Last season, Florida's frontcourt struggled to stay healthy and faced even more problems staying in shape.
Through the Gators' opening weekend of practice, coach Billy Donovan is already seeing a noticeable change in his big men, thanks to the preparation of his lone freshman post player.
First-year forward Erik Murphy will add some much-needed depth to UF's frontcourt this season, as Donovan expects the 6-foot-9, 217-pounder to primarily play power forward, occasionally slide over to center and make an immediate impact down low.
"Just based on what I've seen the first two days here, I'd have no problem putting him in a game and playing him," Donovan said. "He is an offensive threat both inside and out."
In the Gators' first weekend of practice, Murphy's best attribute has been his conditioning - a direct contrast to how UF's freshmen performed early on last year, when they couldn't even get back on defense during drills.
"I knew that would be a big help if I came down in good shape and was able to run and everything like that," Murphy said. "I was in the gym doing sprints, just working out every day."
Murphy worked himself into shape this summer before coming to Gainesville, and his efforts have paid off, allowing him to keep up with the Gators' more experienced players and create a level of competition that had been absent from UF's practices the last two years.
As a result, the Gators' returning players have been forced to improve in practice. Donovan specifically pointed out sophomore center Kenny Kadji, one of the freshmen who struggled to keep up in 2008. Last year, he was one of many lagging behind. Now, when Kadji can't keep up with Murphy or UF's other big men, he gets exposed.
"You need to have competition there. You need to have guys working," Donovan said. "You need to have guys who can sustain a level of intensity, and that's the one thing that's been good so far.
"We've had competitive practices because when we split up the groups as they've been split up, both teams have been able to compete with each other."
Although Murphy will likely see significant playing time this year, Donovan compared the freshman to former Gators forward Matt Bonner in that it could take a few years for Murphy to fully realize his potential.
"I would say Matt was a little further along on the perimeter, and Erik is probably a little further along in the low post than Matt was," Donovan said. "But he's going to evolve and develop into a very, very good player. I remember Matt's freshman year, I don't know how much he played, but it was a process for him."
Even without the comparison to Bonner, Murphy has his family's past on his side. His father, Jay, had a four-year stint in the NBA and played at Boston College, where he went up against Donovan's Providence team in college.
"I wouldn't say we were close friends, but as we started recruiting Erik, our relationship got closer during that process," Donovan said. "It was good to get reacquainted with him going through that whole process with Erik."
