When the UF men's basketball team heads to Tampa today to take on Vermont, all eyes will be on center Marreese Speights.
The St. Petersburg native will play in front of a home crowd for the second time in two years, but this year promises to be a different story.
BThere?s more people this year, way more,C Speights said. BIt?s going to be real exciting. It?s going to feel different, but I just have to go out there and play ball.C
Last season, Speights entered the St. Pete Times Forum as a seldom-used freshman, but he did play a then-career-high 14 minutes in the game. He scored 8 points and grabbed five rebounds as the Gators defeated Florida A&M 72-57.
This year, however, Speights heads home as the centerpiece of a young Gators team. He leads the team in both points (14.6) and rebounds (eight) per game. Speights said he?s excited for the game, and happy to be in the spotlight.
BI?m going to try to not be too charged up,C he said. BIn the locker room I?ll probably be real charged up, but when I get to the court I?ll get humble real fast.C
Speights said he recognizes how vital he is to UF?s undersized squad. In the loss to Florida State, Speights only attempted four shots.
BThe team needs someone down low and I?m the only big man,C he said. BSo I got to go down there and give the team a presence.C
The neutral site is sure to be a home away from home for the Gators, who will travel only a few hours south, while their opponent will make the long trip from the Northeast. The two teams have met only once before, nearly 30 years ago on Dec. 22, 1977, when UF downed the Catamounts 93-67.
Vermont (2-4) may be best known for its upset win against Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005. In overtime, the 13th-seeded Vermont team defeated fourth-seeded Syracuse 60-57.
UF coach Billy Donovan said he?s not as troubled by the opponent as he is with his own team. After starting slow against Stetson following a rough loss to FSU, Donovan laid into his squad following the game.
He expressed disappointment in their effort and passion during the game and said he feels his team is struggling to understand what it takes to win.
BI?m spending more time than I would like on effort, energy and those type of things,C Donovan said. BAs a coach, that?s probably one of the most draining things to deal with. It?s not that they don?t want to do it - I just don?t think they have any clue how to go about doing it.C
Donovan questioned whether his team has the BitC factor, something he attributed to having the ability to affect the game through intangibles and a strong desire to win.
BI think sometimes they have trouble seeing the big picture,C he said. BThey need to see that the result we want is winning and figure out how they can go about affecting the game and getting that result.C
