Scottie Wilbekin was suspended indefinitely from the UF basketball team for the second time in eight months last week. Wilbekin violated undisclosed team rules, according to the school. Wilbekin will need to battle for playing time. Although basketball season is months away, alligatorSports editors Adam Lichtenstein and Landon Watnick will debate whether Wilbekin will have a major impact for the Gators next season if he’s a member of Florida’s roster come October.
Adam: If Billy Donovan goes bald, you can blame Scottie Wilbekin.
The senior has been a major headache for the veteran coach, and you can tell Wilbekin has fallen out of Donovan’s favor.
Donovan suspended Wilbekin at the beginning of the 2012-13 season and started traditional shooting guard Kenny Boynton at the point for the first time in his college career.
With Wilbekin’s second suspension in the past eight months and other options at point guard on the roster, don’t be surprised if Donovan takes an even harsher stance towards Wilbekin’s shenanigans this time around.
Although the team has not disclosed what Wilbekin did to draw Donovan’s ire, a five-game suspension or longer seems likely for the repeat offender.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Donovan twice, and he’ll put you on the bench for a while. That’s where Wilbekin will be for much of the season.
Landon: History should repeat itself in the Wilbekin saga.
When Florida first suspended him on Nov. 8 for breaking team rules, we initially thought his developmental curve would flatline.
We were wrong.
Despite missing Florida’s first two regular-season contests, Wilbekin worked his way back into the rotation and eventually re-earned his starting role by Game 6 of 2012-13. The junior responded well to Donovan’s punishment and had a breakout season, averaging 9.1 points, five assists and 2.9 rebounds in 31.9 minutes per game.
During his sophomore season, Wilbekin averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 assists in limited playing time.
It’s obvious in the face of this latest suspension that he became too complacent and reverted back to his old bad habits – whatever they may be. We’ve seen Wilbekin respond to adversity before, and I’m sure he’ll get his head back in the game, respond again and have another solid season.
Adam: That’s if he even has a chance to have a solid season.
Wilbekin could have assaulted a referee in the middle of a game on ESPN last season and still would have been in the lineup at point guard.
Florida had no one else to step in to fill Wilbekin’s role. The Gators’ backup point guard was their starting shooting guard.
That won’t be the case come October. Highly touted recruit Kasey Hill will be in Gainesville soon. The five-star prospect has more talent than Wilbekin could ever dream of.
Wilbekin had a solid season as a starter, and he had some good games, but he just can’t match Hill’s potential. I think when push comes to shove, Donovan will start the talented and inexperienced Hill over the scrappy but troubled Wilbekin.
That’s not all Wilbekin’s fault – he just isn’t as good as Hill. He’s the Yeezus to Hill’s Late Registration.
Landon: Adam, wait until Wilbekin gets his money right.
Money meaning maturity, of course.
We witnessed Wilbekin’s potential last year, and you’re not giving him enough credit. Although he was a little trigger-happy at times, he improved drastically as a scorer and became UF’s best on-ball defender. Wilbekin helped hold future NBA players Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Phil Pressey and Michael Snaer to paltry offensive showings.
His commitment to the defensive end of the floor is one of the main reasons why Florida finished the season with the third-best adjusted defensive efficiency rating in the country, according to KenPom.com.
The 6-foot Hill is good in his own right as a defender, but not as stout as the 6-foot-2 Wilbekin. While Hill probably has a brighter future professionally, he’s got plenty to learn about college basketball before he earns the “Late Registration” label.
Kanye West’s album set the standard in 2005. Right now, Hill is just a really good EP.
Adam: Chicks dig the long ball, Landon, not defense. And while Wilbekin is good in a limited role, he’s never going to be an offensive threat.
He may drain an occasional three, but those shots are the exception, not the norm.
Even Donovan admits it.
“Scottie Wilbekin can create a shot, but it’s never gonna be a good one,” he said during the season.
While Wilbekin led the team in assists and steals, Hill can likely do the same. He’s one of the most hyped point guards in the nation – Rivals.com ranks him as the second-best point guard in the country. And he can probably do it without making Billy Donovan pull out his hair.
Hill has the talent to seize the starting role, and by getting himself suspended again, Wilbekin just handed him the opportunity he needs.
Landon: This is not football where one quarterback leads the offense. Hill and Wilbekin can coexist in a starting backcourt.
They’d actually compliment each other very well. Wilbekin would provide the defense and experience, and Hill would bring the flashy passes and explosive scoring ability. Wilbekin is big enough to be a combo guard.
Rutgers transfer Eli Carter’s waiver request to play in 2013-14 is still pending, and he’s more of a natural shooting guard, anyway. He’ll mostly likely be cleared, but he wouldn’t be the answer as a backup point guard.
Donovan needs Wilbekin to provide that stability and experience at the point next season. After a likely 5-10 game suspension, the senior point guard should work his way into the rotation and eventually snag back a starting role. I’d be surprised if that doesn’t happen that way.
By December, it’ll be like nothing ever happened. Think Erik Murphy back in 2011.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org. Contact Landon Watnick at lwatnick@alligator.org
Point guard Scottie Wilbekin looks for an opening into the lane during Florida’s 77-44 win against Georgia on Jan. 9 in the O’Connell Center. Wilbekin was suspended last week for violating team rules.
