With seven dunks from four players, Florida played true to its identity against Yale.
Donovan defined that identity that the Gators (4-4) demonstrated in their blowout 85-47 win against the Bulldogs (8-3) on Monday as a strong offense with good ball movement and different hustle plays.
But that identity has not always been lived up to this season.
"I call it like it is, I’m not so sure that we came in with a real high level of humility into this season, without playing any games," Donovan said after Monday’s win. "…and I think because our schedule has been really really challenging here, up until the beginning of December, we’ve got a dose of the truth. We’ve been forced to have to deal with and confront the truth"
Against Yale, humility wasn’t so much on display as Florida’s raw talent was.
A major contribution to that raw talent was Florida’s young roster.
In the wake of the loss of the Gators’ 2014 graduating class, young additions to the roster and returning underclassmen have stepped up to the plate.
Chris Walker contributed three of Florida’s seven dunks against Yale. The 6-foot-10 sophomore forward shot 60 percent from the field and contributed 13 points in 21 minutes.
"It was a much needed win. I think it’s coming together. After the Kansas game I just wanted to create momentum," Walker said. "We’re going to build off this game and put it behind us."
Eight games into the season, freshmen Devin Robinson and Chris Chiozza made quick transitions into collegiate play as the two are already averaging around 20 minutes a game each.
Robinson, who has started four games this season, learned quickly the areas in which he needs to improve. Topping the list? His size.
"I feel like when I gain a little more weight, it’ll be a lot easier for me to push people around," Robinson said. "But I feel like my length helps me get rebounds now so I try to use my length and speed to get rebounds, I mean I just crash the boards as hard as I can and see what the outcome is."
The 6-foot-8 forward said he’s currently weighing in at about 190 pounds — an increase from the 178 pounds he was listed as weighing at the start of the season. He’s set his target weight at about 210.
"I’m drinking like four protein shakes a day," Robinson said. "A lot of lifting, three times a week it’s crazy. I’m eating like five times a day."
The highly touted recruits have begun living up to their hype, especially against Yale.
Robinson seemed to have no problem rebounding, as his six tied with Walker and senior Jacob Kurtz for a team and game high.
Robinson closed out the game with a dunk he rebounded off a missed three-point shot from teammate Zach Hodskins, extending his total points to 9 and Florida’s lead to 38. Chiozza was right behind with eight points, two assists and two steals.
Now that the underclassmen have proven what they’re capable of, Donovan said his biggest concern is seeing if they can maintain and build off the momentum they initiated.
"I think the next step is, as you’ve seen, inconsistencies from players," Donovan said. "You’ve seen guys like Devin Robinson at Kansas take a step. Chris Walker, take a step. The biggest thing is: can they continually move and be consistent players—and not so much from a scoring standpoint, but from a reliability standpoint, an accountability standpoint. Staying focused and engaged, that’s the biggest test right now."
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Chris Walker attempts a layup during Florida's loss to No. 11 Kansas on Friday in Lawrence, Kansas.
