After the Gators’ lone win in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Patric Young sat next to his locker in the home dressing room of New Orleans Arena and fielded the same question four times — answering each inquiry with a positive response.
When asked if he was going to return next year for his junior season following Florida’s nine-point win against Alabama on March 9, or whether he will go pro at 20 years old, Young declared, “Yeah, I’m back next year.”
Though Young has been known to be exceedingly candid with the media during his short career — he also referred to Kentucky’s players as out of shape heading into their semifinal matchup the next day — the sophomore center’s startling announcement still came as a surprise in the middle of the Gators’ efforts to claim the program’s fourth SEC Tournament title.
Both he and All-SEC freshman Brad Beal have long been considered potentially high selections in the NBA Draft, even before the season began.
Curious if he had any insight on Beal’s upcoming decision, a reporter asked Young whether he had spoken with his teammate about his plans.
“I’ll be back. I don’t know about Brad, but I hope he is,” Young replied.
With the April 10 deadline for early entries and underclassmen to declare for the draft fast approaching, news that one of Florida’s key building blocks for the team’s future should have been a major revelation.
But the very next day, Young sounded like a different person as he answered follow-up questions about his earlier comments.
On Saturday, he sat in a familiar position in front of reporters, but in a different locker room and, this time, following a disappointing loss to Kentucky in the conference semifinals.
He was guarded and short in response. Young spoke softly and low enough that none of his answers inspired much confidence about the previous verdict he came to regarding his future at Florida.
“I mean, Coach Donovan … It’s my decision,” Young said. “I mean, I really haven’t thought about it because the season’s not over yet.”
Young is right. The season still needs to be played out and so do the factors that will weigh on his and Beal’s draft status.
Though Young again addressed his comments Thursday in Omaha, Neb., saying this time he has indeed decided to return for his junior season, recent NCAA Tournament history has proven that sustained success through the month of March could change all of that.
During Florida’s weekly press conference the Monday after Selection Sunday, Beal spoke for the first time on his own intentions.
Describing his situation as almost a win-win scenario, Beal said he had “no clue” what his final decision will be at the conclusion of the season.
“Either way it goes, if I leave, I still played a great year of college,” Beal said.
“I enjoyed it. If I stay, it’s only going to make me get better. Either way it goes, I’m gaining something positive out of it.”
***
As a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament cornered in the bottom of the West region, Florida is entering a winnable game today in Omaha, Neb., against No. 10 seed Virginia.
While a deep run in The Big Dance for the Gators would likely have to go through current national powers like No. 2-seed Missouri and top-seeded Michigan State, some analysts like UF’s chances despite the team backing into the tournament with four losses in its final five games.
One of those confident in the Gators’ prospects in the region is college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb, a former Oklahoma State point guard who has been working at ESPN since 2003.
Gottlieb has publicly picked Florida to reach the Final Four, and he said an extended run could completely change the way NBA teams are looking at Beal and Young.
“The first thing they can do in order to help their stock is to win,” Gottlieb said. “If you go across the board and look at how many guys have gone to the Final Fours and been drafted, it’s really remarkable. Whether they can play or not is a different story.”
This season, Beal has tried to state his case on the floor by playing the most minutes of anyone on the roster.
Coming out of St. Louis, Mo., as the No. 4 overall player in the country, according to Rivals.com, Beal has led Florida in points and rebounds down its final stretch of 16 games.
Though the 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 14.6 points per game and is rebounding 6.5 per contest, the large load he has carried as a freshman has also backfired at times, as Beal has struggled intermittently with turnovers and streaky 3-point shooting.
Currently, DraftExpress.com ranks him as the 10th pick in the draft and the first guard overall in an especially thin class for backcourt players.
“I know he’s a good student and I know he’s smart enough to realize he’s probably a year away from breaking through,” Gottlieb said. “He’s just inconsistent.”
“But they’re going to take him. You know he’s going in the top 10; everybody knows he can play. But is he ready? Or does he want to spend some of his first years in the D-League?”
Gottlieb called Beal a player with limitless potential, a description he echoed for the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Young.
Much like Beal’s current situation, Young gave thought to leaving after one season but stayed largely for academics. On March 6, he was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Last season, NBA rookies taken in the opening round of the draft made anywhere from $4.3 million in their first season as the No. 1 pick, to just less than $1 million as the 30th overall choice.
Young was projected in most mock drafts as a player who could have been selected in the late lottery picks or in the middle of the first round.
After averaging 10.3 points and just 6.4 rebounds per game this year in his first full season as a starter, though, Young’s stock has somewhat slipped.
He’s currently projected as the 21st overall pick by DraftExpress.com.
“Obviously, if he’s not the most impressive physical specimen in college basketball, there’s very few guys who could compare,” Gottlieb said. “For Patric Young, the M.O. is, ‘Does he love the game or is he just blessed by God with this incredible body and skill so that he can just show up and do it?’”
***
Each season, Billy Donovan harbors the same silent wish of every other Division I coach who is working with elite-level talent: He wants to see all of his players stay for the following season.
But in his 16 years at Florida, Donovan has had 10 players depart early to pursue professional basketball.
“Selfishly, you never want to see anybody leave. I wish these guys would stay here for four years, but that’s not the real world anymore,” Donovan said. “And I think at times, these guys are presented with opportunities or decisions they’ve got to make before their time is done here eligibility-wise. I try to support them in that.”
While Donovan’s main job is to make sure players like Young and Beal are concentrating on the team and not their draft positioning, he said sometimes the task can become more complicated when outside influences get involved.
“I always worry about the agent situation and people trying to get to those guys a little bit,” Donovan said. “It’s my responsibility to stay on top of the fact that they could be being pestered or someone’s trying to get close to them. It’s not even that there’s anything wrong or illegal going on. It’s just more of keeping them focused on what they need to focus on.”
With Young hampered by tendinitis in his knee and a right ankle sprain for much of the second half of the season, Donovan has repeatedly called out the big man for inconsistency during practices and poor mental preparation for games.
“I’m not saying this is Patric, but I’ve been around enough players, there are some players that like what the game brings to them: notoriety, attention, to certain guys in the NBA, the money,” Donovan said. “Then there are guys that really want to be great in the game.”
NBA scouts have also noticed Young’s long lapses of energy and focus on the court, according to Gottlieb.
“If he can’t practice or play in 32 games, how the hell are you going to play when we play 82 games?” Gottlieb said.
Though Donovan hasn’t had to deal with many one-and-done types in the past, even the departures of upperclassmen like Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer, after they experienced success in the tournament, can put a strain on the program.
“We went through a hard time in recruiting when Noah and Horford and Brewer and those guys came back,” Donovan said.
“You try and tell [recruits], ‘Hey listen, they’re going to go,’ and all of a sudden one guy says, ‘Well geez, Joakim Noah would’ve been the No. 1 pick after his sophomore year and he came back. Why wouldn’t he come back again for his senior year?’”
Donovan said that after winning two national championships with the core group of Noah, Horford and Brewer in 2006 and 2007, he spent more time re-recruiting them than he actually did coaching the three current NBA players.
However, there has been no hint from Donovan that either Young or Beal has let thoughts of a potential professional career affect his current play.
“Those guys are really level-headed right now,” Donovan said. “They don’t talk about it.”
With the draft deadline just more than three weeks away, discussing their intentions to make the jump to the NBA will have to become a priority for both players.
Donovan is losing only one senior this season — point guard Erving Walker — and is bringing in three guards for his 2012 class without any forwards or centers lined up to possibly replace Young or Beal’s impact on the boards.
As the Gators prepare for their opening-round game today — in what could be the beginning of a extended stay in the tournament or one that just lasts the weekend — Donovan said both players have a clear understanding of how their performance going forward can shape their future.
“I think that they all realize that if our team does well, they do well.”
Contact John Boothe at jboothe@alligator.org.
Sophomore center Patric Young has faced questions about the NBA Draft since enrolling at Florida, however he has said publicly as of late that he plans to return to the Gators for his junior season. Averaging 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, Florida guard Brad Beal has been arguably the Gators’ best player this season. He was recognized as First Team All-SEC and awarded a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
