As if the timing isn’t already tough enough for Georgia — opening SEC play Wednesday at No. 11 Florida — now Kenny Boynton has gotten hot.
Florida’s senior guard went from slumping to scorching in an 8-for-10 3-point shooting barrage Sunday against Yale. Led by Boynton and junior center Patric Young, the Gators already looked formidable coming off an Elite Eight finish last season and going 10-2 this season.
“I feel like we’ve played against Patric Young and Boynton forever,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said.
Boynton, a four-year starter, drew on that experience to break out of his slump.
“I just stopped worrying about it,” he said. “When the game started and before halftime I just told myself ‘Whatever happens, happens.’ If it wasn’t my day shooting — or if it was — to not think about it. In previous games, I was thinking about it, trying to rush it, like ‘When will my day come that I find my shot again.’ I tried just clearing my mind.”
Strategy worked. Boynton was 7-for-49 from 3-point range in Florida’s previous six games. On Sunday, he made seven in a row. He made as many 3-pointers in an 11-minute span to open the second half as he had in the previous month. And that was while easing into the flow of the game.
Boynton took only four shots in the first half, including two layups. He tried one 3-pointer from the right wing midway through the half and found the back of the rim. Eight minutes later he took another. It was the first of seven consecutive shots — all 3-pointers — where Boynton didn’t bother with the rim.
Starting with an open look from the top of the key, he swished one after another, not missing again until Florida was up by 20 with 4:14 to play. By then, Boynton was letting it fly from 25 feet. He made one last 3-pointer with 2:45 left to match his career-high with 28 points and surpass Lee Humphrey as Florida’s all-time leading 3-point shooter. Boynton has 290 for his career.
A teammate of Humphrey’s on Florida’s 2006 and 2007 national-championship teams has taken notice.
“He is the kind of guy when his shooting is on, he is really tough to stop because he is a scorer,” Hawks center Al Horford said of Boynton. “When the 3’s are going in, he’s really hard to defend.”
Even when they weren’t — while Boynton went 1-for-13 from 3-point range — Florida still beat Marquette and Florida State to rise to No. 5 in the Associated Press poll. But losing to Arizona and Kansas State in a three-game span before Christmas, when Boynton shot 3-for-19 from 3-point range, it weighed on him.
Boynton met with Florida coach Billy Donovan for video work. Donovan showed him how contested some of his shots were.
“He was taking shots where maybe he should have shot-faked and put it on the floor instead of trying to get it off quickly over an outstretched hand,” Donovan said. “Understanding when to take those shots and when not to helps him because if he can get going a little bit, make a couple shots, then he has a better chance of making some tougher ones.”
Before the Air Force game Dec. 29, Boynton offered to go back to his natural position of shooting guard and proceeded to go 3-for-7 from 3-point range, showing signs of breaking his slump.
Boynton had played primarily point guard in Florida’s first 10 games, something he asked to do to help his NBA draft status. He knows at 6-foot-2, his future is probably at the point. But the present took precedence.
“I was trying to help rebound and keep everybody happy and in the process find my (shot); it’s harder than you think,” Boynton said. “I’ve been playing (shooting guard) for three years, and it worked. When you need me at (point guard), I’m there. And if we need scoring I’ll go to (shooting guard).”
Boynton will still play some point like he did when Scottie Wilbekin got in foul trouble against Yale. Either way, he gave 12 NBA scouts there plenty to think about.
Boynton would rather focus on getting to the Final Four at the Georgia Dome. Florida came one win short each of the past two seasons, losing to Louisville last year and to Butler in 2011. Boynton thinks Florida has the team to get there.
“This team has done a great job of buying into defense,” said Boynton, whose Gators have held opponents to 52.7 points per game, fourth-best in the nation. “… We understand from last year that a game can be won or lost with defense, not playing for 40 minutes. This team just has more experience.”
Senior forward Erik Murphy is doubtful for the game against Georgia because of a fractured rib. But even when not playing at full-bore, the Gators still are plenty good.
“This is as good of a Florida team as I’ve seen in my tenure here at Georgia,” said Fox, in his fourth season. “They just have an element of experience with Murphy and Young and Boynton … (and) they have so many guys scoring the ball.”
