Win or lose, frustrated or elated, this season has been a roller coaster ride. I wish we were a top ten team with Final Four prospects, but regardless I have really come to love this scrappy team. Even when outmatched, they show grit. I don’t recall seeing them ever give up. I love to win as much as anyone else, but I have to respect the heart our guys have shown. In contrast to our football team that at least appeared to be going through the motions at times, I feel like the basketball team gives it their all, every game. It won’t be the season we wanted to have, but I’m proud of the team. A lot of good programs rebounded from terrible years last year. I’m looking forward to the SEC Tournament and hopefully a much improved 2022-2023 season. Spoiler With Mike White returning at the helm.
Into the STOCKS with YE, Into the stocks I say!! Ring the Bell!! Yo kid-n man, enjoyed your post, keep the faith.
I also enjoyed how hard they played. People don't realize if we would have shot better, rebounded better, shot FT better,few more steals a game we could have been a contender.
Ok why did my smiley face not show up when I posted that. Like the 3rd time that has happen. Still love the Gators
I enjoy watching every gator bball game and football too. Often I yell, throw things and get disgusted. Because I care. This year was weird in so many ways. We had the covid thing. We had the KJ thing-was he going to play or not? We had a depleted roster after last season. Coach White had to fill it somehow. We ended up with a bunch of mid major type transfers. They weren't SEC caliber guys. Great guys it seems. Guys who didn't quit. But still mid major guys. We weren't battling UK, Auburn, UT, or probably even Vandy for these guys. But they were the best White could get. And White coached them pretty well. I know recruiting is on the head coach and he hasn't been consistent. But he did pretty good with what he had. Maybe football would let basketball have a few quality control directors of ambiguous function to help with bball recruiting and transfers. I seriously think we could be very good under White if we could get a dozen or so good recruiting type guys like football does. But whatever, I think White did a pretty good in season job this year. May next year be better.
Heard this narrative before, but if they are just mid-major caliber guys, why are they 19-11 playing on an SEC team? If they had a losing record, I’d get it, but how are Vandy’s players SEC caliber and our guys aren’t? Doesn’t add up to me. They are definitely high major caliber players who knocked off #2 Auburn… and pretty good high major players at that. They just aren’t meeting the lofty standards of many in our fanbase.
I don't think Charleston Southern or SW Louisiana Tech or whatever out recruited any SEC schools for these guys coming out of HS. The fact that we beat Auburn and went 50-50 in SEC play is a testament to good coaching. And while I agree our fan base has lofty expectations, I wish they could give White credit for fielding a competitive team with less talented guys. That's all.
Agree with giving White credit. I also have to give our players credit, because not even Billy Donovan powered up with the ghost of John Wooden could lead a team with me, you, @tilly, @HallGator, and @akaGatorhoops in the starting lineup to one single win.
Nice post murph. I love the team but more because of their character than I enjoy watching them. The offensive has been offensive for most of the season, but they play good D for spurts. They’re good kids.
I enjoyed watching them too. Seems like every game was designed for me to up my blood pressure meds but I like the players on this team. I haven't seen anyone else mention it but I believe they have been playing better at the end of the season which is a credit to the team, both coaches and players. Many on this board wrote them off a while ago and I understand their reasons. I'm not giving up on them and the low percentage odds of making the tournament doesn't seem to take into account their improved play lately - but regardless I acknowledge the odds are still against them.
Stop gaslighting Being a top 25 program is not lofty And they aren’t even close. That right now are looking at the NIT. Doing better than the NIT for one of the most success programs in the last 35 years is not exactly lofty Your OP reminds me of “Champions of Life”
Exactly. I can't believe some are happy with the 9-9 record and are saying it was a "good" job by the coach. We are the 9-seed in the SEC tournament, 8 of the 9 conference wins were against teams not expected to make the NCAA tournament field. Thank goodness we played Ole Miss, Georgia, and Vanderbilt twice instead of playing Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama twice. I didn't know it was "lofty" to expect a Top 25-caliber program or at least a program that isn't always fighting to survive the tournament bubble every season.
Agreed. I think they've actually been playing much better on the offensive end in the last half a dozen or so games (they could be pretty putrid early in the season with the ridiculous decisions and trunovers). Offensive movement and passing has gotten. much crisper. Shooting better too, although the 3-pointers wouldn't drop against UK. Most of Jones shots looked pretty good in the UK game despite his bad percentage. Hope he keeps shooting with the confidence he's found since his somewhat rocky start this season. I would like to see it become almost a Hoosiers-type rule that they have to try to get the ball into Castleton on pretty much every non-fastbreak possession. Our 3-point looks are usually so much better when the ball goes inside-out.
You were positive about our basketball team. We can’t have that positivity here! You should know better!
I’m happy for those of you that enjoy watching this team, kudos to you. There are others I’m sure like myself that would like to see a team that can compete for a conference championship, SEC tournament championship, or make it to the second weekend of the big dance. But hey, congratulations to the fans that are content with being on the bubble. You are most definitely glass half full type of folks!
I will always support the Gators and root for whoever's wearing the orange and blue, and this year's team has tried hard for the most part. but as much as I root for these guys and look forward to hoops season, the honest truth is that I didn't have much fun watching them this year, and I haven't had much fun watching UF basketball the last five years. rarely being ranked top 25, finishing middle of the pack in our conference every year, never sniffing our conference championship game, getting spanked regularly by the top end of the SEC who've begun to get used to seeing UF in the rearview, and sneaking into the NCAA tournament on the bubble as a 6-10 seed with no real chance to go anywhere isn't my idea of successful Gator hoops. I really can't understand why people think that's some kind of crazy high expectations, either.
Always want us to win and never root against us even if it's "to replace the coach." Team was not fun to watch but you can't deny their effort and grit. A bit perplexed at how some here are praising the coaching AND talent on the roster but think our record this year including multiple bad losses is just "the way things break" sometimes. If you believe that then you believe basketball is akin to playing roulette...
I think we are playing just like you would expect a high mid major team to play in a major conference. Most of the players we have that get major playing time came from mid major teams - Appleby, Duruji, BMac, and Fleming, and the other are transfers from major teams but they weren't all world at those programs, just solid players. Put it all together with an good, but not great, coach and you get a good, but not great, team that can take down a top team once in a while, but will, by and large, be middle of the pack in a major conference. No surprises here.
