Patric Young was miserable in August.
He could not eat or sleep. He was in a constant state of fatigue, but when he tried to rest he sweat so profusely that he had to change ends of the bed just to find a spot that was not drenched.
He had mononucleosis, which slowed him for three weeks, but did not know it right away. He figured it was a really brutal cold, perhaps the worst cold in human history, so he forced himself to keep plowing through offseason workouts with the Florida basketball team.
Young eventually realized it was mono and went home to Jacksonville to recover, but the effort he showed during his illness proved how serious he is about this season.
“I saw him as he was sick still trying to work out, and he was pretty bad,” Gators coach Billy Donovan said. “The one thing I was really impressed with was his defensive discipline and running the floor and chasing rebounds relentlessly. … Here he’s got mono and feels terrible — thinks he has a cold — and we’re doing individual workouts and conditioning and he’s really trying.”
That is an encouraging sign for Donovan, whose top request of Young is energy. If No. 10 Florida is going to compete for a spot in the Final Four this season, it needs Young to be in constant motion.
Young, a junior, averaged 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds and blocked 30 shots for the Gators last season. None of those numbers will be good enough this season, which begins Friday against Georgetown aboard the U.S.S. Bataan docked near Jacksonville (9 p.m., NBC Sports Network).
At 6-feet-9, 249 pounds, he has the potential to be one of the best centers in the SEC and the country. Rather than looking for ways to expand his arsenal, Donovan wants him to sharpen the skills that should come naturally: dominant scoring near the hoop, racing down the floor for dunks in transition, defending in the paint and rebounding like crazy.
“I have an understanding of what I’m good at,” Young said. “I’m really good at getting guys under the basket. If I can do that every single time, what’s the point of adding something else when people can’t stop your go-to thing?
“I know nobody can stop me if I’m really determined to get that position in the post. When I do get it, just take a simple move. I don’t need five or six other moves. I just need one counter move. I’m explosive enough as a big man that no one’s gonna block my shot.”
Rebounding is one of Donovan’s biggest worries heading into the season. He is contemplating several lineup combinations, and some of those are three-guard units. Young can alleviate his concern by being more active around the rim.
Last year, he was second on the team in rebounding to guard-forward Bradley Beal, a true freshman who was 6 inches shorter than Young. Young’s 6.4 rebounds per game ranked 250th nationally and his 9.7 per 40 minutes was 294th. Donovan confronted him with those stats in the offseason to make his point.
“He needs to make that effort to go chase the ball,” Donovan said. “He’s capable of doing it. I’m hoping with him a year older, he’ll be able to handle that.”
Sometimes coaches use video cut-ups to emphasize their message. Donovan did not.
“Nothing like that,” Young said, laughing. “Just yelled at me.”
Young’s progression has been steady since coming to Florida two years ago, and it appears this is the time for him to break through with a huge season. If he does, the Gators might play for a championship this year and he has a shot to go high in the NBA Draft.
He was projected as a first-round pick each in each of the past two drafts, but neither he nor Donovan thought he was ready. He needed to develop his talents for at least one more season, and this could be it.
If it is, this is Young’s last chance deliver what UF fans expected of him the day he signed.
“I had two opportunities to hang banners in our gym,” he said, referring to Elite Eight shortfalls the past two springs. “I don’t want to leave here without leaving my mark.”
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