The Gators’ already deep backcourt will be adding to its numbers next year after the official signing of three guards on Monday.
Leading UF’s 2012 recruiting class is 6-foot-1 Braxton Ogbueze, the No. 12 point guard in the nation, according to Rivals.com. The United Faith Christian Academy (N.C.) four-star recruit averaged 20 points and five assists per game as a junior.
“I’m excited about the guys that we’ve signed,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “I think that with losing Erving (Walker), being a senior, Braxton Ogbueze is a kid that’s as good as any point guard out there.”
Four-star guard Michael Frazier also signed with the Gators. The 6-foot-4 Tampa Montverde Academy product scored 29.7 points and had 9.7 boards a game last season. He is joined by fellow shooting guard Dillion Graham, a three-star recruit from Orlando First Academy.
“Frazier is a phenomenal 3-point shooter and a guy that we’ve kept an eye on for a long, long time,” Donovan said. “Dillion Graham, another really talented perimeter player who’s got obviously range to shoot it and put it on the floor.”
Donovan said the Gators have addressed most of their needs, but he is still recruiting and could add more players to the class.
Florida could use more depth in its frontcourt. Despite his pedigree of sending big men such as Joakim Noah, Al Horford and David Lee to the NBA, Donovan hasn’t signed a top-100 big man since landing sophomore center Patric Young in 2009.
“That’s part of it; that’s a selling point,” Donovan said of landing a big man. “That’s something that’s a positive but, at the end of the day, these kids take their four or five visits, they’re seeing things and it’s a lot more than just, ‘Well, there’s NBA guys at Florida.’
“Unfortunately in this, you get told, ‘no’ a lot more than you do, ‘yes.’”
No big Beal: Freshman Brad Beal’s shooting woes from three continued against Syracuse last Friday, as the 6-foot-3 guard went 0 for 5 on 3-pointers.
Through seven games, Beal has been held to just one 3-pointer or fewer five times.
Donovan compared Beal’s shooting early this season to the same struggles Kenny Boynton, Chandler Parsons and Lee Humphrey — UF’s all-time leader in made threes — experienced in their first years.
“When the speed of the game is totally different than it was in high school, there’s always a learning curve that you got to go through,” Donovan said. “So I’m not really worried about his shooting.”
Murphy set to play: After sitting out the last three games, junior forward Erik Murphy is poised to rejoin the starting lineup when No. 12 Florida hosts Arizona on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-10 Murphy has been injured since Nov. 24 with a bone bruise in his right knee that he suffered during practice.
“He’s going to play,” Donovan said. “Right now, he’s been cleared. He worked out yesterday on his own; he did some running. He’ll probably go through half the contact right now. Provided the next two days go as planned with him physically, he should be able to play.”
Contact John Boothe at jboothe@alligator.org.
Freshman guard Brad Beal has been held to one 3-pointer or fewer in five of seven games.
