Losing a legendary head coach may be cause for concern. Facing a regular season with eight players on the roster who have yet to play in a game for the Gators adds to that concern.
And trying to point the program back in the right direction following a disappointing 16-17 season, with a new coaching staff? Well, that’s the icing on the cake.
But Florida and its fans should be excited. The Gators are exactly where they want to be — under the radar.
Quietly, Florida has put the pieces in place to have a very impressive first year under new head coach Mike White.
The Gators will turn some heads this season and have a strong bounce-back year. They have the players and the talent to do it. Twenty-five plus wins is not out of the question, nor is a jump back to the top of the Southeastern Conference. White’s first year at Florida will be one to remember.
Kasey Hill, Chris Chiozza, Dorian Finney-Smith, Devin Robinson and John Egbunu seem like a possible starting five for Florida’s season opener against Navy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Nov. 13.
Of all the new faces on the Gators roster this season, Egbunu, a redshirt sophomore who transferred from USF, will have the most immediate impact.
At 6-foot-11, he is a massive force in the paint on both sides of the floor, something Florida has missed since Patric Young’s departure.
In his freshman year at USF in 2013-14, Egbunu grabbed a program freshman record 198 rebounds to go along with 43 blocks.
For the Gators to re-establish a strong post presence, Egbunu has to live up to the praise he has already received from his teammates and coaches.
He’ll need to dominate the boards at both ends and take advantage of scoring opportunities in the post. Egbunu’s athleticism at his size will surprise fans and opponents, making him Florida’s most efficient big man in quite some time.
As for the backcourt, Hill is the most experienced of the guards. He needs to embrace a leadership role and cement his minutes on the team, primarily by improving his offensive efficiency. He shot just 37.9 percent from the field last season and 52.6 percent from the free throw line while turning the ball over 72 times.
For Florida to be successful in White’s fast-paced, up-tempo offense, Hill needs to be a scoring threat and be smarter with the basketball in his hands.
If he can improve in those two areas, the Gators’ offense will get the boost it needs from its starting guards.
If it’s a repeat season for Hill, there are two young guards waiting in the wings who have shown plenty of promise, and who would be more than happy to slide into that starting role.
Redshirt freshman Brandone Francis-Ramirez has, according to White, been the team’s best shooter in the first week of practice. Freshman KeVaughn Allen comes in as the top-rated prospect in the state of Arkansas, averaging 25.2 points as a high school senior.
With that newfound firepower coming off the bench, assuming Hill’s shooting woes are behind him, this will be a scoring backcourt that defenses won’t want to face.
Down low to accompany Finney-Smith, Florida brought in junior forward Justin Leon, a junior college transfer who was committed to Mike White at Louisiana Tech.
Leon, standing at 6-foot-8, brings a high motor and viable scoring threat to the frontcourt – he was a 2015 junior college All-American at Shawnee (Ill.), averaging 21.5 points and 10 rebounds per game and shooting 50.4 percent from the field.
If he picks up right where he left off, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Leon in the starting rotation at either of the forward positions.
Considering a fairly light non-conference schedule this year, besides back-to-back games against Michigan State and Oklahoma State in December, and the typical run through the SEC, the Gators could very well have 25-plus wins by the end of the regular season — no small feat.
With the addition of many new faces, the Gators won’t have another disappointing season just because Billy Donovan is gone.
There is no "re-building" phase that has to take place here. Mike White and his staff already have a strong roster in place for what will be a year of immediate success.
Follow Alex Maminakis on Twitter @alexmaminakis
New Florida men's basketball coach Mike White speaks to the media during the team's media day Sept. 29, 2015, at the UF Women's Club.
