No. 17 Florida is playing its best basketball of the year. With five straight SEC wins — three of them by more than 30 points — and a statement win over then-No. 8 Kentucky, the Gators have placed themselves in a tie atop the conference standings. But who deserves the most credit for Florida’s improvement? Assistant sports editor Matt Brannon and sports writers Ray Boone and Ian Cohen debate who’s been the Gators’ MVP — the most valuable person.
Boone: White deserves attention
This Florida Gators squad is an undoubtedly good basketball team.
It's currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak and has knocked off the likes of No. 15 Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas to sit in a three-way tie for first in the SEC standings.
From top to bottom, each player on this team has had his moment. From Chris Chiozza’s triple-double in the win over Missouri to Kevarrius Hayes’ 20-point, nine-rebound effort against Oklahoma, it’s no wonder the Gators are finally back in the top 20 for the first time since the beginning of the 2014-15 season and will be a threat once the NCAA Tournament comes around.
They have talent. They have grit. And, most importantly, they have a head coach who can take them to the ‘promised land.’
Mike White inherited a disaster when he took over in late 2015 after esteemed coach Billy Donovan bolted for the NBA.
Florida was a mess at point guard, couldn’t score, couldn’t rebound and — quite simply — couldn’t win.
And after a year to iron out the kinks, White has made it all work.
Now, his No. 17 Gators average a respectable 79.4 points per game and shoot 45.4 percent from the field, all while giving up just 65.4 points per game.
At 19 wins, Florida is just two wins away from equaling its win total from all of last season — and it still has seven regular season games to do so.
White’s the captain now. So let him lead.
Brannon: UF needs Allen
KeVaughn Allen catches the inbound pass in the corner. Time is running out. Vanderbilt leads by two. He steps behind the three-point line and shoots.
Clank. Buzz. Ballgame.
That was on Jan. 21 — Florida’s last loss — when the Little Rock, Arkansas, native shot the big brick. But there’s a reason Allen took the last shot.
UF coach Mike White has acknowledged Allen is “arguably” the team’s best player.
Allen takes the most shots and scores the most points, 13.3 points per game. He’s made 51 three-pointers — third-best in the SEC — and is shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Beyond the box score, Allen is exciting to watch. He launches shots from 5 feet behind the three-point line. He scores in bunches, going on his own personal 6-0 runs. He’s amassed five 20-point games this season.
Allen isn’t a perfect player. He could be more consistent. He scored just one point in Florida’s 57-53 loss to South Carolina.
But he’s shown he can bounce back.
He scored 29 against Vanderbilt three days later, his season high.
Allen is the most valuable Gator because he muster up some offense when no others can.
When Florida battled then-No.5 Duke at Madison Square Garden early in the season, Allen was the only player to make more than four shots and ended up scoring 21.
Allen is the most valuable person because when he’s not on his game, UF’s offense is left feeling around in the dark.
Cohen: Kasey has taken Gators over the hill
It has taken three years, but things are finally starting to click for Kasey Hill.
Entering his senior season at Florida, the former five-star recruit has struggled to live up to the expectations placed on his shoulders ever since his freshman season.
He has a career average of 7.8 points, 3.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game and has seen little improvement in his outside shot.
But this season, in his final year at Florida, he’s providing the Gators with something invaluable: leadership.
Hill is UF’s only player who has played in the NCAA Tournament — he was a backup on Billy Donovan’s 2014 Final Four team, the one that lost to eventual champion UConn.
And as Florida’s longest-tenured player, he’s showing his experience on the court.
He’s one of Florida’s primary ball handlers and is the level-headed leader on a team whose leading scorer, KeVaughn Allen, is shy and soft-spoken, and whose starting center, John Egbunu, is easily frustrated with foul trouble.
And not only is he the team’s true veteran presence — his game has also steadily improved this year.
For the first time in his career, Hill is averaging double-digit scoring (10.0 points per game) and leads the team in assists (4.9 per game).
He’s one of the quickest guards in the SEC and likes to use his speed to earn easy buckets in transition or blow past his man in the halfcourt.
And while Hill will never be the player to light up opponents from three-point range, he’ll likely be the one to deliver the pinpoint pass to the teammate who does.
UF guard Kasey Hill dribbles the basketball during Florida's 88-66 win over Kentucky on Feb. 5, 2017, in the O'Connell Center.
