Two of Florida’s transferring underclassmen – center [autotag]Tuan Gatkek[/autotag] and shooting guard [autotag]Elijah Kennedy[/autotag] – have chosen Texas State as their new college home. The pair played their first and only season for the Gators in 2021-22 as developmental flyers taken by head coach [autotag]Mike White[/autotag]’s staff to fill out the roster. Neither player lived up to expectations, even as a project, and will be headed down a level in competition.
Gatkek came to the Gators after one season in JUCO, where he completely outclassed the competition at Trinity Valley CC. He was a monster in the paint as a freshman, but with his rail-thin build and lack of physicality, that was never going to translate to the SEC. The hope was that he could be something of a Colin Castleton-lite, blocking shots and translating quick feet to scoring touch.
Instead, he was a nightmare on defense and couldn’t seem to find his wings on offense. With a final line of 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, you may be surprised to learn he averaged 7.7 minutes per game. His minutes total was backloaded, but he so often vanished on the court that, at a guess, many Gators fans would have chosen a lower number.
Kennedy, a last-minute pickup for the team, was once a well-regarded recruit who won a bunch of awards for his high school play in Virginia. A ‘horrific’ knee injury set back his development, though, and took him off the board for many schools. Perhaps resulting form the injury, or perhaps because he always lacked the skills to play the point, Kennedy is key-holed in a very limited role as a shooting guard.
Instead of being a situational assassin, the freshman floundered. He has the skills to be a good shooter, but Mike White’s unimaginative scheme and the team’s often poor execution thereof hung Kennedy out to dry. There are also rumors that Kennedy saw himself as a better player than the program was giving him credit for and became frustrated when his role didn’t increase as the team slumped.
Now playing in the Sun Belt, both will have the opportunity at a more prominent role during the upcoming season. In the era of the transfer portal, it’s possible one or both could find their way back to the SEC. Gators Wire wishes both Gatkek and Kennedy the best in the continuation of their respective careers.
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