Scottie Wilbekin has been going up against bigger and older competition his entire life.
The freshman guard played on an eighth grade team at age 9, and had made the jump to Gainesville The Rock’s varsity team by the time he was in sixth grade.
Wilbekin will again be one of the youngest players on the court tonight as the 17-year-old begins his collegiate career with No. 11 Florida’s exhibition matchup against Florida Tech at 7 in the O’Connell Center.
Although he will be playing alongside veterans like senior Vernon Macklin — who has seven years, eight inches and 65 pounds on Wilbekin — the freshman is confident he can fit in at the collegiate level.
“I’m used to it by now,” Wilbekin said. “In AAU I’ve been playing with people that tall and that big, so it’s really not that big of a difference.”
One thing the veterans and coaches point to as a potential hang-up for incoming freshmen is the increased conditioning required to physically compete in the Southeastern Conference.
But Wilbekin says that the conditioning hasn’t been that tough, and that he is yet to reach a point where he really struggled or fell behind some of the older players.
The freshman, who has always been known as a hard worker, has been putting the 10 to 15 pounds he added in the weight room since the summer of 2009 to good use.
“He’s a strong kid, he’s a physically strong kid for a young kid,” coach Billy Donovan said after the team’s first weekend of two-a-days. “We’re going up and down and running and doing that stuff on a regular basis, and I don’t see him really physically getting tired or totally overwhelmed.”
This level of conditioning and physical preparation is surprising from Wilbekin, who decided to forgo his senior year of high school at The Rock to get an early start at UF.
Wilbekin ended his junior year needing only a single English credit to earn his diploma, and he was able to complete that requirement just a few weeks after the semester ended.
While skipping senior year would be a huge decision for almost anyone, Wilbekin had a rather easy time with it. He knew he was choosing to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in a Florida uniform.
“Overall, I knew that I wanted to be a Gator,” Wilbekin said. “So it really wasn’t that big of a decision.”
Wilbekin’s presence has already given the team a boost in practice, as the addition of another talented guard means returning starters Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton have an additional player to work against as they try to improve.
Wilbekin should also be a major help to Walker and Boynton during games, as the freshman said he can be relied upon to give the two starters a breather due to his high basketball IQ and solid ball handling ability.
“I’ll come in for Erv, come in for K.B., just give them rest so they can perform to their highest abilities,” Wilbekin said.
Donovan said that Wilbekin, like every other player on this year’s roster, should expect to see 15 to 25 minutes of action tonight.
Regardless of how long he plays, Wilbekin is excited to have the chance to compete in front of his friends, family and fans.
“I’m gonna be excited,” Wilbekin said. “It’s been a long time and it’s finally here. The freshmen, we’ve talked a little bit about it, and we just can’t wait.”
