With Florida’s season opener less than a month away, sports writers Ray Boone and Matt Brannon break down the Florida team position-by-position in a two-part series. In part two, we take a look at UF’s backcourt.
Kasey Hill / 6-foot-1 / 175 lbs / Guard / Senior
Kasey Hill began his career at Florida with a trip to the Final Four.
And if the Gators are going to make it back in his final season, they’ll need his help.
Hill started 17 games last season, and when he’s on the court, the ball goes through him.
The senior had the highest usage of any guard on the team in 2015-16.
Hill averaged 9.1 points on 39.1 percent shooting in his junior season.
He made his living off the drive, using an explosive first step to beat defenders to the rim.
But you probably won’t find him sniping beyond the arc.
Hill had one of the lower three-point percentages among Florida's guards, shooting just 29.7 percent from three last season.
Shooting mechanics have also been an issue for Hill, and in more ways than one.
For someone who spends a lot of extra time in the gym, Hill’s struggled to hit free throws consistently, averaging 53.8 percent from the stripe last season.
But Hill’s motor makes him a reliable perimeter defender.
He defended Ole Miss star guard Stefan Moody for a large portion of Florida’s Jan. 16 matchup with the Rebels, and held Moody to 3-of-10 shooting from behind the arc and six turnovers.
Look for Hill to slash to the basket and lead the offense as an upperclassman as he tries to finish his career on a high note.
Chris Chiozza / 6-foot / 176 lbs / Guard / Junior
Chiozza split the starting point guard duties with Hill in 2015-16.
He started 22 games and was called on to facilitate Florida’s offense.
As a sophomore, Chiozza led the Gators with 4.3 assists per game and finished sixth in the Southeastern Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4).
Chiozza displayed exceptional court vision last season, evidenced by four career games with eight assists and one or no turnovers.
And Chiozza’s no slouch when it comes to scoring, either.
He put up 7.2 points per game on 34.4 percent shooting while averaging 32 percent from three, best out of any Gators guard last season.
Fans of Chiozza’s should mark Dec. 29 on their calendar, when Florida visits Arkansas.
The point guard notched a season-high 17 points against the Razorbacks last year, going 8-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Chiozza and Hill both averaged 23.8 minutes per game last season.
But with Hill leaving after the season, fans could see coach Mike White heaping more responsibility onto the shoulders of the younger guard.
KeVaughn Allen / 6-foot-2 / 183 lbs / Guard / Sophomore
Instant offense. Volume scorer.
Deceptively efficient.
KeVaughn Allen became one of Florida’s pivotal players as a freshman last season and showed no signs of slowing down.
Allen averaged more points per game than any guard with 11.6 in 2015-16.
In addition, he returns with a 39.9 field-goal percentage —the best of any Florida guard.
If you want to see just how good he can be, take a look at his performance against Florida State in December: 32 points, 3-of-7 from three and a perfect 9-of-9 at the free-throw line.
He finished second among all the team's guards in three-point percentage, led the team in free-throw percentage and had about half the turnovers of the other starting guards.
After being named to the 2016 SEC All-Freshman Team, Allen’s opened the door to high expectations for his sophomore season.
With last year’s leader in points and minutes, Dorian Finney-Smith, in the NBA, Allen could be the next man up.
After starting 34 games at shooting guard his freshman season, Allen’s already earned coach White’s trust.
Now with one year of experience under his belt, Allen could finish the season as the guy everyone can count on to take the buzzer beater.
Canyon Barry / 6-foot-6 / 215 lbs / Guard / Graduate Transfer
No transfer has garnered more attention than Canyon Barry this offseason.
Son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, the graduate student gets a lot of attention for his dad’s on-court success.
But Canyon Barry isn't coasting on his old man’s reputation.
The kid can score.
At one point last season, Barry was averaging 28 points per game, second best in the nation. Last season while attending the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Barry finished the year by leading his conference in scoring.
A shoulder injury halfway through last season sidelined him, but be ready to watch the threes rain down if he’s back to his old self.
In 2014-15, Barry was a sharpshooter, averaging 36.8 percent from three-point range — a percentage that would’ve been second-best on the team for Florida last year.
The 6-foot-6 guard relies on more than just his size and skills, though.
A nuclear engineering major, Barry is a problem solver on the court.
Not afraid to think outside the box, Barry shoots free-throws underhanded.
That’s right, “granny style.”
And he managed to shoot an impressive 84.5 percent last season doing it.
But the biggest problem Barry will face this season is scoring against a heightened level of competition.
However, in Finney-Smith’s absence, Florida could use a high volume scorer on the wing to make things interesting.
Eric Hester / 6-foot-3 / 167 lbs / Guard / Freshman
Hester was the first player to commit to Florida when coach Mike White took over. And he wasn’t easy to get.
Hester had offers from Louisville and other schools with quality basketball programs, but this spurned all of them for the Florida Gators.
Out of Clearwater, Florida, Hester helped lead Oldsmar Christian to second place at the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association’s state championship.
Hester is built to disrupt on defense.
His 6-foot-10 wingspan and energy give him the tools to be a lockdown perimeter defender.
Hester is well-suited to play in coach White’s press-oriented defensive scheme and will get a chance to improve his game on offense.
“Coach White recruited me here because they thought I was one of the best defenders in my high-school class,” Hester told FloridaGators.com.
“So I’m going to bring that intensity on defense and try to build my offensive game.”
Jalen Hudson / 6-foot-6 / 190 lbs / Guard / Junior Transfer
Florida’s final new face at guard comes from the same high school as LeBron James.
After graduating from his old stomping grounds at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, Jalen Hudson enrolled at Virginia Tech in 2014.
He averaged 8.4 points per game with the Hokies a season ago.
But he brings something the Gators and every team could use more of: efficient scoring.
As a sophomore, Hudson shot 50 percent or better from the field in 14 games.
He can score with volume, too.
The guard had three 20-point performances in his second season.
Unfortunately for the Gators, that scoring will have to wait. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he’ll have to sit out for the 2016-17 season.
But Hudson is poised in his patience.
“I believe in what coach White is building,” Hudson told ESPN.
“I think Florida gives me a great opportunity to perform at a high level, win at a high level and ultimately pursue my dreams in playing in the NBA.”
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
Florida's Kasey Hill attempts a layup during UF's 95-63 win over Auburn on Jan. 23, 2016, in the O'Connell Center.
