The additions to Florida’s transfer portal signal a clear change in team strategy

When it came to Florida’s 2023 transfer portal class, it was all about buckets, buckets, and more buckets.

Coming out of Iona, Walter Clayton was someone who could light it up from three and get to the rim with an electric first step, but as a sophomore he had yet to master the defensive complexities of the game. Zyon Pullin was an elite pick-and-roll operator who could get his own bucket, but he wasn’t someone who could lift UC Riverside from the sixth-best defense in the Big West. Tyrese Samuel was a stout post-up defender from a physical Big East, but the plan to play him exclusively at power forward was a move aimed at maximizing the offense while knowing it would hurt Florida’s defensive versatility. There was some optimism that Micah would help Handlogten in the shot blocking department, but his lack of mobility and size made him vulnerable in SEC play. Florida’s last scholarship went to Julian Rishwain, a pure three-point bomber who would have had a designated hitter role if healthy.

That didn’t mean these weren’t good players; in fact, they were excellent players and together they were one of the best transfer classes in the country. However, the fact is that the scales were heavily tilted in one direction: the attacking side.

The Gators didn’t recruit in bulk to handle the SEC’s physical post players, and they didn’t get a point guard who could pressure the ball. While most teams in the SEC recruit tall forwards for the three and four spots who can guard multiple positions and make an impact with their height, Florida opted to play centers at power forward and guards at the small forward spot to maximize scoring potential. maximize.

Since this was the case, we saw what happened. The Gators were able to score points with their playmaking guards and their relentless offensive rebounding. Unfortunately, things weren’t as successful on the defensive end as the Gators struggled to keep opponents in front of them and they dropped points all season long, culminating in an NCAA Tournament performance where they gave up 102 points to an astonishing 1.32 points per match. possession to a Colorado team whose previous three games saw them post point totals of 60, 68 and 58.

If you’ve watched head coach Todd Golden’s career, this will come as quite a surprise. During his time as a player he was pure effort and intensity in defence. As an assistant, he was always tasked with working on the defensive side of the ball. When he finally got the head job at San Francisco, he made defense a focus, and the one year they made the NCAA Tournament they ranked 26th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric. A self-proclaimed defensive end, he made his mark on that end of the floor during his freshman year at Florida. Despite not having any prototypical defensive players, he lifted the Gators to 31st in adjusted defensive efficiency, but as you can probably tell, it wasn’t always the prettiest watch. That difficult style to watch could be why the pendulum swung so far to the other end of the spectrum as the Gators entered 2023-24 built to score above everything else.

That season didn’t go as expected, and with several players graduating, the Gators went back into the portal to retool, and it was clear they had a different strategy in mind.

First, they signed Sam Alexis from Chattanooga, a promising young player who can come into his own offensively, but his best qualities certainly lie on defense. Sure, he gives up some of the volume that could overpower smaller forwards, but he’s far more agile on the perimeter than any offensive player the Gators had on the roster a year ago. Then they got Rueben Chinyelu, who doesn’t give you anything on the offensive end aside from offensive rebound shots and dunks, but who can dominate the defensive end with his ridiculous 7-foot wingspan. In the frontcourt it was two pickups who are much stronger on the defensive side than on the offensive side.

On Sunday afternoon, the Gators got their first commitment from a perimeter player: Alijah Martin from FAU. Martin comes to the Gators as one of the best defensive guards in the country, someone who can guard multiple positions and cause chaos with his ability to blow plays and steal plays. Sure, he brings some offensive punch with a clean three-point shot, but make no mistake, he’s more dominant on the defensive than the offensive side of the ball.

If you keep track at home, those are three of the three players who are impressive defensive players and guys who hang their hat on that side of the floor. Coming off a year where the Gators couldn’t guard, this is beyond remarkable.

It’s clear that the Gators are completely changing their strategy from a team building and playing style standpoint, and they’re not trying to do what they did last year and rank 94th in defense in the country. Considering that Todd Golden has been open about being more of a defensive guy, he is now building a roster that can execute on his vision of how he wants to play.

This is probably a positive sign, as in college basketball you generally need a roster that reflects the personality of the head coach. Last year, the Gators tried to run and gun, which was never Todd Golden’s strength as a coach – and the season had its fair share of frustration that ended with an exit in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Sure, it’s nice to get to 100 points multiple times, but if the Gators want to win games and make an NCAA Tournament run, Golden probably needs to build a team he knows how to coach, which is similar to what’s happening with the transfer portal additions.

The 2024-25 Gators will look very different than 2023-24, and it could very well make for a more successful season.