As last season dragged to a close, and as Florida lost eight of its last 12 games, one thing was abundantly clear.
The Gators had a shooting problem.
UF shot just 32.3 percent from three-point range, 256th worst in the nation.
With the additions of a few key freshmen and the development of returning players, UF will look to solve that this year.
But even redshirt freshman Brandone Francis-Ramirez, who hopes to take over departed guard Michael Frazier’s role as the team’s high-volume three-point shooter, wasn’t always the praised perimeter player he’s been in Florida’s first two weeks of practice.
"I couldn’t really shoot growing up," Francis-Ramirez said.
As a pre-teen, when he used to walk into his nearest gym and join an ongoing pickup game, he didn’t draw much attention.
"Just leave him wide open," players said.
That changed when Francis-Ramirez enrolled in Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville. There, while helping his school to a state championship and a 30-5 record, he corrected his shooting woes.
The coaches taught him to center his feet, open his hips and straighten his elbow. His work culminated in the final game of his high school career, when he hit the game-winning shot to secure the championship.
This season, if Florida hopes to surpass last year’s 16-17 record, it will need some of its younger players to develop into accurate shooters.
"We’ve got to hit a high percentage from the three point line. It’s gotta go up, and it’s gotta go up across the board," coach Mike White said.
"In the next couple of months, we’ve got to figure out who our best shooters are in games, because it’s a little bit different than in practice."
Along with Francis-Ramirez, coaches have been impressed with Devin Robinson’s improvement from behind the arc.
The sophomore is learning to become more of a spot-up shooter, setting his feet and preparing to launch the ball as soon as it reaches him.
"I’ve been practicing it all summer and just to see the ball go in, just makes me feel more confident," Robinson said.
Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen has also stood out. Players and coaches have raved about his athleticism and ability to score since Florida began its summer workouts.
"He’s such an offensive weapon," White said of Allen. "He’s probably as pure of a natural scorer as we have on our team."
But White has focused on perfecting UF’s defense before approaching anything that resembles an offensive scheme.
The past two weeks of practices have featured fast-paced, defensive-minded scrimmages where the Gators have been learning White’s pressing style, a slightly different version of the one used under former coach Billy Donovan.
"I didn’t expect it to be this high-paced, this much running and going from drill to drill to drill," Robinson said of White’s practices, "but it’s helping us process things much faster."
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Devin Robinson dunks during Florida's win against Vanderbilt on Feb. 18.
