Call it a "foxhole mentality." Say they're "circling the wagons." Pick whatever cliche might apply. Just understand the 2021-22 Gators — Finley's Gators — are looking forward, rather than backward, and believe they've already navigated the impact of these unforeseen turn of events and now are in a far better place.
"I think it's about coming together and being who we are — and who we are is enough," Finley said. "Who we are is talented. Who we are is composed and committed to one another, to this program and elevating the University of Florida the best way we can."
Her comments came during a Zoom call Thursday, with Finley flanked by a trio of her players for the program's first media opportunity since Newbauer's exit July 16.
"As a team we were close anyway, but the situation definitely made us closer," fifth-year senior point guard Kiara Smith said. "We understand we've got each other and the people that support us. At the end of the day, that's all we need."
Added junior guard Lavender Briggs: "There's a bunch of false allegations and narratives going around. We're not really focused on anything but the people who are fighting for each other. We have each other's back and that's all that matters."
And now they have actual basketball coming up to further their cause.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's profile on Kelly Rae Finley here]
On Friday, the Gators will head south to face Miami in a close scrimmage Saturday. They have a home exhibition game against Flagler on Nov. 5, followed by the season opener four days later against Georgia State on Nov. 9 at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
UF went 12-14 during the pandemic-struck '20-21 season, including just 3-11 Southeastern Conference play, and ended wrapped the year with a win (against Charlotte) and loss (Villanova) in the WNIT. For the Gators, it marked a fifth consecutive non-winning season and the fourth losing record during that time.
Yet, the women's side of the basketball facility is feeling pretty optimistic about what's to come in '21-22.
"Lav," of course, would be Briggs, the 6-foot-1 standout from Provo, Utah, who was averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists — along the way she had 41 points on the road at No. 17 Arkansas — when she suffered a season-ending broken foot at LSU last Feb. 11. Minus Briggs, the Gators dropped six of their final eight games.
Briggs is healthy now and will pair again with Smith, who averaged 18.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Both earned second-team All-SEC honors in '21.
That's a good nucleus to start with, but UF also has back its three other starters, including 6-3 All-Freshman forward Jordyn Merritt (6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds per game). Add Rutgers transfer and defensive maven Zippy Broughton (8.2 ppg, 3.4 assists), senior forward Emanuely de Oliveira (who remained in her native Brazil last season due to COVID) and a promising freshman class led by speedy guard Alberte Rimdal (member of Denmark's national team) and the Gators believe they have a combination of experience, talent and depth that's been lacking in recent years.
"We're not going off hope. We will be better," Broughton said. "Our defense will be great. We have shooters, we have drivers, we have everything we need. This year, we will be better and I'm saying it now."
Holding it all together is Finley, who managed to coax both Briggs and Smith out of the transfer portal during the tumultuous offseason.
"The atmosphere is a lot different than last year. There is a lot more energy and smiles, a lot more people happy to actually be playing with each other and stepping on the court and playing under [these] coaches," Briggs said. "I believe we can make this program great and I'd rather do it with people that I know and love, rather than going to another school and doing it with people I don't know. I have my guns and I'm sticking to them."
Smith is metaphorically armed, as well.
"My decision to come back was not hard at all," Smith said. "I have the players around me I need. I have the coach in Coach Kelly who wants to see me at my best on and off the court. Coach Cam was still here when I made that decision, but that was just, honestly, no where near the reason. He wasn't part of the decision. I knew what was best for myself and what we wanted to do as a team and what I wanted to do for myself."
During that brief time, Finley used her role to emphasize not just the strengths in her players' skills, but their strengths as people. She encouraged them to be themselves; to let their personalities show and manifest their best traits in what they did on the floor. It fit perfectly with the team's motto: "Be You."
Now they want to be better.
"I think that sounds generic, but it's something we're striving for in trying to control what we can control with our skill and effort and our composure and work ethic and the time we're sacrificing and investing to be just a little better," Finley said. "We want to finish better than we did last year. For us, that's based on a daily grind and controlling what we can control and making sure that the time we have is invested with intention. We feel like we should be able to put a pretty good product on the floor that we can stand behind and celebrate this season."
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