Incoming junior forward DeVon Walker tore his ACL on Friday, sources told CBSSports.com. Walker will miss the entire 2014-15 season as he rehabs his injury. Walker's loss will impact the Gators on the defensive end as the lanky 6'6" wing player emerged as a trusty perimeter defender as the season progressed. Due to the news of his injury being recent, the details of how his injury occurred have not been made available. Walker averaged 2.4 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game last season.
In other news, Patric Young signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans after they signed him as an undrafted free agent. Both years are guaranteed. The 6'9", 240-pound big man has averaged 7.4 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game in the NBA Summer League.
Showing posts with label Patric Young. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patric Young. Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
My reflections after a heartbreaking Final Four loss
Last night's 63-53 loss to the UConn Huskies was an extremely tough one to take. The Gators had won 30 straight and all the stars were aligned to win another two to capture the NCAA title. But, it wasn't meant to be. Back on December 2, Florida lost on a buzzer-beater by Shabazz Napier in Storrs, Connecticut. That was our last loss before last night. So in some ways, it's a tougher loss to accept because we lost to the Huskies earlier in the season. UConn coach Kevin Ollie, in his first NCAA Tournament, looks to be a worthy successor to legend Jim Calhoun.
After spending over 100 hours watching and preparing for Gator games this season, it's hard for me not to take it more personally than other fans. This Florida team was special. Four senior starters is unique in today's upper-tier college basketball landscape. These four seniors all had their ups and downs during their careers. Patric Young steadily improved each season on all fronts and will go down as the greatest hustler in Gator history, but disappointed many scouts because he came in with such high expectations. Scottie Wilbekin became a starter following his sophomore season and made himself into the SEC Player of the Year this season, but was suspended twice at the beginning of the last two seasons. Casey Prather increased his points per game by nearly seven points this season, but struggled with injuries and concussions throughout his career. Will Yeguete was a defensive force and, like Young, provided great effort, but, like Prather, struggled with injuries and was never really able to maximize his potential.
Next season, the Gator rotation will look drastically different. Presumably, Kasey Hill will take over the point guard spot, Michael Frazier II will keep his 2-guard spot, Dorian Finney-Smith will move from sixth man to starting small forward, Chris Walker (assuming he returns) will start at the power forward position, and the center spot is up for grabs with Damontre Harris (assuming he gets back on the team) looking to be the favorite. Or they could go with Hill, Frazier II, DeVon Walker, Chris Walker, and Dorian Finney-Smith. With Dillon Graham and Eli Carter coming back from medical redshirts, the backcourt is, once again, filled. Jacob Kurtz will play a big role in the frontcourt next season.
The recruits coming in are: Devin Robinson (6'8", 180 pounds) from Chesterfield, Virginia; Brandone Francis (6'5", 205 pounds) from Jacksonville, Florida; Chris Chiozza (5'11", 180 pounds) from Memphis, Tennessee; and Zach Hodskins (6'2", 175 pounds) from Alpharetta, Georgia.
Two glaring weaknesses of Hill are his shooting and strength. The solutions are to shoot hundreds of shots per day and to get himself in the weight room.
All in all, well done to the guys for giving us Gator fans a season to remember. Coach Billy Donovan produced, arguably, his best coaching job. The way the Gators were able to rebound from all the distractions at the beginning of the season, with Wilbekin's suspension, Hill and DeVon Walker's injuries, and Chris Walker's uncertainty, was remarkable.
The offseason will be key for many returning and departing Gators. For the four seniors, they will be training and preparing for their professional basketball careers. Young and Wilbekin are likely to be on NBA rosters next season, while Prather and Yeguete are destined for Europe.
Thanks for all the memories not just this season, but the previous three. All the best.
After spending over 100 hours watching and preparing for Gator games this season, it's hard for me not to take it more personally than other fans. This Florida team was special. Four senior starters is unique in today's upper-tier college basketball landscape. These four seniors all had their ups and downs during their careers. Patric Young steadily improved each season on all fronts and will go down as the greatest hustler in Gator history, but disappointed many scouts because he came in with such high expectations. Scottie Wilbekin became a starter following his sophomore season and made himself into the SEC Player of the Year this season, but was suspended twice at the beginning of the last two seasons. Casey Prather increased his points per game by nearly seven points this season, but struggled with injuries and concussions throughout his career. Will Yeguete was a defensive force and, like Young, provided great effort, but, like Prather, struggled with injuries and was never really able to maximize his potential.
Next season, the Gator rotation will look drastically different. Presumably, Kasey Hill will take over the point guard spot, Michael Frazier II will keep his 2-guard spot, Dorian Finney-Smith will move from sixth man to starting small forward, Chris Walker (assuming he returns) will start at the power forward position, and the center spot is up for grabs with Damontre Harris (assuming he gets back on the team) looking to be the favorite. Or they could go with Hill, Frazier II, DeVon Walker, Chris Walker, and Dorian Finney-Smith. With Dillon Graham and Eli Carter coming back from medical redshirts, the backcourt is, once again, filled. Jacob Kurtz will play a big role in the frontcourt next season.
The recruits coming in are: Devin Robinson (6'8", 180 pounds) from Chesterfield, Virginia; Brandone Francis (6'5", 205 pounds) from Jacksonville, Florida; Chris Chiozza (5'11", 180 pounds) from Memphis, Tennessee; and Zach Hodskins (6'2", 175 pounds) from Alpharetta, Georgia.
Two glaring weaknesses of Hill are his shooting and strength. The solutions are to shoot hundreds of shots per day and to get himself in the weight room.
All in all, well done to the guys for giving us Gator fans a season to remember. Coach Billy Donovan produced, arguably, his best coaching job. The way the Gators were able to rebound from all the distractions at the beginning of the season, with Wilbekin's suspension, Hill and DeVon Walker's injuries, and Chris Walker's uncertainty, was remarkable.
The offseason will be key for many returning and departing Gators. For the four seniors, they will be training and preparing for their professional basketball careers. Young and Wilbekin are likely to be on NBA rosters next season, while Prather and Yeguete are destined for Europe.
Thanks for all the memories not just this season, but the previous three. All the best.
Friday, November 8, 2013
What you need to know: University of North Florida
Game 1: University of North Florida Ospreys (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) at #10 University of Florida Gators (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Stephen C. O'Connell Center (capacity: 11,548), Gainesville, Florida 3:00 p.m.
Another college basketball season is upon us. The Gators played one exhibition game, last Friday against Florida Southern (won 110-88). Ranked 10th in the AP Poll, Florida opens with the University of North Florida. The Gators have been highly overranked to begin the season, in my opinion. There is so much uncertainty surrounding this team that, as fans, we might need to be patient over the first month or so as the the roster gets back to 100%. Senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was suspended indefinitely in the offseason for a violation of team rules (was suspended for same violation last season), did not play in the exhibition game and there is no timetable for his return. Two transfers are also suspended indefinitely: redshirt junior center Damontre Harris and redshirt sophomore guard/forward Dorian Finney Smith. In addition, senior forward Will Yeguete (offseason knee surgery) and junior transfer Eli Carter (broken leg last season at Rutgers) are still not at full strength, but have been practicing. Freshman point guard Kasey Hill has been dealing with back issues this week, but will play today. To make matters worse, sophomore guard Michael Frazier has been dealing with mono and he hasn't practiced except for non-contact drills in recent practices. Fortunately, he will be available to play today but I'm not sure how much action he'll see considering his limited practice time and recovery from the illness. Assuming Frazier dresses, the Gators will have 10 active players (three suspended players) for this afternoon's contest.
In the news conference yesterday, senior center (and likely team captain) Patric Young said that he's continuing to work on his free throws (55% shooter over his career). He made seven out of ten in the exhibition game and his form looked more natural and free-flowing. Young has also slimmed down ten pounds which will hopefully help with his stamina. Bringing a consistent energy and intensity level has always been a struggle for him, and we've all seen the differences when he's playing at a high level and so-so level. He can be a complete game-changer depending on which Patric Young shows up.
Sophomore guard/forward DeVon Walker has improved his shooting dramatically during the offseason. Head coach Billy Donovan sees him contributing as a member of the perimeter rotation. Donovan actually gave him the option of redshirting, but Walker trusted Donovan that there would be minutes available if he kept playing well. Due to the injuries/suspensions, Walker will find himself in the starting lineup today. He only made one out of five 3-pointers in the exhibition game, but don't expect that to be the norm after all the reports from Walker and his teammates regarding his improved shooting.
Projected Florida starting lineup for this afternoon's game:
#0 Kasey Hill (6'1", 181 lbs. FR)
#25 DeVon Walker (6'6", 195 lbs. SO)
#24 Casey Prather (6'6", 212 lbs. SR)
#15 Will Yeguete (6'8", 230 lbs. SR)
#4 Patric Young (6'9", 240 lbs. SR)
Broadcast Information
TV: Sun Sports; Larry Vettel (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network; Mick Hubert (play-by-play) and Bill Koss (analyst)
Streaming: ESPN3.com
Stephen C. O'Connell Center (capacity: 11,548), Gainesville, Florida 3:00 p.m.
Another college basketball season is upon us. The Gators played one exhibition game, last Friday against Florida Southern (won 110-88). Ranked 10th in the AP Poll, Florida opens with the University of North Florida. The Gators have been highly overranked to begin the season, in my opinion. There is so much uncertainty surrounding this team that, as fans, we might need to be patient over the first month or so as the the roster gets back to 100%. Senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was suspended indefinitely in the offseason for a violation of team rules (was suspended for same violation last season), did not play in the exhibition game and there is no timetable for his return. Two transfers are also suspended indefinitely: redshirt junior center Damontre Harris and redshirt sophomore guard/forward Dorian Finney Smith. In addition, senior forward Will Yeguete (offseason knee surgery) and junior transfer Eli Carter (broken leg last season at Rutgers) are still not at full strength, but have been practicing. Freshman point guard Kasey Hill has been dealing with back issues this week, but will play today. To make matters worse, sophomore guard Michael Frazier has been dealing with mono and he hasn't practiced except for non-contact drills in recent practices. Fortunately, he will be available to play today but I'm not sure how much action he'll see considering his limited practice time and recovery from the illness. Assuming Frazier dresses, the Gators will have 10 active players (three suspended players) for this afternoon's contest.
In the news conference yesterday, senior center (and likely team captain) Patric Young said that he's continuing to work on his free throws (55% shooter over his career). He made seven out of ten in the exhibition game and his form looked more natural and free-flowing. Young has also slimmed down ten pounds which will hopefully help with his stamina. Bringing a consistent energy and intensity level has always been a struggle for him, and we've all seen the differences when he's playing at a high level and so-so level. He can be a complete game-changer depending on which Patric Young shows up.
Sophomore guard/forward DeVon Walker has improved his shooting dramatically during the offseason. Head coach Billy Donovan sees him contributing as a member of the perimeter rotation. Donovan actually gave him the option of redshirting, but Walker trusted Donovan that there would be minutes available if he kept playing well. Due to the injuries/suspensions, Walker will find himself in the starting lineup today. He only made one out of five 3-pointers in the exhibition game, but don't expect that to be the norm after all the reports from Walker and his teammates regarding his improved shooting.
Projected Florida starting lineup for this afternoon's game:
#0 Kasey Hill (6'1", 181 lbs. FR)
#25 DeVon Walker (6'6", 195 lbs. SO)
#24 Casey Prather (6'6", 212 lbs. SR)
#15 Will Yeguete (6'8", 230 lbs. SR)
#4 Patric Young (6'9", 240 lbs. SR)
Broadcast Information
TV: Sun Sports; Larry Vettel (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network; Mick Hubert (play-by-play) and Bill Koss (analyst)
Streaming: ESPN3.com
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