As cliché as it sounds, it was an up-and-down season for the Florida men’s basketball team. There were peaks and valleys. Highs and lows. There’s plenty of ways to say it, but it really is that simple.
But today is not a day to dwell on things that went wrong. Today I’m focusing on the bright side. Good vibes, stuff like that. Anyway, let’s look at the four most memorable storylines of the Gators’ 2017-18 season.
New arrivals
When you think of new players having instant success on an SEC men’s basketball team, Kentucky coach John Calipari’s one-and-done system comes to mind. For Florida, it was a little different. Redshirt junior guard Jalen Hudson led the team in scoring his first season on the court. The Virginia Tech transfer averaged 15.5 points per game and could declare for the 2018 NBA draft after having a breakout year, should he wish to do so.
Then there was Egor Koulechov, a graduate transfer from Rice who earned the nickname “3Gor” for his knockdown-tendencies from long range. He burst onto the scene in UF’s season opener, scoring 34 points vs. Gardner-Webb. Overshadowed by his shooting abilities was his prowess on the boards. At 6-foot-5, Koulechov led the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Chris Chiozza sets UF assist record
For a guy generously listed as 6-foot on Florida’s roster, Chris Chiozza had a remarkably productive career in a sport filled with the tallest athletes around.
Chiozza will always be remembered for his buzzer-beater against Wisconsin in the 2017 Sweet 16, but more impressive in my eyes is Chiozza’s sole ownership of UF’s all-time career assist record. It came during an 80-67 win over Kentucky on Senior Day when forward Keith Stone nailed a three from the left wing in the first half. The crowd was already raucous — the triple put the Gators up 28-17 over the rival Wildcats — but the standing ovation that came immediately after was for Florida’s newly crowned assist king. Chiozza finished his college career with 571 dimes, good for seventh all time in the SEC record book.
Frontcourt development
The Gators men’s basketball team would never use this as an excuse, but half of its frontcourt rotation basically missed the entire season. Center John Egbunu (ACL) and forward Isaiah Stokes (ACL) sat out every game. Forward Chase Johnson (illness/concussion) only suited up four times.
Enter center Kevarrius Hayes and Stone, who were thrown into the fire but gained valuable experience.
Hayes stands two inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than would-be starter Egbunu. Still, Hayes set career highs in rebounds per game (5.0) and minutes per game (23.2) while recording a career-high 2.1 blocks per game, good for the fifth-best mark in the SEC.
Stone also had a career season as he took on a bigger role. The sophomore tripled the number of double-figure scoring games he had from one year ago, including a career-best 23 points against Ole Miss on Jan. 13. He finished the season strong, averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the postseason.
Sweeping Kentucky
The last time Florida swept Kentucky in the teams’ regular-season series was 2014. During that year, the Gators romped through the SEC and marched to the Final Four with little difficulty. While they lost to eventual champion Connecticut in the Final Four, they did handle the Wildcats three times that season.
Fast forward to 2018, and Florida did it again. No, not the Final Four — UF’s most recent postseason seems like it never quite got started.
But the team did beat Kentucky. Twice.
The first time wasn’t easy. A two-point halftime lead proved to be the difference in Florida’s 66-64 win at Rupp Arena.
The second win was equally exciting for different reasons. As mentioned above, Chiozza set UF’s assist record on Senior Day, which happened to be against the Wildcats. Aside from the milestone for its starting point guard, Florida also built up a 15-point advantage at the break, setting up an eventual 13-point victory.
Andrew Huang is a sports writer. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJHuang and contact him at ahuang@alligator.org.
Guard Chris Chiozza set the all-time school record for assists during his final year with the Gators.
