Gators forward Justin Leon only shot two three-pointers in high school, both in his senior year.
He went 1-for-2.
Now Leon shoots a lot more, and his shooting percentage isn’t that much lower — his 41.8-percent mark from beyond the arc is UF’s best and ranks 6th in the SEC despite having no Division I offers out of high school.
Today, Leon will suit up for the nation’s No. 15 team when UF (20-5, 10-2 SEC) travels to Auburn.
Florida beat the Tigers 95-63 in Gainesville last season, but UF coach Mike White said Auburn (16-9, 5-7 SEC) has more depth and talent than it did in 2016.
“They’re very, very dangerous,” White said. “They’ve got seven guys that can make threes.”
White singled out freshman guard Mustapha Heron, who shoots above 43 percent from beyond the arc and leads Auburn with 15.3 points per game.
“Super talented. Scores at all three levels,” White said. “(He) can go get his own shot … can score on isolations, can score on ball screens.”
Only Vanderbilt takes more three-pointers than Auburn in the SEC, and the Tigers shoot 35.9 percent from deep, compared to 35.7 percent for the Gators.
But Florida has its own three-point threat in Leon. The senior made a season-high four three-pointers in UF’s 71-62 win against Texas A&M on Saturday.
Leon said he doesn’t stop working on his shot when practice ends.
He and forward Devin Robinson pick seven spots around the arc after practice and don’t leave until they make 20-of-30 from each.
“If we don’t, we just restart from where we’re at until we make it,” Leon said.
“Sometimes we’ll get stuck at a spot for like three or four times, and we’ll just sit there.”
But Leon said he doesn’t mind. That just means he gets more practice.
And with only six games left, Leon knows it’s essential to stay focused as the regular season wraps up.
He said UF’s lack of focus resulted in a string of conference losses at the end of last season that kept UF out of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
“That was the problem,” Leon said. “Probably every player on the team, including myself, we were worrying about the wrong things and worrying about our own numbers.”
But Leon said the Gators are more confident this time around because they’re more mature, blocking out distractions.
He’s more focused on trailing his point guards, Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza, to get open tonight at 7 p.m.
Leon said sometimes he doesn’t even need to call for the ball. It's as if his guards can sense him.
“I may say (something)," Leon said, "but I think deep down they already know that I’m back there."
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
UF forward Justin Leon attempts a dunk during Florida's 93-54 win over Missouri on Feb. 2, 2017, in the O'Connell Center.
