Like most any freshman, Florida guard Bradley Beal's body often times is ahead of his mind. And the bad news for Southeastern Conference foes, Beal is starting to feel comfortable as league play is set to begin with the new year.
“He's understanding the speed of the game,” Florida coach Billy Donovan told reporters. “I think the speed of the game was something that was a little bit surprising to him where you think you are open and you have time to shoot the ball and those gaps close pretty quickly. The length of people running at you in relationship to what was running at him in high school, those are things I think he has to go through to keep getting better.”
Even as he's adjusting to the college game, Beal already has flashed moments of his limitless potential. Heck, he's averaging 15.0 points (ninth in SEC) and 6.2 rebounds (16th in the league). It's not hard to imagine him becoming a superstar this winter and the 11th-ranked Gators challenging No. 3 Kentucky for SEC supremacy.
“I'm not as nervous as I was,” Beal told The Gainesville Sun. “Basically, it's starting to come natural and I'm playing within the flow of the game, not really forcing anything. Just relaxing and enjoying the flow of the game.
“You just have to focus on jumping quicker and releasing it quicker. The form doesn't change or anything like that. Coach Donovan said most of my shots I miss is because of my legs so really I'm just starting to play lower to the ground, really getting my legs more involved in the game.”
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