Florida Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Gators

Key Reserves

It is very difficult to win in college basketball without a strong bench. Depth is extremely important to sustain success over the course of an entire season and Florida has plenty heading into this season. Quite simply, head coach Mike White will have many options to turn to when he needs an immediate boost off the bench.

Once again, to get a stronger perspective on the Florida bench, I asked Fawcett who the most important reserve will be this season. He had this to say:

"“There’s a lot of ways you could go with this with the defensive versatility of Mike Okauru in the backcourt or the instant offense of freshman Noah Locke, but I think I’m going to go with redshirt-freshman Chase Johnson. A player with great athleticism at 6’9″, his ability to play both front court positions should give him a lot of opportunity to contribute and his three-point shooting in addition to ability to drive should force a lot of difficult match-ups.”"

In this assessment, I think that Fawcett nails the Gators’ bench on the head. It might not be said directly but Florida’s balance off the bench will be extremely valuable for Coach White. Just about every reserve brings something different to the table and their versatility means that everyone can play in multiple lineups. Because of this, opponents will have a tough time gameplanning for Florida’s many potential lineups.

In my opinion, freshman Noah Locke will be one of the best reserve contributors in the SEC this season. A top-100 recruit from the 2018 class, Locke is hardwired to score from just about anywhere on the floor. Whenever Florida experiences a scoring drought this season, Coach White should be able to turn to Locke for buckets. On the flip side, Mike Okauru should see significant minutes due to his lockdown defense.

As Eric stated, though, Chase Johnson is definitely someone to watch in the frontcourt while another incoming freshman, Keyontae Johnson, could provide immediate minutes.