Carry over to Gator 2023-24 Basketball :-)

[instaGATOR]

AU might have won the game anyway, but when your starting center goes out 101 seconds into a championship game, winning becomes very doubtful. It would have taken a minor miracle to win that game imo.....

Then to add shooting aggravation to the injury misery,,, the Gator guards combined for 1-13 shooting on 3's. That led to an automatic and expected double digit loss.

Now, with a few days to get over the emotional impact of losing Micah, and adjust to the new roster lineup, maybe they can make a small 1st Rnd run instead of going 1 & done. We'll see....
=====

Shooting Woes:

Pulling - FG 4-14 - 3 Pt 0-0 - FT 7-11 (Ast/TO 2-2) -- WTF???

Clayton - FG 3-10 - 3 Pt 1-5 - FT 6-6 (Ast/TO 3-3)

Richard - FG 1-6 - 3 Pt 0-3 - FT 2-2 (Ast/TO 2-2)

Aberdeen - FG 3-6 - 3 Pt 0-1 - FT 0-1

Haugh - FG 5-12 - 3 Pt 0-3 - FT 1-2

 

[ocalaman]

Disappointing season for UF Women's Basketball.

Gators' 2023-24 Season Closes out with Loss to St. John's - Florida Gators

The Gators end its season falling 79-60 to St. John's at the O'Dome. Florida was led offensively by Aliyah Matharu with a 23-point outing, followed by Laila Reynolds

floridagators.com

 

[Nicktheslick]

A bit of disappointment after last years teams overachievement. Lots of talent on the way.

 

[ocalaman]

Great game today. Horrible officiating. But I do give credit to Colorado for their offensive efficiency. Shooting, cutting, passing. They rebounded even with us and we just are a bad defensive team. SEC now 1-5 in the NCAA tournament.

 

[Countygator1]

Great game today. Horrible officiating. But I do give credit to Colorado for their offensive efficiency. Shooting, cutting, passing. They rebounded even with us and we just are a bad defensive team. SEC now 1-5 in the NCAA tournament.

Part of our bad defense was passive play trying to stay out of foul trouble. We were short handed in the frontcourt and that showed. Great effort to almost pull it off.

 

[gatordad3]

Very proud of this team. They were fun to watch. Praying for Handlogten to return at full strength and look forward to watching the incoming 7'6" center.

 

[bradleygator]

Proud of the team. Like Golden a lot. We play bad defense. Losing Handlogten certainly hurt, but our personality on defense is soft. Has been all year.

 

[instaGATOR]

"Now look where the Gators are.
Exactly where Stricklin and his committee believed Todd Golden would take them."

https://floridagators.com/news/2024...n-todd-we-trust-ncaa-setup-march-21-2024.aspx

The iG never lost faith in what Mike White was doing as the Gators B-Ball HC.

The iG has also not lost faith in what Todd Golden is trying to get done....
Year 1 -- Takes a winning team to a losing season, the 1st since BillyD left.
Year 2 -- Has the 1st post season tourney One & Done in years.
>>> But I'm sorry, that Chris Harry sunshine pumping write-up still amused me.... 😉

 

[Countygator1]

Told Golden takes over a broken program:
Year 1- begins to lay the foundation for future success
Year 2- Takes Florida to SECT championship game and first tourney bid in 2 years

Curious to see where the program is after year 7....hopefully not broken.

 

[TEBOW TIME]

Told Golden takes over a broken program:
Year 1- begins to lay the foundation for future success
Year 2- Takes Florida to SECT championship game and first tourney bid in 2 years

Curious to see where the program is after year 7....hopefully not broken.

Better assessment than Walter's previous post

 

[Nicktheslick]

My assessment or opinion if you prefer. After year two coach Golden is energetic, has basketball savvy, is great at identifying talent ( high school and portal). He’s also a motivator, players coach believes in team first. I certainly think the program is in good hands. Can’t wait to see where he takes us in the next few years. Yes last year was rough but that was mostly not his team and it didn’t fit his model. All the starters on this years team were his guys.

 

[instaGATOR]

Better assessment than Walter's previous post

Just more Drivel from the clueless one shoe Peanut....

Yes last year was rough but that was mostly not his team and it didn’t fit his model. Yeah, the first losing season since BillyD's last season, while going One & Done at home to UCF in the NIT.

All the starters on this years team were his guys. Yeah, and he got embarrassed with a 19 Pt loss in the SEC tourney. Then went One & Done in the NCAA tourney for the 1st time in many years....

I love it when some here (TTurd) whine about me if I point out any facts that are negative on the new guy, while he and others had no problem with constantly ragging on the old guy that never had a losing season, never missed out on a post season tourney, and he never had a post season tourney One & Done, NIT or NCAA.

An all around good coach and an excellent person while being plagued by injuries, especially to his bigs, and then at the end dealing with Socialist-U and the 2 Yr Demorats Scamdemic.
He was and is still treated by some here, worse than the infamous red-headed-stepchild....
=====

But hope still springs eternal for this OLD long suffering Gator fan, despite the shift to Socialist-U....

MickyD AA's to the SEC - 247 Rankings:

Tre Johnson, SG, Branson (Mo.) Link Academy - No. 6 - TX

Tahaad Pettiford, PG, Jersey City (N.J.) Hudson Catholic - No. 24 - AU

John Bol, C, Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite - No. 39 - MS

Jayden Quaintance, C, Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God - No. 8 - UK
Karter Knox, SF, Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite - No. 20 - UK
Boogie Fland, CG, White Plains (N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac - No. 26 - UK
=====

Liam McNeeley, SF, Montverde (Fla.) Academ - No. 16 - Undecided (iG hoping UF)

 

[instaGATOR]

Florida men's basketball signee SG Isaiah Brown has been selected to compete in the 2024 Slam Dunk Nationals. A guard from Orlando Christian Prep, Brown signed with the Gators in November 2023 and helped lead his team to a state runner-up finish in 2023-24.

The 13th annual event, which will showcase the dunking and long-range shooting talents of the country's premier high school seniors, will take place at the Saguaro High School in suburban Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon. CBS will air the event at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

To the iG, he looks like a pretty good replacement for 50/50 Kugel.

https://floridagators.com/news/2024...h-brown-selected-for-slam-dunk-nationals.aspx

Also the departing walkon SG Alex Klatsky has been named the recipient of the Florida men's basketball team's 2023-2024 Lt. Fred Koss Memorial Award. This marks the 50th year of the award since it was initiated in 1974 by then-head coach John Lotz.

Klatsky Receives Lt. Fred Koss Award - Florida Gators

Alex Klatsky joins a long list of celebrated Florida men's basketball players to receive the award.

floridagators.com

And former Gator xfer-in SG Canyon Barry has been selected to the USA Basketball 3x3 Men's National Team, which will compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Barry, who competed at Florida as a grad transfer in 2016-17, earned SEC Sixth Man of the Year and national Academic All-American of the Year honors while at UF.

While the Gators have had numerous players compete on the international stage in FIBA world and continental championships, Barry becomes the first UF men's basketball alum to take the Olympics stage.

Canyon Barry to Represent USA in 2024 Olympics - Florida Gators

Barry will be part of the USA Basketball 3x3 Men's National Team.

floridagators.com

 

[ocalaman]

Florida guard Walter Clayton to test NBA Draft water or return to Florida for 2024-25

Clayton earned second-team All-SEC honors in his first year with the Gators

247sports.com

 

[instaGATOR]

Florida combination guard Walter Clayton will return to Gainesville for his senior year in 2024-25 pending the results of the NBA Draft process, he announced Monday. Clayton said in his announcement that he will “to no other than the University of Florida” if he chooses not to turn pro.

Clayton's 633 points in 2023-24 marked the 5th-highest single-season total in Florida history while his career-high 33 points in the NCAA Tournament against Colorado were the 2nd-most by a Gator in March Madness play.

IMO, Soph SG Riley (Freshman All SEC) wilted under the competition pressure.... But as long as he's not playing in a game against the Gators, I'll wish him well in his B-Ball career @ Kansas.

 

[instaGATOR]

Many of us thought that the team should at least make the Sweet-16 last season,,, ah well, but maybe next time....

A 'Way To Early' 2024-25 B-Ball Ranking, plus some others 'in consideration.'.

SEC Teams on the list:
5. UA
7. TN
11. AU
17. UF
23. aTm
----
In Consideration: UK - MsSt - TX - Ark

17. Florida Gators: Florida has to sweat out Walter Clayton Jr.'s stay-or-go, NBA Draft decision, but if the sharpshooting, killer guard runs it back, the Gators will be humming {As a transfer from Iona, Clayton was of tremendous importance to the Gators throughout the 2023-24 season, pacing them in scoring and providing a spark in that regard that head coach Todd Golden said was sorely missing from his first team in Gainesville.}

Florida guard Walter Clayton to test NBA Draft water or return to Florida for 2024-25

Clayton earned second-team All-SEC honors in his first year with the Gators

247sports.com

Will Richard and Denzel Aberdeen look like no-doubt rotation pieces next year. Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon are two young bigs who will only get better and more seasoned while Micah Handlogten is on the mend after a gruesome leg injury in the SEC Tournament. Florida is armed with the resources to go take some huge swings in the transfer portal, and Todd Golden has a great sell after the success of both Tyrese Samuel and Zyon Pullin. Florida isn't going anywhere.

College basketball's way-too-early top 25 rankings for 2024-25

Circling which college basketball programs are poised to shine in 2024-25.

247sports.com

 

[ocalaman]

Florida forward Aleks Szymczyk enters NCAA transfer portal

Szymczyk spent two years with the Gators

247sports.com

 

[instaGATOR]

With Golden possibly bringing in 2-3 portal Bigs, I knew someone would have to go to open spots.
Not going to be Condon or Haugh or Hand, so it looks like unused Shimmy ended up the odd man out.