Ga8or22
Eventis sultorum magister.
No. 8/10 Florida Gators basketball got a chance to work out some kinks Friday night, exactly one week ahead of their 2013-14 season opener, with a 110-88 victory over the Florida Southern Mocs at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Senior forward Casey Prather was the main man for Florida, registering game-highs in points (23), assists (7) and steals (4) while grabbing six rebounds, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and hitting all seven of his free throw attempts in 22 minutes.
Prather definitely looked like he had taken yet another step forward in the offseason, displaying an even temperament and driving to the hoop with authority. He had a couple of highlight dunks and showed great confidence and poise throughout the evening.
First-year point guard Kasey Hill took a first step toward living up to the hype his five-star rating has placed upon his shoulders. His speed helped him blow past defenders – and even his own teammates – as he drove to the hoop with ease in transition and showed the type of tenacity at the position that Florida has been searching for since Taurean Green left the team in 2007.
Hill finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting with three dimes and three boards. He missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc and committed three turnovers in the contest but appeared to be on the same page with his teammates.
Due to injuries and suspensions, the Gators only played nine guys on Friday – seven scholarship student-athletes and two walk-ons.
Six of those seven scholarship players scored in double figures (sophomore guard Dillon Graham missed all six of his shots), as did junior walk-on Jacob Kurtz, who went 5-for-6 for 11 points and added a game-high nine rebounds.
Senior forward Will Yeguete (knee), who only played 18 minutes (second fewest on the team behind redshirt junior walk-on Billy Donovan), matched Kurtz with nine boards and scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
After missing his first two free throws, senior center Patric Young hit seven of his next eight, finishing with eight boards and 19 points while going 6-for-8 from the floor. He displayed a slightly improved motor late in the game and did a nice job cleaning up around the basket as well.
Neither junior G Eli Carter (leg) nor sophomore F DeVon Walker had notable performances. Both finished with 11 points, while Carter had two steals and Walker picked up eight rebounds.
Senior forward Casey Prather was the main man for Florida, registering game-highs in points (23), assists (7) and steals (4) while grabbing six rebounds, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and hitting all seven of his free throw attempts in 22 minutes.
Prather definitely looked like he had taken yet another step forward in the offseason, displaying an even temperament and driving to the hoop with authority. He had a couple of highlight dunks and showed great confidence and poise throughout the evening.
First-year point guard Kasey Hill took a first step toward living up to the hype his five-star rating has placed upon his shoulders. His speed helped him blow past defenders – and even his own teammates – as he drove to the hoop with ease in transition and showed the type of tenacity at the position that Florida has been searching for since Taurean Green left the team in 2007.
Hill finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting with three dimes and three boards. He missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc and committed three turnovers in the contest but appeared to be on the same page with his teammates.
Due to injuries and suspensions, the Gators only played nine guys on Friday – seven scholarship student-athletes and two walk-ons.
Six of those seven scholarship players scored in double figures (sophomore guard Dillon Graham missed all six of his shots), as did junior walk-on Jacob Kurtz, who went 5-for-6 for 11 points and added a game-high nine rebounds.
Senior forward Will Yeguete (knee), who only played 18 minutes (second fewest on the team behind redshirt junior walk-on Billy Donovan), matched Kurtz with nine boards and scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
After missing his first two free throws, senior center Patric Young hit seven of his next eight, finishing with eight boards and 19 points while going 6-for-8 from the floor. He displayed a slightly improved motor late in the game and did a nice job cleaning up around the basket as well.
Neither junior G Eli Carter (leg) nor sophomore F DeVon Walker had notable performances. Both finished with 11 points, while Carter had two steals and Walker picked up eight rebounds.
