As teammate Dorian Finney-Smith and Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes battled for a rebound off a missed jumper, Patric Young put his body on the line late in Tuesday night’s game.
Taking a move out of Dennis Rodman’s repertoire, Young bolted for the offensive board and dove head-first for the ball before Stokes or Antonio Barton could come up with it.
Before he slid out of bounds on the right baseline, the senior center gained possession and threw the ball to Kasey Hill as Florida wasted time on a fresh shot clock with a 61-55 lead and just more than a minute left in regulation.
Young’s grit down the stretch helped No. 3 Florida shake its recent woes in Knoxville, Tenn., and knock off Tennessee 67-58.
The full-out dive by Young, who had four fouls at the time, was perhaps the most impactful play of the game and one of his best in his career at Florida.
To coach Billy Donovan, Young’s offensive rebound was the “play of the year.”
“He sold out,” Donovan said. “Two guys were in front of him. He ran past and made an incredible save and helped us come up with the loose basketball.
“It was an incredible play by him effort-wise with four fouls.”
What proved to be the gem of the game happened after a series of missed shots by the Gators. After point guard Scottie Wilbekin drove down the lane and came up empty after wasting 31 seconds of clock with 1:40 left, Tennessee forward Jeronne Maymon kept the ball in bounds by chucking it over his head.
Young then came up with possession.
With the shot clock about to expire, Young quickly pulled up for a jumper — a shot he rarely takes — on the elbow. The attempt clanked off the rim, and then the senior center chased for it to make his hustle play.
In 23 minutes of action, Young finished with six points on 3-of-7 shooting and six boards — with five coming on the offensive end. The senior’s offensive rebounding success Tuesday night helped Florida out-rebound a physical Tennessee team 39-32 and win the battle on the offensive glass 18-9.
“Jarnell and Maymon, they’re the best rebounders probably in our league,” Young said. “We knew we had to go in there and bleed and battle and fight and bite and scratch and scar and come up with some loose balls.”
That type of desperation was embodied by Young’s loose-ball dive.
Although it was not a play flashy enough to crack SportsCenter’s Top 10, it proved to be the dagger in Tuesday night’s contest.
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick
Patric Young attempts a layup during Florida’s 78-69 win against Alabama on Feb. 8 in the O’Connell Center.
