Gators’ Repeat Quest: Humphrey on Identity and Efficiency

Gators’ Repeat Quest: Humphrey on Identity and Efficiency

The road to repeating as national champions is a treacherous one, paved with new challenges and the constant pressure of expectation. For the Florida Gators, this season has been a masterclass in finding a new identity, a sentiment echoed by former sharpshooter and two-time national champion Lee Humphrey. Having experienced the pressure cooker of a repeat bid firsthand, Humphrey offered his insights on the current Gators squad’s journey, emphasizing their evolution and newfound efficiency.

Finding a New Identity

Humphrey, who will be on the radio call for the Florida Gator Network, has watched the team closely all season. He likened the current team’s situation to his own championship years. “When you’re trying to repeat and we had to deal with this, you’ve got to find a new identity the second season,” Humphrey explained. “So, it was no pressure for us the first year. Ton of pressure the second year. Similar for this team.”

Last year, the pressure was minimal as the Gators surprised many by capturing the title. This season, with a core of their frontcourt returning, the expectations were sky-high from the outset. “There was pressure especially early on in the year with their schedule, the tough games that they play,” Humphrey noted. “but they found their identity and they’re a ton of fun to watch and you can see them having fun on the floor and that’s making them really dangerous.”

The ‘Live in the Moment’ Mantra

The concept of repeating was a significant talking point during Humphrey’s playing days. However, the focus was always on the present. “We try not to focus on backto back as the goal or the achievement. We just knew that we had to have it was a new team, new season,” he recalled. “Even though we returned most of the guys from the team in the same starting five, guys change over the summer. Teams play you differently. You got to find an identity for that season.”

To manage the pressure and the inevitable changes from one season to the next, Humphrey’s team employed a unique strategy. “We had a psychologist come in. He drew a mountain on top of the board and basically drew a path up the mountain one way. That was last year and he said, ‘It’s going to be completely different this new year. You got to find a new path up the mountain.’ So we really tried to just focus on day by day, game by game. We had a saying as a team to live in the moment and that kept us focused on the current season and not looking back in the past.”

Beyond the Arc: Efficiency Over Volume

A key question surrounding the Gators’ repeat chances has been their three-point shooting. Humphrey, the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers made, acknowledged the concern but pointed to a recent surge in efficiency. “I’ve had the same question, Sam, going throughout the season. And I’ve got some good news, especially for the Gator fans,” he said. “If you look at the eightgame win streak since we lost to Auburn, we’re shooting over 36% from the three. We’re making nearly eight a game. That’s not a huge number of makes, but it’s super efficient.”

This improved efficiency, Humphrey believes, stems from better shot selection and players embracing their roles. “I think what it says about this team is we’re shooting the ball better because we’re taking quality shots for our guys. Boogie, Xavier, they’re going to the basket. They’re looking to create. They’re being opportunistic with the three,” he observed. “Urban has shot the three at 50% over that eightame period. So, we’ve everyone’s kind of settled into their roles and know what they do really well and that’s allowed us to be more efficient on offense from the three-point line, but also from two. We’re well above 50% from two. So, you can definitely win a backto-back national championship with 50% from two, 36% from three. Uh, it don’t even have to be quite that good the way that we defend and rebound.”

Frontcourt Prowess: Then and Now

The conversation then shifted to the frontcourt, a cornerstone of Florida’s championship teams. Humphrey was asked to compare the legendary frontcourt of Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer with the current group featuring Colin Castleton and others. While acknowledging the historical significance of his era’s bigs, Humphrey made his allegiance clear: “Well, that’s an easy question. I’m taking our front court any day. It’s our team.”

He elaborated on the current frontcourt’s strengths: “Tommy and Alex have been fantastic on offense. There’s a lot of similarities with those two guys and Joe and Al and the way they can handle the ball,” Humphrey said, referencing the playmaking abilities of present-day forwards. “But you can see the playmaking from Tommy and Alex. It makes this super dangerous on offense because whenever they have the ball, they can dribble, they can pass, they can shoot. Alex has led us in scoring in this eightgame win streak.”

The addition of dominant rebounder and defender, Myreon Jones, and the versatile K.J. Rounds further bolsters the Gators’ interior presence. “And then when you throw Micah and Ruben into the mix, I mean, Ruben is leading the country in rebounds. He’s a dominant force down there. He can lock up any position on the defensive end,” Humphrey stated. “And Micah can control the rim. And one of the reasons we’re so good on offense is we defend the rim so well. Guys have a really hard time getting to the basket. When they do, they’ve got to go through our four bigs. They’re blocking shots and then we can get out and run in transition.” Humphrey also praised Myreon Jones, noting his defensive impact, even suggesting he could be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Florida’s Place in College Basketball Royalty

The discussion concluded with the question of whether Florida has earned its place among college basketball’s blue bloods. Humphrey, a proud Gator alum, believes the program’s success speaks for itself. “I would say so. Three championships since the 2000s. There’s only four schools, I believe, that do that. Yukon obviously leading the way with I think six in 2007 if you go back to 99. Duke and North Carolina also have three along with the Gator. So I put us right up there.”

As the Gators continue their pursuit of back-to-back titles, Humphrey’s analysis suggests they possess the identity, efficiency, and frontcourt dominance to make another deep tournament run. He observed a common thread with recent champions: “The two most recent national champions, Florida and Yukon, both playing their best basketball heading down the stretch of the season.”

Source: Florida Gators Championship Mentality | Lee Humphrey's Take on This Season (YouTube)