Sometimes success has no timeline.
In Marreese Speights' first season, fans and scouts alike marveled at his potential. Coming off the bench, Speights averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in just 5.7 minutes per game, which projects to a jaw dropping 28.8 points, 18.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per 40 minutes.
With that in mind, it's easy to see why Speights walked into his sophomore season saddled with expectations. Speights began the year as one of 50 players elected to the prestigious Naismith Preseason Award Watch List and was projected by many to be an early first-rounder in this year's NBA Draft.
The road for Speights, however, has been littered with ups and downs so far.
He began the season well, averaging 16.6 points in his first five games. But then the competition came, and Speights disappeared. The sophomore garnered just 4 points against Florida State, 6 against Alabama and a mere 4 against Mississippi.
But then something happened. Kentucky came into town and Speights erupted, playing his best game when the lights shined the brightest. He had 20 points and eight rebounds lined up against Patrick Patterson, perhaps his toughest competition to date.
Speights then dominated South Carolina with an impressive 22 points and 13 rebounds on a night when he only missed three shots.
In Speights' eyes, he's finally arrived.
"I feel way better. I got myself in better shape," he said. "I'm just starting to feel out the ropes, and I've got myself ready to play."
UF coach Billy Donovan has been one of Speights' biggest critics all year. Donovan knows he needs his big man if the Gators plan to compete in the Southeastern Conference and said he thinks the potential is there if the focus is right.
"I think once you do it once, you believe you can do it again," Donovan said of Speights' solid back-to-back games. "A lot of it is mental focus and comes with the right mindset. When he has that, he's a really good player. When he doesn't, he moves into a category of being very, very mediocre."
Speights will have to play a key role Sunday if the Gators (17-3, 4-1 SEC) have any chance of beating No. 14 Vanderbilt (17-2, 2-2 SEC) at home.
Vanderbilt comes into Gainesville as one of the top teams in the conference. The Commodores began the season by winning their first 16 games but then dropped back-to-back conference games, leaving many Vanderbilt fans skeptical moving forward.
The Commodores lost to Kentucky 79-73 in two overtimes on the road and were dominated 80-60 by No. 7 Tennessee in Knoxville.
This year's matchup has more on the table than usual, as last year's embarrassing loss still lingers for the Gators.
Vanderbilt defeated UF 83-70 in Nashville, ending the Gators 17-game win streak and leading to an incident in which former UF player Brandon Powell punched a fan during the post-game bedlam.
Powell has since transferred and currently plays for Marshall.
Speights, Powell's former roommate, said the Gators will plan for Vanderbilt accordingly, and he has no intention of letting up any time soon.
"We just play whoever comes in," he said. "We're not even looking at it like that. We just play to win."
