Just days before LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach, Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin decided to take their talents to him.
As part of a busy offseason, the two seniors traveled to Akron, Ohio, to participate in the 2010 Nike LeBron James Skills Academy.
There, Parsons and Macklin had an opportunity to improve their games by working with some of the NBA’s elite talents.
“It was awesome,” Parsons said. “To go there and play against the best players in the country was a real honor.”
The three-day camp gave both college and high school players the chance to work alongside NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and, of course, James.
For Parsons and Macklin, it was also an opportunity to scout future opponents like Georgia’s Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson, and Kansas State’s Curtis Kelly and Jacob Pullen.
“I was guarding Scotty Hopson and obviously we were talking a little bit,” Parsons said. “My roommate was actually Curtis Kelly from Kansas State, so we were talking about the game and everyone’s excited about that.”
Macklin said the aspect of his game he worked on most was turning and facing the basket, and he and the other big men at the camp did a lot of work with open pivots.
Macklin also added that, while playing against James was exciting, his favorite part of the experience was being a member of Parsons’ undefeated four-on-four team.
“We just showed basically that Florida guys, we’re ready to play,” Macklin said.
The biggest thing Parsons says he’ll take away from the event is the knowledge of the tenacity and physicality that is required to be successful against strong competition.
“Playing against (Duke’s) Kyle Singler, (North Carolina’s) Harrison Barnes and (FSU’s) Chris Singleton, these guys are tough and you can’t really take a play off,” Parsons said. “I think I did really well. I think I held my own and played just as good as any of those guys.”
Parsons’ acclimation to a more physical style of play looks to have come at the perfect time, as several Gators have remarked that this year’s practices have been extremely tough and competitive.
Yeguete impressing: While freshmen Cody Larson and Patric Young were expected to bring increased physicality to the team, Florida has also gotten a lift from a third, more unexpected, player.
That man is 6-foot-7, 210-pound freshman Will Yeguete, who drew praise from Young as “the most standout freshman” and from sophomore guard Kenny Boynton as his “biggest surprise.”
According to Parsons, Yeguete has been outperforming everyone on the court in hustle stats — deflections, taking charges and helping on defense.
“The kid just has a knack for the ball,” Parsons said. “He’s long, he’s quick, he really gets his hands on the ball and steps up. He does all the little things.”
Boynton adds that Yeguete has been providing more than just hustle plays, saying that the freshman from Bordeaux, France, has been finishing well around the rim and getting a number of offensive rebounds.
Boynton speculates Yeguete held back a little in the team’s open gym activities, but he is opening up his game and playing with more confidence.
“He wasn’t doing what he’s doing now offensively,” Boynton said. “He surprised me a lot, I didn’t know he was that good.”
Media picks Gators to win SEC: In a preseason media poll released Monday afternoon, Florida was selected to win the Southeastern Conference.
The Gators received half of the 16 votes, with the remaining eight spread across Mississippi State (three), Kentucky (two), Tennessee (two) and Georgia (one).
