When Lanita Bartley shoots, she scores.
After she made six of her seven tries for 19 points against Arkansas, Florida hopes that Bartley is turning the corner.
“Lanita shot the ball off the catch from the 3-point line and deep twos very confidently,” coach Amanda Butler said. “That’s something we’ve really been encouraging her to do and she seems hesitant to do it.”
Lacking a consistent go-to offensive threat, the Gators need someone to step up and become a reliable scoring option down the stretch.
Florida needs an aggressive shooter, and Bartley fits the mold.
She likes to drive the lane for points, taking 81.6 percent of her shots from inside the 3-point line.
“’Nita being confident in her shot is very important to us,” redshirt senior forward Ndidi Madu said. “She’s more of a penetrator. She looks to pass more than shoot.”
Prior to the double overtime loss against Arkansas, Bartley was scoring just four points per game in Southeastern Conference play.
Even after her offensive outburst against the Razorbacks, the number has only improved to a 5.9 average.
However, Butler sees her senior guard becoming more involved in the offense, but acknowledges that Bartley still has some progress to make.
“She’ll continue to need encouragement to (shoot more),” Butler said. “The confidence from us, not just we want her to do that, but we expect her to do it.”
Specifically, Butler wants to see Bartley take more jumpers.
Butler has praised Bartley’s ability to drive the paint in the past, but notes that Bartley needs to better develop her outside game to counteract opposing teams’ scouting reports.
“She just has had more confidence off the dribble most of her career,” Butler said. “There’s not been as much of a necessity to develop that part of her confidence and that part of her game.”
Another aspect of Bartley’s game that has impressed her teammates recently is her defensive effort.
Bartley leads the Gators 2.1 steals per game.
“I absolutely love her defense,” Jaterra Bonds said. “On defense, she get all up in you. She could probably tell me what the opponent had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
Whether she is leading the transition game or working to shoot off the catch, Florida will rely heavily on Bartley to turn the season around starting tonight at LSU at 7.
“It’s important for her to come out and set the tone,” Bonds said. “When we see that she’s composed, then we’ll be composed.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
