Throughout his freshman campaign, point guard Kasey Hill’s shooting touch from beyond the arc has not been the smoothest.
Hill has thrived in transition this season for the No. 3 Gators, shooting 46.4 percent inside the arc largely because most of his two-point attempts are layups. But from three-point range, the McDonald’s All-American from Umatilla has made only 5 of his 26 attempts (19.2 percent) — the worst mark on the team from a player who has taken at least 25 three-point shots.
Since the start of 2014, Hill has made only two of his 13 attempts from downtown.
“He hasn’t shot the ball great, which is OK,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Most freshmen are going to be up and down.”
But while Hill’s shooting from the outside has lacked, other aspects of his game have impressed Donovan during Southeastern Conference play.
Hill has averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 assists against 1.8 turnovers in 26 minutes per game in the conference slate.
Throughout the 2013-14 season, Hill has averaged 6.5 points — sixth most on the team — 3.3 assists and 1.6 turnovers per game. While Hill is on the floor, he has earned an assist on 25.6 percent of Florida’s made field goals, according to KenPom.com. That assist rate ranks highest on Florida and 207th in the country.
In 15 games, the 6-foot freshman has also notched 20 steals, the third most on Florida. Hill’s steal percentage — a statistic that divides a player’s steals total by the number of defensive possessions he plays — ranks 129th in the nation, according to KenPom.com
Donovan was pleased with Hill’s performances in Florida’s most recent wins last week against Alabama and Tennessee.
Coming off the bench, Hill scored a combined 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting during both games, but also recorded four rebounds and five assists against only two turnovers.
“I think he’s playing more aggressive,” Donovan said. “When things don’t go well, he has a tendency to carry it to the next play. I think he’s moving out of that maturity-wise.”
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Florida point guard Kasey Hill shoots over Kansas guard Naadir Tharpe during No. 19 Florida's 67-61 win against No. 13 Kansas on Dec. 10 in the O'Connell Center.
