After Canyon Barry finished his last regular-season home game on Wednesday, collecting a team-high 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and one emphatic block, coach Mike White delivered a message to would-be award voters.
“He’s gonna be the sixth man of the year in this league,” White said. “Or I’m going to throw a fit.”
On many other Division I teams, Barry, a graduate transfer, would be a starter. He chose to play at Florida last summer in order to help bolster an NCAA Tournament team and make a postseason run in his final year of college basketball.
And despite coming off the bench, Barry averages 22 minutes per game — comparable to starting forward Justin Leon. Barry is also second on the team at 12.4 points per game despite battling through a few minor ankle injuries this season.
“He could’ve chose some other schools where maybe the coach promised him he’s gonna start, or maybe he plays 38 minutes and gets 25 (points) a game,” White said. “But he decided to come be a part of something special.
“He’s as unselfish as you can get.”
Hill redeeming himself in final year:
Every now and again, the voice on the other end of the phone will make an unusual request of White: If I come visit Florida, can I meet Kasey Hill?
“YouTube him,” White said of Hill. “He was a national phenomenon.”
So much so, White said, that potential recruits often ask to see Hill during on-campus visits. They still remember the Montverde Academy point guard crossing over defenders, executing spin moves in the paint and making no-look, behind-the-back passes. Videos of Hill have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
And while many expected Hill, a former five-star recruit, to have an immediate impact at Florida, things never quite came together for the highly touted point guard.
Until this season.
“He’s under the microscope,” White said. “He’s shown a lot of mental toughness.”
Hill had 12 points, four assists and three rebounds during Florida’s 78-65 victory over Arkansas — his final home game in the O’Connell Center — on Wednesday. He’s also putting up career-high numbers for the season, averaging 9.6 points, 4.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game.
And while those numbers may fall short of the expectations that come with a five-star recruit, White said Hill has learned to measure his success in other ways.
“I know at times (the expectations) have been really hard on him, whether he admits it or not. And I only open up with that to show you how far he’s come,” White said. “And to have all the ups and downs that he’s had, he’s shown great perseverance.”
Keith Stone turning a corner:
Ever since freshman Keith Stone was diagnosed with an ear infection in January, White said the forward has been “a shell of himself.”
Stone had scored two points over the course of Florida’s last 12 games, not playing in two of them. He was out of rhythm. His confidence was shaken.
That changed Wednesday.
When the Gators needed him the most, Stone hit a clutch three-pointer late in the second half and finished with eight points and three rebounds in nine minutes.
“My goodness. Keith was huge,” White said. “If Keith was kind of in his funk there that he was in for a little bit … I don’t know that we win the game.”
And with the absence of starting center John Egbunu, who tore his ACL on Feb. 14 and is out for the season, Keith’s play as a forward/center hybrid will hold more weight than usual as UF heads into the postseason.
“He’s kinda had some struggles lately, been sick. I think he’s getting back to his normal self,” Barry said. “If we want to make a deep run in this (SEC) Tournament, we definitely need him to keep stepping up.”
Noteworthy:
With its win against Arkansas, Florida clinched the No. 2 seed and a double-bye in the SEC Tournament, which begins March 8 in Nashville. UF will play its first game of the tournament on March 10.
Contact Ian Cohen at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
UF guard Canyon Barry shoots a jump shot during Florida's 78-65 win against Arkansas on March 1, 2017, in the O'Connell Center.
