GATORS AT A GLANCE
Coach: Billy Donovan (415-166 record at Florida; 450-186 career record).
2012-13: 29-8, won SEC championship and reached NCAA tournament regional final.
Key returners: Patric Young, 6-9, Sr., C (10.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 58 blocks), Scottie Wilbekin, 6-2, Sr., G (9.1 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.9 rpg), Michael Frazier (5.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 46.8 percent 3-point shooting)
Key newcomers: Kasey Hill, 6-1, Fr., G (McDonald's All-American should start right away), Dorian Finney-Smith, 6-8, So., F (NBA-caliber swing player), Damontre Harris, 6-10, Jr., F (was on All-SEC defensive team in 2011-12 for South Carolina).
Outlook: It might take the Gators some time to develop, but Florida should be one of the top 15 teams in the nation. The Gators are clearly a contender for the SEC championship, even with Kentucky loading up on exceptional freshmen. Once everyone is healthy and back from suspension, this should be one of the deepest and most talented teams Donovan has assembled.
It is hard for Florida coach Billy Donovan to know what kind of team he has because he has yet to see it intact.
The Gators have a roster that looks ready to make a run for a school-record fourth straight Elite Eight, but a barrage of injuries and bad judgment have shaken the foundation. Three key players will begin the regular season on suspension, another is sick and at least two more are dealing with significant injuries. Furthermore, Donovan’s top recruit has yet to qualify academically.
With so much uncertainty, Donovan laughed when he heard the Associated Press voters ranked his team No. 10 in the preseason poll as UF heads toward its opener Friday against North Florida (3 p.m., Sun Sports).
“I have no idea on that,” he said. “We’re not even remotely close to being 10th in the country right now.”
Donovan has a history of tempering expectations and emerging from adverse conditions with a winner. This year, his 18th at Florida, will test that ingenuity.
The Gators are coming off a 29-8 season, their third straight trip to the Elite Eight and their second SEC championship in three years. They bring back starting point guard Scottie Wilbekin and center Patric Young — both seniors — as well as important reserves Will Yeguete, Casey Prather and Michael Frazier II.
Filling in the holes should have been fairly logical. Frazier, a sophomore swing player, appeared ready for big minutes. Point guard Kasey Hill and forward Chris Walker, a pair of top-10 prospects, figured to contend for starting spots.
Forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Damontre Harris transferred in last season and finally are eligible. Another transfer, junior guard Eli Carter, came in after averaging 14.3 points per game at Rutgers and was granted immediate eligibility.
Sounds like plenty of pieces, right? Not exactly.
Wilbekin, Finney-Smith and Harris are suspended for at least the opener, probably longer. Frazier has mononucleosis and likely will miss a week. Carter is coming back from a broken leg and Yeguete is returning from a second major knee injury, so the Gators are being cautious with their minutes. Walker hopes to arrive in mid-December but will need time to acclimate.
“When you looked on paper at the guys that were supposed to be on our team, we looked like a very optimistic, promising team,” Donovan said. “Our team is not that team on paper.
“But regardless of what happens, the season is still coming. We’re behind on some things in my opinion, and the one area we’re behind on is on defense. We’re not nearly as good as we were a year ago.”
That is a scary assessment for a program that had one of the nation’s elite defenses last season. Florida’s success was built on holding teams to 54.4 points per game, best among all major-conference teams, and 38.2 percent field-goal shooting.
Offensively, the Gators lost their three leading scorers with the departures of seniors Mike Rosario, Erik Murphy and Kenny Boynton. That trio averaged 36.1 points per game and accounted for 50.5 percent of UF’s total scoring.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can score,” Carter said. “I think we’ll be fine in that area.”
UF might become more dependent on Young, who averaged 10.1 points per game last season and hopes to provide more of a boost after losing 10 pounds and increasing his stamina. The Gators also are counting on Hill, who was a McDonald’s All-American, and Frazier to provide firepower.
Florida’s schedule gives the team little time to find its footing and forge an identity. The Gators’ second game is a trip to No. 20 Wisconsin, and the first half of December brings games against No. 18 Connecticut, No. 5 Kansas and No. 13 Memphis. Donovan might be unsure about his team now, but the answers will quickly become evident.
