Watching SportsCenter at 3 a.m., it’s possible a commercial for the Florida women’s basketball team espousing the word “obsessed” has graced the screen.
Obsessed is UF’s bulletin-board material. It’s motivation. It’s the key to their goal: championships.
But after suffering a four-game losing streak, capped by a clear subpar effort against LSU, coach Amanda Butler and her staff called a meeting. One of the main topics up for discussion was the team’s dedication.
“How are you demonstrating to your teammates … that you’re truly obsessed — if you are?” Butler and her staff asked the players. “If you mean you’re obsessed about winning a championship — if you’re obsessed with the idea of beating Mississippi State — what should it look like?”
Butler said that type of unwavering commitment ought to be readily visible and unquestionable.
“They should be able to look in your eye and see it,” she said.
The coaches issued a challenge after that meeting.
Sitting below .500 in the Southeastern Conference, and currently projected as one of the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament, the time to respond is now, Butler said.
It appears the Gators were listening.
Florida has won two straight SEC games for the first time all season, and the composure problems that plagued the team during its skid are becoming a distant memory after the Gators closed out late rallies from Alabama and Mississippi State.
Now, UF is the thankful recipient of its only homestand in conference play when Ole Miss and Vanderbilt visit Gainesville in succession. Should the Gators win both, they could vault into the top five in the SEC standings after sitting as low as 10th nearly a week ago.
Guard Jaterra Bonds was also named the SEC Freshman of the Week after leading the team with 14 rebounds for the week and dropping 12 points in the win over Alabama. She had eight boards in the contest and recorded her first blocked shot.
“She’s going to become one of the best point guards in this league,” Butler said.
A former SEC standout point guard in her own right, Butler said Bonds is always quick to review film and correct mistakes. That willingness to learn has sped her evolution as a player.
It’s also part of being “obsessed.”
The Gators have never been shy about their goals. They’re tired of the men’s team hogging all the rafter space.
But with only seven games left on the conference schedule, Butler is pressuring her team to respond to the challenge they accepted when they put on the orange and blue.
