Dan Werner has always done the small things - grabbing the tough rebounds, chasing down the loose balls.
His polished passing from the post has opened up the offense for more flashy players on countless occasions.
But lately, even the little things have become a big question mark.
"He made that transformation from his freshman year to his sophomore year. He kind of carved out a niche and an identity for himself," UF coach Billy Donovan said. "But there is also that individual growth where you expect yourself to now take another step as a player to that next tier, and we're trying to get him to do that."
When UF makes the trip to Athens, Ga., on Saturday to take on Georgia, Donovan hopes Werner will be able to rediscover the form he showed a year ago.
With Werner playing somewhat undersized at the power forward position, he has had to hustle his way to production.
Even while being outmatched at times defensively, Werner has found a way to become a solid defender for the Gators.
Donovan has even called him one of the best defensive players he has ever coached.
"I think the biggest thing for Dan - or any frontcourt player where speed or strength or athleticism becomes an issue - I believe in the old adage, 'Where there's a will there's a way,'" Donovan said. "You can use your smarts."
This season however, Werner has struggled to put up the numbers he did last year.
He averaged 6.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore, but this season he has only managed 4.4.
He's second on the team in turnovers, leads the team in fouls and is shooting just 33 percent from the field in Southeastern Conference play.
"There are things that, statistically, when you look at him, his shooting percentage in the league, his rebounding, there are some areas where he can improve," Donovan said
Last season, Werner was second on the team in rebounding. This year, he checks in fourth behind Alex Tyus, Chandler Parsons and point guard Nick Calathes.
"A lot of times it comes down to you have an internal drive and commitment to yourself to say, 'You know what? I'm going to play better,'" Donovan said. "I think he has done a lot of great things that don't show up in the stat sheet, but certainly I think that there is more he can do."
DONOVAN UNSURE OF CALATHES' FUTURE: With his standout sophomore's season, there has been increasing speculation that this may be Calathes' last year in Gainesville.
But according to Donovan, the NBA is the last thing on his star's mind.
"I haven't talked to anybody about that, and that includes people at the next level," Donovan said. "I really believe Nick's focus is on helping our team."
If Calathes did want to test the NBA waters, Donovan is in a position to ensure the right decision is made.
"Stu Jackson, who handles all that stuff and works in the NBA office, coached me in college, so there is a very close relationship there. I'm able to get a lot of honest and relevant information that allows guys to get to the next level," Donovan said. "It would be the same situation as a guy like Marreese Speights. I really don't have any idea with Nick."
