There aren’t many girls taller than 6-foot.
Despite the recruiting prowess of coach Amanda Butler, and the facilities at the team’s disposal, the Florida women’s basketball team lacked a true post player last season.
Redshirt senior Kayla Lewis and Ronni Williams were the lone six footers on the team and were subsequently required to defend the opponent’s tallest player.
That’s no longer the case this season.
Along with the years-in-the-making return of redshirt junior Viktorija Dimaite, the Gators’ length was bolstered by the commitments of freshmen Brooke Copeland and Haley Lorenzen.
Copeland, who stands 6-foot-2 in her blue and white Nikes, can play anywhere on the court, and has a uniquely confident three-point shot for a post player.
Lorenzen has filled the post well throughout the team’s first eight games, using a large 6-foot-3 frame to out muscle and wear down the opposition.
The duo have added a post presence to a team that has been sorely missed in previous years, and Florida’s offensive style has evolved to include the ability to throw the ball down low to the post players.
And while the pair have found a new home at Florida, things could have gone much differently.
Badger Familiarity
The Gators play Wisconsin tonight at 7, a team Haley Lorenzen is all too familiar with. Hailing from Iowa City, Iowa, Lorenzen’s family also shared a love for all things Badger.
Her stepmother, Barbe Franke, was the Badgers’ all-time leading scorer with 1,994 points until her record was broken in 2008, and Lorenzen was able to learn a lot from the Wisconsin great.
"She taught me a lot of things, she coached my AAU program," Lorenzen said. "We got really close through that."
Arguably the best player coming out of Iowa last year, Lorenzen looked at Wisconsin, before deciding that wasn’t where she wanted to go.
However, the choice was hers and hers alone, with Florida just seeming like a better fit.
"She was very good about being calm and letting me figure out where I wanted to go," Lorenzen said.
In the three games Lorenzen has started this season, the ball has moved effectively through the post and the team has rebounded the ball well.
While Lorenzen is still learning the flow of college basketball, as well as learning her teammates tendencies, the forward from Iowa has shown a willingness to learn.
Role Adjustment
Brooke Copeland is used to doing it all.
When she wasn’t leading some form of campus organization or winning homecoming queen, she was winning AAU national titles and running her high school team’s offense, finishing eighth on Bradley Central High School’s all-time scoring list.
Unafraid to handle the basketball, play in the post or shoot three-pointers, Copeland was a rare trick of the trade on the court.
Yet her first season has seen Copeland adjust to a bench role, as she’s expected to come off the bench and provide energy in any aspect Florida needs.
The fluid scorer has altered her style of play by moving more into a guard and forward hybrid role that players like Kayla Lewis and Ronni Williams have had success in.
"Right now I’m changing from a 4 to a 3, because I’m going to play wherever I’m needed," Copeland said. "I’m trying to be more in tune with the offense."
Like Lorenzen, basketball runs in the family.
Her mother, Kim Copeland, played basketball at Chattanooga State, and her year-older brother plays for Lee University in her hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee.
As Copeland continues to hammer out her role on the team, it’s promising to see that the young forward comes from a family who seems to possess a penchant and knowledge for basketball that’s rarely seen.
Playing Tough
Toughness is a trait that can’t be taught. It’s in your makeup – you either have it or you don’t.
And while Dyandria Anderson’s doesn’t share the basketball pedigree that the out-of-state Copeland and Lorenzen have, her innate sense of basketball toughness was developed from playing against her twin brother Kendall and her older brother Chris.
"They definitely treated me tough," Anderson said. "They made sure I played hard no matter what. I would get my shot blocked a thousand times but still go up with the next shot."
Anderson attributes her confidence and ability to recover for the next shot on the physical play she got playing against her brothers, and that physicality has helped her develop into a guard who isn’t scared to drive hard to the hoop, unafraid of any potential contact.
A product of Viera High School, Anderson’s family has been there to support her as she gets her collegiate basketball career started.
If she hadn’t developed an aggressive, physical style from the beginning, it’s unsure if she would be as assailing as she is today.
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Haley Lorenzen blocks a shot during Florida's win against Jacksonville.
