now 6-0 in the tournament, by far the best record of any conference. Today, 6th-seeded Southern Cal faces 3rd-seed Kansas and 7th-seeded Oregon faces 2nd-seeded Iowa in the West while 5th-seeded Colorado faces 4th-seeded FSU and 11th-seeded UCLA faces 14th-seeded Abilene Christian in the East. I can see at least three of those teams advancing. The Zags and Baylor look like the two best teams: In winning their opening round matchup against Norfolk State Saturday night, Gonzaga had 27 assists on 34 made baskets. The Zags turned the ball over only 11 times. When you have 16 more assists than turnovers, you are (a) the most unselfish team in America and (b) not going to lose games. Next up is 8th-seeded Oklahoma today … As for Baylor, the Bears put on a defensive clinic in whipping Wisconsin 79-63 in the South Regional. If you want to watch the best defender in the country, take a look at Mark Vital, who plays power forward at 6-4, 250. The SEC is 3-3: Florida’s loss to Oral Roberts dropped the Southeastern Conference to 3-3. Arkansas beat Texas Tech Sunday night in the South Regional to make it to the Sweet 16 where the 3rd-seeded Hogs will face off with 2nd-seeded Houston. Today in the West Regional, 8th-seeded LSU will take on top seeded Michigan and 2nd-seeded Alabama will play 10th-seeded Maryland. GATORS SWEEP AGGIES IN SEC OPENER With their opening weekend sweep of Texas A&M, the 5th-ranked Gators (16-5, 3-0 SEC) are the only unbeaten team in the SEC East Division. The Gators were impressive, taking out the Aggies 13-4 Thursday night, 3-1 Friday evening and then 8-4 on Saturday afternoon. Thursday, Tommy Mace gave up six hits and only two earned runs in seven innings while raising his record to 4-0. The Gators got home runs from Jud Fabian (7) and Nathan Hickey (4) while Mac Guscette led the 16-hit attack with three singles and a double. Hickey also had a single and a double while Fabian had a double to go with his homer and three RBI. Friday was all about Jack Leftwich, who gave up three hits and struck out six in seven innings to improve to 4-0. Christian Scott got the save with two scoreless innings. Guscette and fellow freshman Sterlin Thompson each had an RBI. Hunter Barco gave up nine hits and struck out nine in six innings Saturday to improve to 3-1. Fabian launched his eighth homer while Kirby McMullen hit his fifth homer and drove in three runs. Guscette had a run-scoring single, finishing the weekend 7-12 with three RBI. The Gators are off until next weekend when they travel to Columbia to face South Carolina (12-6, 1-2 SEC) in a three-game series. OTHER UF SPRING SPORTS Gymnastics: Don’t read too much in the No. 1 ranked Gators taking third at the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championships in Huntsville, Alabama. The Gators, who will be a top seed at NCAA Regional the first week in April, already won the SEC championship during the regular season. Finishing third in Huntsville was to be expected when head coach Jenny Rowland pulled Trinity Thomas from everything but the uneven bars to rest an injured ankle ahead of the more important regionals. Men’s Tennis: The 2nd-ranked Gators won their 11th straight match Sunday afternoon when they blanked Florida State, 7-0, at the Ring Tennis Center on the UF campus. The Gators, who are 14-1 overall and 8-0 in SEC play, get back to the SEC next weekend when they host Arkansas on Friday. Softball: The 5th-ranked Gators (21-2, 5-1 SEC) swept Mississippi State (15-11, 0-6 SEC) in Starkville over the weekend by a combined score of 19-0. The Gators took the Friday night game, 1-0, then obliterated the Bulldogs 10-0 and 8-0 in their next two. Elizabeth Hightower pitched a 6-hitter on Friday and a 2-hitter on Sunday to improve to 10-0 while lowering her ERA to 0.71. Natalie Lugo got the Saturday win with two innings of relief help from Hightower. Kinsey Goelz hit a home run for the only run in the Friday night win. Hannah Adams hit her fourth homer over the weekend and Kendyll Lindaman hit her third. The Gators will travel to UCF Wednesday and will be home next weekend to face LSU (17-8, 3-2 SEC). Lacrosse: The 11th-ranked Gators (5-2, 2-0 AAC) opened the American Athletic Conference portion of the schedule over the weekend by knocking off Temple 15-9 on Friday and 14-7 on Sunday. The Gators will host AAC foe Cincinnati for two matches next weekend. Women’s swimming: The Gators finished 17th at the NCAA championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. Women’s golf: The 22nd-ranked Gators finished 9th in the Liz Murphey Invitational in Athens, Georgia. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: For the past four months we have endured a constant barrage from the broadcast media, telling us how great basketball is in the Big Ten. The Big Ten got nine teams in the NCAA Tournament with two No. 1 seeds (Illinois and Michigan) and two No. 2s (Iowa and Ohio State). Illinois and Ohio State are already gone, Michigan might not make it out of the West and Iowa plays in the same regional as the Zags. The Big Ten’s 6-5 record leaves us to ask the question was the league vastly overrated or just picked the NCAA Tournament for so many of its teams to collectively play poorly?

As Ohio State players stood open mouthed and stunned, the guys in purple high-stepped around the court. Cinderella had officially arrived to the ball, in the form of Oral Roberts University. The 15th seeded private school from Oklahoma had just knocked off the second seeded Buckeyes. It was the epitome of all that is mad about March. Back in their hotel room, still recovering from their own overtime win versus Virginia Tech, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team was watching with rapt attention, knowing they’d face the winner of the Oral Roberts-Ohio State game. According to guard Noah Locke, what they saw amplified the importance to not take any game lightly, especially in the NCAA Tournament. “We saw that those guys can play, it’s not a game where we can just come in and underestimate them. All those guys can score, I mean the leading scorer in the country’s on their team, but they got all guys that can play. But we went over some scout today, just figuring out ways that we’re going to stop him and stop the guys that give them points, and the way they guard, and stuff like that. We’ve just got to game plan for them.” The leading scorer mentioned by Locke is Max Abmas. Following their win Friday evening, Abbas now leads the country averaging 24.4 points per game (635 total). He also leads the country in three-pointers made with 95 thus far. Oral Roberts as a whole is third in the country in three-pointers made, trailing only Alabama and Toledo. And such is the crux of the Gators defensive game plan. “One of the most difficult matchups for us defensively all year,” admits Gators’ Head Coach Mike White. “Obviously a championship team, a team that’s on a great run. It starts with how they spread you. They all shoot it. Their top six can all pass, dribble and shoot. I’m not talking about good shooters. Really, really good shooters led by Abmas and [forward Kevin] Obanor. “Obanor shoots it as well as any post player that we have played since I’ve been at Florida. Shoots it like a 2 guard. Their sixth man comes in at 6-8 and shoots it like a 2 guard. They just space you and spread you, which opens up driving lanes for arguably the fastest guy in our game. We have our hands full trying to defend these guys. “We’re walking through stuff with our guys – ‘How we going to guard this action? How we going to guard that action?’ We do this, and we have to understand this guy shoots it, quick release, at 50 percent and he plays the ‘5’ and this guy, if you don’t pick him up at the spot it’s like a HORSE shot for him’ – our guys understand these guys are really good. I don’t know what you label them other than a really good team that just won a championship a week ago and now just beat Ohio State.” Still, the stigma of being a small school in a second tier conference can place even the most proficient of teams in a low seed. And that little 15 next to Oral Roberts’ name will make them a Cinderella, even if they had justification to be invited to the dance long before they muscled their way in with a Summit League title. And while chalk would suggest the Gators path to the second weekend just got significantly easier, and fans at home will be pulling hard for the underdog, White and the Gators are determined to take this match beyond seriously. It will be their first experience with a Cinderella in the tournament. “We can’t underestimate them. A great team and they beat another great team, so I mean if they can beat them obviously they’re a really good team. So we’ve got to come in with the right mindset ready to win,” explains Locke. “I feel like usually teams in the tournament, you know when it’s a Cinderella team and they win their first game, the next team comes up they’re like ‘Aw well we got a 15-seed, an inferior opponent’. They come in thinking that way and then they beat them, and then they just keep going and going. So for us to be able to come into the right mindset and doing the right things, guarding them to the best of our ability, I feel like we’ll be able to get a win.” The last Florida team to face such a low seed was in 2013 when Billy Donovan’s group beat Florida Gulf Coast University in the Sweet 16. Florida rolled through that win, crashing the glass slipper in route to the Elite Eight. To make it to the Sweet 16 next weekend in Indianapolis, the Gators will have to strike the balance that Mike White has been preaching; playing with emotions without playing emotional. Doing that means leaning back on the hard practices, long hours and drills under the dimmed lights of the gym as opposed to being swayed by the bright lights of the big dance. "Just going back and thinking how much practice and how much work we’ve put in. It could definitely get emotional, for sure, but we practice and do all these things so many times to where it’s we don’t have to overthink anything, get emotionally out of it, just stay calm and do what we do every day.” Florida found themselves emotional at times on Friday, in their first game against Virginia Tech. White noted smiles in huddles when the score was too close or attention pulled away from the action. But then, when the Gators could have justifiably folded in to themselves emotionally—watching their lost teammate Keyontae Johnson helping guard Tyree Appleby stumble off the court after an elbow to the face—they instead channeled it. Colin Castleton recorded the 25th NCAA Tournament double-double in Florida history, with 19 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis had big days, as Lewis went for 15 and Mann for 14 and combined to shoot 10-for-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Mann also drew two charges in the first three minutes of the game. Mann’s step-back three pointers became a thing of beauty, going 3-6 on the shot. Then in overtime, he hit only one…but it was crucial. With 24 seconds remaining and up by only one, Mann stepped back behind the arc and rainbowed one in that needed a flight pattern and gave Florida a two-possession lead. A Scottie Lewis free throw provided more breathing room and the Gators left the court victorious. While White admitted time constraints in the tournament meant he didn’t get to rewatch the Gators opening win, he doesn’t need to see the film to recall each shot with which Tre Mann changed the game. “The step-back in the left wing across from our bench and then stringing the ball-screen catch out right toward our bench going right, late clock and really we had—I started saying it so I might as well put it out there—we had one guy out of position who hadn’t played a lot of minutes in the last month. So it was a little bit of a broken play there where he’s just in space and he just steps up and makes a huge shot,” admits White. “An all-league guard making an all-league shot in the NCAA Tournament. He’s worked his butt off of course and he’s put himself in position to do that.” Adds Locke, “It’s big, it’s definitely big. I mean, it’s a great shot from him. I feel like everybody contributed in the moment, everybody was locked in, for him to be able to make that big shot for us it was great. We’ll need that from him and everybody else throughout the rest of the tournament.” The rest of the tournament continues tonight. The Florida Gators have a date with Cinderella at 7:45 pm Eastern.

Sunday begins one of the more stressful times for any football coach; when he releases his players back into the world, away from practices, supervision and daily structure. When he must trust he and his staff have helped ingrain a precedent and standard into their team that will be kept over a long offseason. That’s where Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen currently finds himself; required and prepared but never actually ready to turn the next five months over to his team. While meetings can happen in some capacity and Director of Strength and Conditioning Nick Savage can still work guys out, coaches can’t engage in football actives with the players. They must set those themselves. Now comes the time to trust the leadership on the roster to keep the ship moving forward. So as the Gators wrapped up spring practice with their final scrimmage on Saturday, their head coach left them with this message. First, take a week off. Rest, physically and mentally. Refresh their motor, everything. Then comes the challenging part. “Everybody then has to understand their very different levels of where they’re at,” explained Mullen on Saturday, following the concussing of the final scrimmage. “We’re going to have a great offseason of May, June, physically getting bigger, faster, stronger, and a huge offseason. But everybody’s at different levels, and one of the most critical things is learning how to develop. You can have guys say, ‘Hey Coach, I’m going to come in and watch film every day.’ Great. Well, what are you watching? Are you able to watch film and realize when you made a mistake and how to correct that mistake? Do you know what to see? Or am I just kind of watching it to watch it? It’s so critical for each individual to learn how to develop, where they’re at in their career, and what are the big things they need to go work on.” As such, Mullen and staff aren’t sending their team off with one particular message or plan. Instead, each player has his own. “I mean, you’ve got a guy that’s going into a fifth-year senior, so I mean, you take Zach Carter, like, what he’s working on might be very different than what [sophomore] Gervon Dexter is working on. Even though there are some similarities and they’re working on the same things, they’re also working on some different things. Maybe I’ve [Gervon] got to work on some of the specifics and I’m working on some more general things that Zach already has kind of mastered. “It’s understanding where you’re at and what you need to do and how you need to learn to develop, because we’re not around them all the time. There’s so much personal development going on, but if you don’t know how to do it, if you’re not in there watching film and you don’t know how to watch the film and what you’re specifically looking for, you’re not really developing. Like I told our guys, you might as well be watching SpongeBob Squarepants or watching The Replacements. I don’t know if you’re getting much out of it.” While each player has their own path for further development this summer, coaches will of course ask for responsibility to be taken by those who already know the lay of the land. Considering two classes of guys will be entering their first on campus offseason—due to COVID-19 sending everyone home during this time last year—Mullen is leaning on not only veterans, but those that learned from past leaders. “Zach Carter, the guys up front, the whole defensive front, you gotta take control of that. You’re look at Kaiir [Elam] in the secondary, you have to make sure those guys are communicating and getting the work in donig what they’re supposed to do. Ventrell Miller at linebacker. You’re looking at guys like Big Stew [Stewart Reese] and Ethan White, Richard Gouraige on the offensive line of making sure they’re getting the work in they need to get in. Emory obviously a lot. “You look at certain positions, the running back position has so many veterans, those guys kind of there’s not one guys teaching the young guys how to do it because you have so many veteran guys that know what to do, does that make sense.. Emory and Anthony have to get the tight ends and receivers and all that, they got to work on the same page. So it’s kind of the veteran guy at their position group pulling all the other guys along, saying, this is the work we need to do. “Kyle Trask last year getting everybody on the same page to do it. Emory watched how he did it, so now it’s his turn for him to go show those guys how to do it, and then Anthony learns and then shows them how to do it. It’s kinda that effect that goes all the way through the groups.” As other schools open their spring practice this weekend, the Florida Gators are winding down, a month early and with more time to reflect. And after a proper rest, the next step in the 2021 season begins. It’s one of the more stressful times for any football coach; when he releases his players back into the world, away from practices, supervision and daily structure…and trust them to build a team and to shape the 2021 Florida Gators.