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The Basketball Game & Kurtz
Posted on 12/31/14 at 3:19 am
Posted on 12/31/14 at 3:19 am
I agree 100%, this kid has poured his body and soul into the basketball program and without the former walk on we aren't even tied when the last second shot was made.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- No one had spoken a word in the deftly quiet Florida locker room. Certainly, there was much to lament and second-guess in the aftermath of Florida State's 65-63 buzzer-beating defeat Tuesday night of the Gators, but Billy Donovan's first words were directed exactly where they needed to be.
At Jake Kurtz.
"You do not need to feel bad," the coach said.
Moments earlier, FSU guard Devon Bookert took an inbound pass with 2.6 seconds to play -- and the score tied at 63 -- and launched a falling-away prayer from the corner that fell just short of the rim. Kurtz, the senior walk-on forward who seconds earlier had helped make the game-tying play at the other end of the floor, was alone under the basket and jumped to catch the ball, only to have it tip off his hand and roll into the cylinder with four-tenths of a second remaining.
The basketball version of an own goal.
Just like that, the Gators (7-5) had their four-game winning streak this season, plus their four-game winning streak in their series with the rival Seminoles (8-5), halted after rallying from five points down with 50 seconds left for a shot to put the game in overtime.
Instead, instant heartache.
"We wouldn't have been in the game at the end if it wasn't for Jake," junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith said of the popular and consummate teammate after Kurtz scored four points and also grabbed a team-best five rebounds, including three on the offensive end. "Sometimes the dice roll like that. That play did not determine the game. We did a bunch of other things that cost us the game."
Like turning the ball over a season-high 17 times.
Lets face it...we lost 4 really good players from last year and its a tough transition. We didn't play with a full deck tonight..but no excuses.. Hamilton is a good coach and is at a program where the Gator fans were probably 1/3 of the audience...the girls school has some tall timber and we had to press a lot to try and make them turn it over and sometimes they had open shots. No one hustled more than Kurtz on defense...he was relentless and I feel bad for him. He is not to blame for this L.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- No one had spoken a word in the deftly quiet Florida locker room. Certainly, there was much to lament and second-guess in the aftermath of Florida State's 65-63 buzzer-beating defeat Tuesday night of the Gators, but Billy Donovan's first words were directed exactly where they needed to be.
At Jake Kurtz.
"You do not need to feel bad," the coach said.
Moments earlier, FSU guard Devon Bookert took an inbound pass with 2.6 seconds to play -- and the score tied at 63 -- and launched a falling-away prayer from the corner that fell just short of the rim. Kurtz, the senior walk-on forward who seconds earlier had helped make the game-tying play at the other end of the floor, was alone under the basket and jumped to catch the ball, only to have it tip off his hand and roll into the cylinder with four-tenths of a second remaining.
The basketball version of an own goal.
Just like that, the Gators (7-5) had their four-game winning streak this season, plus their four-game winning streak in their series with the rival Seminoles (8-5), halted after rallying from five points down with 50 seconds left for a shot to put the game in overtime.
Instead, instant heartache.
"We wouldn't have been in the game at the end if it wasn't for Jake," junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith said of the popular and consummate teammate after Kurtz scored four points and also grabbed a team-best five rebounds, including three on the offensive end. "Sometimes the dice roll like that. That play did not determine the game. We did a bunch of other things that cost us the game."
Like turning the ball over a season-high 17 times.
Lets face it...we lost 4 really good players from last year and its a tough transition. We didn't play with a full deck tonight..but no excuses.. Hamilton is a good coach and is at a program where the Gator fans were probably 1/3 of the audience...the girls school has some tall timber and we had to press a lot to try and make them turn it over and sometimes they had open shots. No one hustled more than Kurtz on defense...he was relentless and I feel bad for him. He is not to blame for this L.
2
Posted on 12/31/14 at 7:42 am to reel_gator8
It's a confusing when a former walk on and student manager is your MVP at Florida, but this year that appears to be the case. He plays harder and with more effort than anyone else on the team, IMO. Go Gators. 
This post was edited on 12/31/14 at 7:43 am
Posted on 12/31/14 at 8:17 am to UFMatt
quote:
It's a confusing when a former walk on and student manager is your MVP at Florida, but this year that appears to be the case. He plays harder and with more effort than anyone else on the team, IMO. Go Gators.
The fact he was in the game at the time shows how hard he works and the trust Billy has in him.
Posted on 12/31/14 at 8:37 am to reel_gator8
to Kurtz, kid played his heart out. As for the team they just looked flat last night. Like they really didn't want to be there. What they seem to be missing is that spark on the floor that pumps everybody up like Scotty Wilbekin did last year. Hope BD can get it turned around in conference play otherwise it may be the NIT for us this year.
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