It was all over when the sound of the final buzzer rang out across the Charles E. Smith Center.
The Gators’ 2015-16 season came to an end with a five-point loss to George Washington in the National Invitation Tournament.
And with the loss, Florida had to say farewell to its leader, its rock from the past two seasons — former All-Southeastern Conference player Dorian Finney-Smith.
Finney-Smith had been through a lot with this team: a Southeastern Conference Championship, a trip to the Final Four, a brand-new coach and two stressful seasons where the Gators failed to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
And just like that, Finney-Smith’s journey with the Gators came to its end.
“We lose a really good player in Dorian Finney-Smith, who was a glue guy for us,” UF coach Mike White said on Thursday. “(He) could pass, dribble, shoot it. The whole deal.”
But, with one chapter of Gator basketball closed, so begins a new chapter.
Its main character? Undecided.
Florida enters the 2016-2017 season with uncertainty. The Gators are unsure who will fill the void left by Finney-Smith, a player who led the team in points per game (14.7), threes made (71) and rebounds per game (8.3) a year ago.
Forward Devin Robinson, who withdrew his name from the 2016 NBA Draft due to the discovery of a stress fracture in his left foot, is a possibility.
The 6-foot-8 junior went on a shooting spree to cap last season. In SEC play, Robinson shot a blistering 47.8 percent from beyond the arc and went on a 17-for-32 run during an eight-game stretch.
White said Robinson did extensive work on his shooting in the offseason and added that Robinson is “shooting as well as he’s ever seen him shoot.”
“(Coach White) just wants me to fill in and do as best as I can to help the team win,” Robinson said. “Whatever it takes.”
Or maybe the answer lies with a transfer.
Canyon Barry came to Florida via the College of Charleston, where he averaged 19.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season and was rated the No. 1 graduate transfer in the country.
Barry, the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry, brings a wide set of offensive skills to an offensively starved Florida team, including a smooth stroke from the perimeter, pure free-throw shooting and a crafty ability to attack the basket.
But the biggest attribute this 6-foot-6, 215-pound nuclear engineering student brings is his high IQ.
“He’s a quick thinker,” White said of Barry. “Kind of sees things before he catches the ball. … He’s very experienced.”
Or maybe the answer lies with one of Florida’s freshmen.
Keith Stone wasn’t ready to play last season, but after a year dedicated to refining his body and skills, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound redshirt freshman may be ready to contribute.
He’s inexperienced, but with his soft touch from the perimeter and ability to score in the paint, Stone will most certainly challenge for minutes at the forward spot.
“I learned a lot of tips from Dorian,” Stone said. “I'm just trying to do what coach tells me to do and learn from what Dorian taught me.”
For now, Florida’s future in the frontcourt is cloudy, and coach White needs someone to clear it up.
“When we talk about leadership as a staff, we don’t have one guy that just really sticks out,” White said.
“I think the best teams, if you have 13 scholarship guys, what you really want is 13 leaders. That’s a little bit unrealistic, but the best teams have a few leaders.”
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
UF’s Devin Robinson drives down the court during Florida’s 95-63 win against Auburn on Jan. 23, 2016, in the O’Connell Center.
