Questions surround coach Amanda Butler’s inexperienced squad entering the 2010-11 season. But with the opener less than a week away one of the most glaring concerns seems to be answered.
Two newcomers to the program in junior transfer Lanita Bartley and freshman Jaterra Bonds have been competing for the starting point guard slot. And on Monday, Butler named a winner.
“I will be surprised if we don’t end up starting Lanita,” Butler said at her weekly press conference. “We’ve found [playing Bartley is] the best way for us to start ball games.”
Bartley is the first player named to a starting rotation that likely won’t be finalized until tipoff on Saturday, when Florida plays host to UCF in the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Butler said Bonds’ versatility allows her to play as a combo guard off the bench, subbing in at either point guard or shooting guard.
“I’m really confident with either one of them because of the way they compete,” Butler said. “They’re going to do whatever it takes to win, and I think those are the type of people you want setting the tone for the rest of your team.”
Butler and her staff has emphasized the importance of quality minutes from all positions throughout offseason practices, and her reluctance to name starters echoes that sentiment.
Florida will need strong play from the guards against UCF on Nov. 13, as UF will be up against a veteran team. Central Florida returns four senior guards from a squad that created a positive turnover ratio and averaged 9.8 steals per game last season.
And the Gators are coming off a scrimmage with South Florida on Sunday in which Butler said the team struggled to hold on to the ball.
“We’re really aggressive and I like the way we’re attacking the basket, but we’ve got to value our possessions a little bit more,” Butler said. “I think if we do that, we have a chance to be very good sooner than maybe we thought that would happen.”
Ball handling and making smart decisions will be addressed in film sessions before the attention turns to game-planning for UCF, Butler said.
Although the Knights’ projected starting lineup features five upperclassmen, Butler said some of the preparation is guesswork because this will be the first action of the season for both teams. Thus, the Gators will focus on themselves in addition to game-planning for UCF.
“The best thing for our team is to be more concerned with Florida and how is Florida improving every day than to get too caught up in our opponent,” she said.
In their practices and scrimmage sessions, the Gators are transitioning to an up-tempo style, which is something Butler wants to see carry over into competitive action. That run-the-floor, fast-break style begins by establishing a strong presence in the paint, meaning UF will need center Ebonie Crawford to contribute.
Crawford, who suffered a concussion in practice two weeks ago, was held out of the scrimmage against USF as a precaution. But she practiced at full speed and should be ready to go Saturday.
Freshman forward Deaundra Young has also been a full participant despite not completely recovering from offseason surgery.
With so much uncertainty at each position, it’s possible both could see time in the post against UCF.
