When Erving Walker missed a potentially game-changing free throw in the closing moments of Saturday’s game, he likely took it harder than anybody.
The junior guard is considered one of the team’s most competitive and clutch players, but his miss against South Carolina led to a 72-69 defeat.
Lost in Walker’s final faux pas is that he once again led Florida in scoring and is the team’s most consistent offensive weapon as it heads to Auburn to face off against the Tigers (7-10, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) tonight at 7.
“Erv is just playing with a clear head, and he’s got a lot of confidence,” sophomore guard Kenny Boynton said last week.
Confidence has been key for a number of the streaky shooters for the Gators (13-4, 2-1 SEC), and right now, Walker has reason to believe in himself.
The junior has connected on 51.4 percent of his threes over the last six games, carrying a team that otherwise struggles from beyond the arc. Florida currently ranks fourth in the SEC in three-point shooting percentage (35.5 percent) but would be last without Walker (31.3 percent).
Walker has been a spark plug for an offense that often becomes stagnant in its half-court sets, as he has scored in double figures in eight consecutive contests and leads the team at 14.5 points per game.
“Erving has hit some deep shots, crazy shots,” Boynton said. “And that just brings up our intensity and gives us energy on defense.”
Walker’s play only improves with the game on the line. The Gators consistently trust him to handle the ball and run the offense as pressure from both defenses and situations mounts in the closing moments.
The junior is a career 80 percent free-throw shooter in the final three minutes of games, including 19 for 26 this season.
“He’s got a competitiveness and a competitive streak that he really probably gets more displeasure out of losing than he does pleasure out of winning,” coach Billy Donovan said.
Although Walker has established himself as a scorer, he is still working on developing better decision-making skills.
The junior has recorded just 55 assists to 49 turnovers this year, far below the 2-to-1 ratio Donovan would like to see from his point guard.
“He is one of those guys that I think he wants the ball, he wants to try to make things happen,” Donovan said. “And I think that that can be a negative, too.”
At times, Walker has been guilty of driving into the lane and leaving his feet against multiple defenders.
Donovan said Walker sees alleys and openings that either get closed off or weren’t there to begin with, and that this leads to unnecessary, but correctable, turnovers.
“It’s a fine line with him,” Donovan said. “You want him to be aggressive, and he has made some terrific plays where he gets in there. Sometimes it can be feast or famine.”
