Arguably, one of our biggest challenges has been roster/minute management. Despite our depth… some guys seem to be tolling heavy minutes, whereas other players get few to none. Is there a solution…. Eh, probably not a practical one. But for the sake of discussion… let’s talk Platoon. What if Florida used hockey-line shifts… keeping players fresh, and allowing each group to play relentlessly during its time on the floor? Those groups would seemingly develop some synergy; you’d offset some potential chemistry issues resulting from playing time gripes; you’d maximize depth and develop younger guys. And so here are my platoons: Shift A: Bonham Kugel Richard Felder CC Shift B: Lofton Lane Reeves Fudge Jitoboh Thoughts?
I really thought TG was going to employ a similar strategy as this when he was interviewed this summer. So far, we’ve been very….traditional in our offensive approach & rotations. I think our strength is the number of athletic players we have with length.
Don’t think it will matter, this team isn’t making the NCAA tournament this season. The team folds against physical play and has no aggressive rebounders, isn’t consistent on defense and has maybe two shooters at best and those two are streaky. Many won’t like the blunt evaluation but you can’t make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear. Golden will need to recruit at a much higher level than he ever has in his young head coaching career if he wants to stick around very long. I’m not banking on a long stay for him in Gainesville if things don’t go better next season.
My first thought is that your starting PF can't start. Hasn't shown anything. My second thought is that I love the platoon idea, albeit sort of a fan fantasy. I'll indulge, and share my three. A: Bonham Richard Reeves Fudge Castleton B: Lofton Kugel Reeves/Richard (based on fouls &/or matchup) Felder Jitoboh C: Jones Richard Lane Fudge Castleton
your team assessment isn’t far off, though I think the athleticism is there to be better both defensively and on the glass. That is a matter of will and attitude, which is sometimes hardest to change. I also think the shooters are there, but the shots aren’t. I’m more bullish on Golden than you seem to be, and that’s largely bc he has been described as endlessly competitive. I think he will be able to recruit great players. I’m more concerned about how he assembles a team and manages a roster.
What if we lose almost every SEC game? Real possibility that this may happen. SEC is up this year and UF is down.
I’m not sure how to answer this, or how it is topical to the platoon thread… but I don’t think we lose every conference game.
i don’t have evidence in either direction, and so I’ll withhold a final verdict. I do think he showed some recruiting prowess in the players he landed within his first couple months. Say what you will… Fudge, Kugel, Richard and Lofton were recruiting battles he won. I think he presents as a young, sharp, articulate guy who believes in the program and himself. He is reportedly a tireless worker and ultra competitive. I believe he is out front on emerging trends such as NIL and analytics. He seems engaging with the fan base and aware of the need to push the program. He has a pretty solid pedigree and strong endorsement from guys like Bruce Pearl.
Interesting concept. If you have two completely different fives you could have them run completely different offenses which would be rather confounding to defend. You might even slide Klatsky in there for a while….
Do you really think Pearl would have anything negative to say about him publicly? Golden is very likable but needs more experience before he’s ready for his current position at a program this size. You could say Golden is still green.
Sure, I'm game, but I don't think, right now, ANY combination will get us to the dance. I hate it but no way I see this club going .500 in the SEC. That means no dance and maybe no NIT. 2nd half of Oklahoma was so discouraging, a MUST win, that turned into a dissapointing loss. Coach better recruit pretty well this cycle.
Golden iz green, but I have always maintained that Florida basketball isn’t the destination job some folks think. We are not plucking a proven, winning coach form another high-level program. And so, it is a place for a high-ceiling guy, who may learn some on the job.
against elite competition, this team seems to lack size and outside shooting. We seem to have a bunch of guys that are better suited at the '3'
While I will agree that Florida isn’t at the level of blue blood schools, I believe it is among the schools in that next tier. I also think we could get a proven winner and not have to gamble with coaches that are thought of as having a high ceiling although not yet proven commodities. We could do much better than what we have seen since Donovan left. Let’s look at coaches that are paid in the same range as Florida pays Golden and our last coach White. LSU pays McMahon less than we pay Golden. Who would you rather have as a head coach, McMahon or Golden? I will say that McMahon was on the top of my list of possible replacements when White decided to bolt for Georgia. I think LSU made a great hire and we maybe gambled and lost now twice in a row. Golden could become a good coach at some point in the future but he’s in over his head here just as much as White, if not more. Heck, White is having a better season at Georgia with less talent than Florida has currently. Did we upgrade? At this point it isn’t looking like we did and the task of finding a better coach shouldn’t have been that difficult, even if we aren’t at the blue blood level.
you can argue Florida overpaid for golden, though I don’t really concern myself with the uaa purse strings. But the SEC had seceral off season hires, most of similar profile… lsu took mcmahon for Murray State. We got Golden from San Fran. Missouri took Gates from Clev at. Usc got Paris from tenn-chat Miss st.got Jans from New Mexico St And, of course, uga landed White. Regardless of where you rank Golden on that list…. the list is void of a Jay Wright or Tony Bennett. And that was my point. Each guy on that list has some sort of resume short coming.
I realize this is a bit premature, I don't think this team can make it if Lofton isn't an effective PG. I think Bonham is a sort of x-factor in that his size can be overcome by better teams. I would keep him as a flex sub for both sides, put Lofton as PG1 and make Aberdeen PG2. Aberdeen looks too big to ignore. Play him more and put in Bonham if he isn't working out.
