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Florida Basketball: Analyzing Gators depth chart going into 2010-21 season

By Matthew Winick

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: The Florida Gators huddle against the Florida Gators in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: The Florida Gators huddle against the Florida Gators in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Florida Basketball
DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Head coach Mike White of the Florida Gators (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

The 2019-2020 iteration of Florida Basketball failed to live up to their lofty preseason expectations. How does their rotation shake out this season as they try to bounce back?

It’s safe to say Florida Basketball in the 2019-2020 season was a complete disappointment. Entering the season sixth in the AP poll, the team was unranked by the time December rolled around. Poor non-conference losses to UConn and Utah State, as well as an average 11-7 mark in SEC play, didn’t give them much insurance heading into the SEC tournament, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the unfinished season, the Gators’ season being classified as a failure happened long before mid-March.

To spare Gator fans, it’s time to move on to this season. Gone are starting point guard and center Andrew Nembhard (transferred to Gonzaga) and Kerry Blackshear Jr. (graduated). Other than that, their entire rotation is returning. In addition, they signed 4-star recruit Samson Ruzhentsev and 3-star Niels Lane, as well as redshirt transfers Tyree Appleby (Cleveland State) and Anthony Duruji (Louisiana Tech). To top it all off, they are waiting on a waiver from former Michigan big man Colin Castleton.

More important than the new additions, however, is the development of their young players staying aboard. Their seven highest returning scorers were all freshmen or sophomores last season, led by Keyontae Johnson, Scottie Lewis, and Noah Locke. Banking on their offseason development is a huge part of believing in this Florida roster.

In full, this roster may seem very different, but a lot of its key contributors will be key returnees from last season. This leaves coach Mike White with some very difficult decisions. Does he depend on his returning nucleus, or look to the recruits or transfers to shake things up. We’re here to break things down and project Florida’s depth chart for the upcoming 2020-2021 college basketball season.

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