When you’re a player at one of the elite programs in college basketball, everyone’s a critic.
In Dorian Finney-Smith’s case, that’s not just limited to message boards, Twitter posts and TV analysis — his own mother schools him on the finer points of the game.
Desiree Finney-Jones is hard on her son — Finney-Smith said she’s as hard as his own coach Billy Donovan.
Finney-Jones’ basketball IQ grew out of watching two of her other six children play collegiate basketball — Ben Finney at Old Dominion and Sha-Kiyla Finney at Maryland Eastern Shore.
"When my sister played point (guard) and my brother played shooting guard and I played forward, she kind of watched every position," Finney-Smith said. "So ... when we (were) younger, we’d be in the gym all day cause everybody had to play. So six brothers and sisters had to be in the gym all day."
Finney-Jones played basketball on the high school level and Finney-Smith describes his mother as a "winner," saying her frustrations stem from how much Florida has struggled up to this point in the season.
With each of her hoophead kids playing different positions, Finney-Jones gained a wider understanding of the game, and through that, Finney-Smith’s own basketball IQ developed.
Donovan said Finney-Smith is one of the players he can trust to play all five positions on the court.
The other player on Florida’s roster that can do that is fellow forward Jacob Kurtz.
Kurtz and Finney-Smith have a special relationship, a bond forged because of that mutual understanding of the game.
"Yeah, my basketball IQ always been kind of high you know," Finney-Smith said. "I love basketball so I put everything in it. As far as Jake, we always talk basketball and I knew he was smart so I always try to pick his brain. If I don’t know a question and I answer it wrong he’ll be like, ‘Good job Doe-Doe.’"
Finney-Smith and the rest of the Gators will have their basketball IQ tested in a tough place — Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium, where benches sit on the baseline, and for a half, teams are a court-length away from their coaches in an environment that can be formidable for Commodore opponents.
"I don’t allow myself to feel any pressure," Finney-Smith said.
"I just go out there with no expectations, just to play hard. My only expectation is to play hard. And whatever happens, just control everything I can control. If the ball goes in, I’m happy. If the ball won’t go in, I’m still happy, I still can affect the games other ways."
Follow Richard Johnson on Twitter @RagjUF
Dorian Finney-Smith drives into the paint during Florida's 57-56 win against Arkansas on Saturday in the O'Connell Center.
