A WELL-ROUNDED UNIT
That was the emphasis for Donovan in the offseason. He wanted his individual players to improve their skills to create a well-rounded unit. He wanted his backcourt players to improve certain areas of their game that will bring out the best in their teammates. For Rosario, it was his defense and strength, but for Walker it was his ability to create open looks for his teammates.
“[Walker’s] goal needs to be to try to lead the league in assists,” Donovan said. “I don’t want him necessarily shooting less, as much as I want him playing off of what the game dictates. We’re going to need him to shoot and score, to do the things he’s always done. But for us to be collectively better, if he hasn’t taken a shot in eight straight trips down the floor and we’re sevenfor-eight from the field, he needs to recognize that, and probably make a sacrifice scoring the ball.”
Sacrifice is something all of Florida’s players seem to be echoing with the season approaching. Each of the talented guards realizes the skill of the players around him and that each can contribute to the Gators’ success. “I personally think it’s going to work out really well,” Walker said. “We all embrace each other. There’s a lot of talent out there with us. We just want to make each other’s jobs easier. If someone has a better shot, they should get the shot. Just make it tough for teams to guard us.” Walker said he’s perfectly content with his new focus on distributing and said he knows Donovan wants what’s best for his team. As Florida’s only senior, he’s embracing his role and encouraging each of his backcourt mates to do the same. Boynton and Wilbekin have already carved out their niche on the team as two of the
top on-ball defenders. The role is something each takes pride in, and they’ve even made it a bit of a friendly competition. While Boynton spent a lot of time over the summer working on his shot, he also worked on his lateral ability on defense, trying to improve his slide speed to hang with the most athletic attackers. Wilbekin added some muscle in the offseason and improved his athleticism and reaction time. Boynton noticed his effort in the offseason.
“I never realized [Wilbekin] was such a great defender till I came back here and I played against him five-on-five,” Boynton said. “He’s a tough defender, he can come in and do the same thing I’m doing. That’s definitely a nice role to have when you can just sit and he’s locking a guy down and you can switch whenever you want.”
Erving Walker, the lone senior on the roster, will look to lead the SEC in assists. FACT: In his first season as head coach, Ray Graves took his team to play Baylor in the 1960 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
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