At 6-foot-8, Dorian Finney-Smith is a sight to see when he brings the ball up the court.
With Kasey Hill out for a month with a high left ankle sprain and Scottie Wilbekin still suspended, coach Billy Donovan said he is confident in his newest big man handling the ball during No. 16 Florida’s matchup against Middle Tennessee tonight at 7:30 in the O’Connell Center.
Finney-Smith, who was suspended for UF’s first two games, returned to the court against Arkansas-Little Rock and helped the team’s scoring in the paint and rebounding.
In two games, Finney-Smith has averaged 12.5 points and eight rebounds.
After going 4 of 7 from behind the arc, the Virginia Tech transfer is also Florida’s most efficient three-point shooter.
Although Florida has already increased its average points by 11.5 per game and rebounds by 10 per game with Finney-Smith back on the floor, Donovan has to utilize all of the redshirt sophomore’s skill sets because of a limited lineup.
“The pressure that you’re relieving is most teams are going to play with pretty much two primary backcourt players,” Donovan said.
“So, if [Finney-Smith] is playing the power-forward spot, and he’s bringing the ball up the floor and he’s initiating the offense, a lot of times it’s going to be against a power forward. So, it’s a little bit different sometimes. So, I think we can, based on lineups, move and shuffle people around in different positions based on mismatches in certain situations.”
Finney-Smith has experience taking the ball up the court. Although he never played point guard in his one year with Virginia Tech, he said he played the position in high school and in AAU.
As a junior at Portsmouth (Va.) I.C. Norcom High, Finney-Smith averaged six assists per game. Hill is the only Gator to collect six assists in a single game this season.
“I’m pretty confident in my ball-handling, so I think if coach needs me to play point, I’ll do it,” Finney-Smith said.
Donovan will not have to pressure his forward to handle the ball the entire game.
With DeVon Walker, Michael Frazier and Casey Prather able to bring the ball up the floor, the Gators will employ a community effort at point guard until either Hill or Wilbekin returns.
“We have enough ball-handling to initiate our offense,” Donovan said. “I think if we are dealing with any kind of pressure, hopefully utilize it as a chance to open up the floor and play fast. But certainly, we’ll have to take care of the basketball and make good decisions.”
Although Florida currently ranks 116th in the nation with a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, Will Yeguete said Finney-Smith’s versatility and ability to handle the ball will help limit the Gators’ turnovers even without a true point guard active on the roster.
“You guys saw it at the end of the game when he was handling the ball,” Yeguete said. “He can pass it. He can shoot. He’s got size and can rebound.
“I think he’s going to be able to help us now with Kasey being out.”
Follow Jonathan Czupryn on Twitter @jczupryn.
Dorian Finney-Smith attempts a shot during Florida’s 86-56 victory against Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday in the O’Connell Center.
