Backcourt depth could prove to be a problem for the Gators again next season.
Last year, point guard Erving Walker and shooting guard Kenny Boynton were each forced to play a team-high 33 minutes per game because of the lack of options at those positions. They might have to do the same this season, too.
“We still have a little bit of depth issues back there,” coach Billy Donovan said.
In the offseason Florida added 17-year-old guard Scottie Wilbekin, who will skip his senior year of high school to come to UF, and perimeter player Casey Prather, who played small forward in high school.
These two players will be the primary backups in the backcourt after Ray Shipman decided to transfer to UCF in order to play football.
With Wilbekin’s decision to join the Gators one year early, next season will likely be a developmental one for him. While the 6-foot-5-inch Prather, who didn’t play much as a guard in high school, will probably only see time at shooting guard and small forward.
This could force Walker and Boynton to carry the load once again.
Walker seemed to tire out as Southeastern Conference play went on last season. In the first eight SEC games, the 5-foot-8-inch point guard averaged 17.8 points and shot at a 46 percent clip.
But his production decreased as he put up just 11.4 points per game on 27 percent shooting in the final 12 contests of the season.
“(Walker and Boynton) probably got caught this past year playing way too many minutes,” Donovan said. “We probably would have liked to have pressed a little bit more and maybe have done some more things defensively, but it was really difficult because we did rely on both of those guys to score.”
After playing at the shooting guard position as a freshman, Walker was forced to switch to the point guard spot last year after Nick Calathes decided to forgo his final two seasons at UF.
“I really didn’t know what to expect,” Donovan said. “That transition period, you really don’t know how it’s going to go.”
This uncertainty combined with the freshman struggles of Boynton led to inconsistent performances from the two last season.
But Donovan hopes those struggles will help the two when they are looked upon once again to carry the load in the backcourt.
“I think coming into this year, with them having a year under their belts and the experience Boynton gained as a freshman and the amount of minutes he played will hopefully help them this year,” Donovan said.
