TAMPA – Billy Donovan is facing an identity crisis.
He wants Florida to be a team that grinds out baskets in the low post and can consistently throw it inside to sophomore center Patric Young and junior forward Erik Murphy.
The problem is, Young and Murphy aren’t true back-to-the-basket scorers, and Florida’s roster is built to do two things: run and gun.
The alternative is to keep forcing it inside to Young for his signature awkward baby hook/shot-put, the best move in a low-post arsenal that lacks refinement, to say the least.
Donovan is a smart man. He wants what he wants for a reason. So far this season, 43.4 percent of the Gators’ attempts have been from three, and recent history has shown that number to be unsustainable.
During the past five years, not one of the 20 Final Four teams shot three-pointers at such an outrageous rate. The only one that was close was last year’s VCU team, at 41.2 percent.
In fact, 12 of those 20 teams were at 33 percent or lower.
Although the Gators have taken a high volume of 3-point shots, it’s not at all like they have abandoned the paint. In fact, the key to getting so many open looks against Wright State was precisely the opposite. Guards driving the lane or throwing it inside to Young and Murphy created the majority of UF’s open looks from outside.
Guard Kenny Boynton, who hit 6 of 9 threes against Wright State on Monday, said he stills fears that UF could have the occasional off night. But, with so many bona fide shooting threats, it’s hard to believe the whole roster could go cold at once. And, if it does, Boynton said the Gators can overcome that through rebounding.
And here’s the thing: Donovan can’t expect Florida to be something it’s not.
Say you want a nice, shiny new car. You know the make that has been good to you in the past and just want to pick up the latest model.
Then, somebody turns around and buys you a private jet.
Just because you wanted a car, you’re not going to simply drive your shiny new jet around. You have got to take it out and let it fly, man.
Donovan wanted to build a car, but between junior guard Mike Rosario’s transfer and the recruitment of freshman guard Brad Beal to a roster that already had three quality options in the backcourt, he has built himself a jet.
If that jet isn’t built to fly to New Orleans — the site of this year’s Final Four — then that’s just the way it is. All we can say for sure is that trying to drive it there won’t make the trip any easier.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.
