Halftime often marked a shift for Florida last season but rarely in the right direction.
In 15 losses, the Gators surrendered five double-digit leads and were outscored by an average of 8.7 points in the second half.
“It’s a terrible lesson to learn,” senior guard Jordan Jones said. “But (it’s) almost something that you need to learn, so that it doesn’t happen in the future.”
Florida did a lot of learning during the 2010-11 campaign, adjusting to an up-tempo style while adding six new players to the fold.
Part of that learning process involved an increased focus on endurance and late-game mentality, significant factors in the Gators’ post-halftime woes.
“Some games — and I’m guilty of it — I let fatigue take over,” senior guard Deana Allen said.
To help address the problem, coach Amanda Butler hired new strength and conditioning coordinator Rich Jacobs in the offseason.
Since arriving in July, Jacobs has impressed his players, prompting Jones to call this offseason the “most focused” of her Florida career.
“He’s taken us to a much different level,” sophomore guard Jaterra Bonds said.
“He’s gotten us much stronger and faster and mentally tougher.
“We’ve done some things we never expected we could have done last summer.”
Jacobs utilized Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the squad’s summer training, conducting a variety of workouts in the facility.
Activities in The Swamp included a snake drill that had the players ascend the steps by running between each row and an exercise Bonds referred to as “Gator Mountains.”
The latter workout required players to run up the steps of the stadium while carrying a teammate.
“You’re dying and you have a teammate in your ear saying, ‘Don’t drop me. Let’s do it. You got it,’” Jones said. “So, it’s definitely a team-building activity, and it’s a confidence-builder.”
Bonds, who carried Jones, said Jacobs tried to match the players based on size, but not everyone was so lucky with their pairing.
A laughing Bonds recounted how freshman guard Carlie Needles, who is 5-foot-6, had to deal with the “long legs” of 6-foot-1 senior forward Ndidi Madu.
“Going into that, we were like, ‘You’re crazy. There’s no way,’” Jones said. “But we found a way through and we pushed through it.”
Underperforming in the second half ultimately served as the death knell for Florida’s NCAA Tournament aspirations last season.
However, the Gators return 10 players who have those mistakes committed to memory and have fueled what Jones calls a “sense of urgency.”
“We’re ready,” she said. “Last year, we were trying to sneak up on people, and this year we want people to be like, ‘Hey, that’s Florida, who’s returning everyone.’ We’re ready for that challenge.”
