By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:
UF MEN’S BASKETBALL: ROSTER MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS
It will be Senior Day Saturday at the O-Dome when the Gators (19-11, 9-8 SEC) try to seal a bid to the NCAA Tournament by knocking off No. 7 Kentucky (24-6, 13-4 SEC). Because the NCAA doesn’t count the 2020-21 COVID season against anyone’s eligibility, Senior Day at UF will be a little tricky. The only two players guaranteed to be gone on the current roster are Brandon McKissic and Phlandrous Fleming Jr., who had both played four years prior to arriving at Florida as transfers.
Minus McKissic and Fleming, Mike White has 11 scholarship players on his roster, but one of those is Keyontae Johnson, who still hasn’t been cleared to play and has a $5 million decision to make. Colin Castleton is almost certain to go to the NBA although he does have a year of eligibility if he were to decide to come back. Because Anthony Duruji and Tyree Appleby sat out a year after transferring and they played during the COVID year, they actually have a year of eligibility remaining.
So, let’s do some math. McKissic, Fleming and Castleton leaving would give the Gators ten scholarships. I doubt Keyontae plays again and I would be surprised if Duruji comes back since he will have a master’s degree and is 23 years old. Subtract Keyontae and Duruji and that’s eight and could be seven if Appleby leaves.
White has signed three high school kids, so if Appleby comes back and none of the other seven transfer out, the Gators could bring in two through the transfer portal.
Goners (3)
Brandon McKissic: He played four years at Kansas City so this counts as his fifth year due to the COVID season of 2020-21. He’s a lights out defender whose offense suffers if he’s not at the point.
Phlandrous Fleming Jr.: The way he’s been playing lately, it would be great if there were a way for him to come back next season, but he played four years at Charleston Southern without a redshirt, so this is his fifth year.
Colin Castleton: He is a warrior who will make All-SEC despite playing the last half of the season with a shoulder injury that doesn’t allow him to practice. He was a 2018-19 freshman at Michigan who transferred to UF in 2020-21. Since last year was his COVID year, technically speaking this is his third year so he’s got another year to play. However, his draft stock is rising and he’ll be on some NBA roster next year. Count on that.
Probably gone (2)
Keyontae Johnson: He would love to play again, but says he hasn’t had clearance from the doctors. He also has an insurance policy that will pay him $5 million if he doesn’t play again, which is a nice foundation for a start in life. He graduates in April. He told me recently that there is only one coach he would consider playing college basketball for if he chose to play again and that’s Mike White. If cleared, he would have at least one season of eligibility, perhaps two based on medical hardship rules. Figure he doesn’t play but all bets are off if he gets cleared medically.
Anthony Duruji: He began his collegiate career at Louisiana Tech in 2017-18 and is now in grad school at UF. He took a transfer redshirt in 2019-20 at UF and 2020-21 was his COVID season. Since 2020-21 doesn’t count plus he has that redshirt, he fits under that five years to play four NCAA rule, so he can come back but he’s 23 years old and has a game made for overseas.
Weighing his options (1)
Tyree Appleby: His collegiate career began at Cleveland State in 2017-18 where he was an All-Horizon League performer. He sat out 2019-20 when he transferred, so 2020-21 is his COVID season. He can return and is weighing his options, but right now it looks like he will return next season.
Back unless they elect to transfer (7)
Myreon Jones: Jones went through a really tough stretch in which he couldn’t buy a basket, but in his last nine games he’s looking like the players the Gators thought they were getting when he transferred from Penn State. He’s hit 26 of his last 57 3-pointers (45.6 percent) while averaging 10.4 points with 11 assists and only four turnovers. He is also one of the Gators better on-ball defenders. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
C.J. Felder: He has not been the same player since he got sick midyear but he’s a versatile defender, capable of defending four of the five positions. He’s a very good 3-point shooter (38.9 percent) and a very physical rebounder. He’ll play a lot next year. He has two more years of eligibility.
Jason Jitoboh: He was just coming into his own when he suffered an eye injury against Tennessee. If he focuses on getting into top physical condition in the offseason, he could be a major surprise as a starter next season. He has two years of eligibility.
Niels Lane: In the last 10 games, he has become Florida’s X-factor. Not much offense although he’s shown signs of coming around there, but a brilliant defender. If his offensive game comes around he could be a very good player in the future. He has three more years of eligibility.
Kowacie Reeves: He’s a pure shooter who has to figure it out on the defensive end. When he does he will be a stud. Three years of eligibility remaining.
Elijah Kennedy: Since the South Carolina game, he is 0-15 from the field and his playing time has diminished, but he has a lot of promise as an off guard. Three years eligibility remaining.
Tuonthach Gatkek: He’s way too skinny, but he’s got promise as six points off the bench including two in crunch time against Vanderbilt proved. He’s all of 6-9 but only 172 pounds. He needs 18-20 pounds in the offseason.
Signed (3)
Malik Reneau: He is a 5-star power forward for national power Montverde Academy. He’s a legit 6-9 and 225 pounds with a frame to add muscle. Really good around the basket and a terrific defender.
Jalen Reed: He’s a legit 6-10 and 225 who could easily carry 240-250 pounds. He can hit the three and he’s very active around the rim. His dad was an All-American at Ole Miss.
Denzel Aberdeen: He’s 6-4 and a skinny 175 who is still developing as a point guard. He is a streaky shooter who can light it up when he gets hot. His Dr. Phillips team is going for a second straight Class 7A championship.
SEC Basketball
Wednesday’s scores: Texas A&M (19-11, 8-9 SEC) 87, No. 25 Alabama (19-11, 9-8 SEC) 71; No. 5 Auburn (26-4, 14-3 SEC) 81, Mississippi State (17-13, 8-9 SEC) 68, OT; Arkansas (24-6, 13-4 SEC) 77, LSU (20-9, 8-9 SEC) 76
Saturday’s games: No. 7 Kentucky (24-6, 13-4 SEC) at FLORIDA (19-11, 9-8 SEC); Georgia (6-24, 1-16 SEC) at Missouri (10-20, 4-13 SEC); Vanderbilt (14-15, 6-11 SEC) at Ole Miss (13-17, 4-13 SEC); No. 14 Arkansas (24-6, 13-4 SEC) at No. 13 Tennessee (22-7, 13-4 SEC); No. 25 Alabama (19-11, 9-8 SEC) at LSU (20-10, 8-9 SEC); South Carolina (18-11, 9-8 SEC) at No. 5 Auburn (26-4, 14-3 SEC)
USA TODAY NAMES KELLY RAE SEC COACH OF THE YEAR
Leave it to the USA Today Network to avenge a wrong. The newspaper collective named Florida’s Kelly Rae Finley SEC Coach of the Year Wednesday, a day after she was snubbed by the SEC coaches for an award she definitely deserved after taking the Gators from a predicted last place finish to a 20-9 record, 10-6 in the SEC while she was the interim head coach. The interim label was removed Monday by UF athletic director Scott Stricklin.
Now, a week after a most unexpected loss to Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym, Finley returns to Nashville where she can avenge that loss by taking out the Commodores at Bridgestone Arena in the second round of the SEC Tournament (3:30 p.m., SEC Network). The Gators are projected to be a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They’ll be in the Big Dance win or lose in Nashville, but if they could pick up a couple of wins in the SEC Tournament, they could possibly move up to the No. 5 line.
SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament
Wednesday’s scores: Vanderbilt (14-17) 85, Texas A&M 69; Alabama (16-12) 75, Auburn 68
Thursday’s games: 1 p.m., Missouri (18-11) vs. Arkansas (17-12); 3:30 p.m. Vanderbilt (14-17) vs. N0. 23 FLORIDA (20-9); 7 p.m. Mississippi State (15-13) vs. Kentucky (15-11); 9:30 p.m. Alabama (16-12) VS. No. 24 Georgia (20-8)
RED-HOT GATORS SLUG SIX HOMERS, POUND FAMU, 17-0
Jud Fabian hit two of Florida’s six home runs Wednesday night as the Gators won their seventh straight game, 17-0, over Florida A&M at the Florida Ballpark. The homers were the second and third of the season for Fabian, who moved into 10th place in his career with 34.
Also hitting home runs were Colby Halter, Sterlin Thompson, Corey Robinson and BT Riopele. The Gators had 18 hits led by Jud Fabian, Thompson and Deric Fabian with three each. For the Gators it was the fourth straight game with more than 10 runs and 10 hits.
Super Senior Garrett Milchin, who missed three straight years with injuries, went five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two to get the win. Karl Hartman, Phil Abner and Anthony Ursetti combined to limit the Rattlers to three hits over the final four innings.
The Gators travel south to face Miami in a three-game series over the weekend.
UF SOFTBALL: 16-GAME WINNING STREAK COMES TO AN END
It is those first two innings that usually give Lexie Delbrey problems and Wednesday night was no exception as the Gators saw their 16-0 start to the season come to an end, 5-4, at the hands of the Southern Miss Eagles. The first inning was the real killer for Delbrey (5-1). She walked a batter, hit another and then served up a 3-run homer. She gave up another home run in the second. Her stat line read six innings, five hits, four earned runs, four walks, two hit batters and nine strikeouts.
The Gators had their chances to win the game at the plate, but after scoring three runs in the first two innings, they couldn’t come up with two-out hits when they needed them. In the seventh, after Southern Miss scored what proved to be the winning run on a throwing error, the Gators got leadoff hitter Skylar Wallace on base with a single, only to see the Eagles get a fly out and a game-ending double play to preserve the win.
The Gators will play five games over the weekend in the Bubly Invitational at KSP – two against Georgia State, two against Coastal Carolina and one against Georgia State.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Answering a question from a reader in The Athletic, Stewart Mandel writes about the future of college football: “It’s going to be the Power 2 (Big Ten and SEC), the Less Powerful 3 (ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12) and the Powerless 5 (AAC, MWC, Sun Belt, MAC and whatever’s left of C-USA).” Mandel didn’t mention Notre Dame but don’t worry about the Irish. When their contract expires with NBC in 2025, the Irish won’t lack for suitors and the new deal will be hefty and not one that has to be shared with other leagues.
Focus, if you will, on the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten. From a financial standpoint, they will have it all over their less fortunate brethren during the next decade. The SEC will be distributing more than $75 million per school when the new ESPN contract goes into effect in 2024. When Texas and Oklahoma join the league, some economists are predicting a $90 million a year payout per school. Although the Big Ten may get a bigger deal in its new media rights contract, it will never eclipse the SEC in power and prestige until it starts winning national championships in football. Since 2000, the Big Ten has won two. The SEC has won 13.
To paraphrase Ric Flair, “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.” The Man is the SEC. The Big Ten has a lot of money, but it’s just like its “Alliance” buddies, a wannabe. That won’t change anytime soon.
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