Gators lose two guards, assistant coach
GAINESVILLE — Florida shooting guard Noah Locke will transfer after three seasons as the team’s most reliable 3-point shooter.
Locke will not be the only member of coach Mike White’s program moving on during a busy Thursday for the Gators, who a day earlier learned sophomore star and leading scorer Tre Mann decided to leave early for the NBA Draft.
Backup point guard Ques Glover also is entering the transfer portal, a source confirmed. Meanwhile, longtime White assistant coach Jordan Mincy is leaving to the become the head coach at Jacksonville University.
“As is the case every spring throughout power-conference basketball, there will be movement and the transfer portal will become as prominent as ever,” White told the school’s website Thursday. “We look forward to getting to the point where we find out who’s on our roster and getting back to work, finishing our schedule, and hopefully more of a normal offseason.”
Locke’s decision, however, is the biggest surprise of the three moves Thursday, given his key role for the Gators since his arrival in 2018. Locke averaged 10.1 points and hit 213 3-pointers, shooting 40.3% from behind the arc, during his time at UF.
Locke closed his UF career with a strong performance during the Gators’ crushing 81-78 loss to Oral Roberts. He finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
The 6-foot-3, 203-pound Locke did, however, struggle during his career to create his own shot off the dribble and did not match up defensively with fleetfooted guards or those with the size to post him up near
Florida guard Noah Locke will leave the Gators after three seasons and 213 made 3-pointers for coach Mike White’s squad. the basket. freshman during the 201920 appear during UF’s final four The SEC’s preseason
“I would like to thank my season and served as games and scored just two Player of the Year, Johnson teammates, coaches, staff essentially the team’s third points during his last four collapsed on the court Dec. and Gator Nation for 3 years point guard this past season, appearances as a Gator. 12 at Florida State. After full of obstacles and experiences behind Tyree Appleby and Despite the loss of Mann Johnson recovered from the that have made me Tre Mann. Glover ultimately and Locke, the Gators expect harrowing incident, doctors a better basketball player did not fit into the team’s to return four of their top did not clear him to play the and man,” Locke, a native plans and suffered turnover six scorers — big man Colin rest of the season. of Baltimore, wrote on his issues, finishing with 32 Castleton, Appleby, Scottie On a personal and professional Twitter account. assists and 60 turnovers in Lewis and Anthony Duruji. level, the loss of
The 5-foot-11, 183-pound two seasons at UF. In addition, the playing Mincy was surely a big blow Glover was the Gators’ Glover, a native of Knoxville, future of forward Keyontae to White. backup point guard as a Tennessee, did not Johnson remains uncertain. Mincy joined White’s initial coaching staff at Florida in 2015 after serving one season at Louisiana Tech on White’s staff.
“I’m so appreciative to Mike White and everyone who has help me reach this point,” Mincy wrote on his Twitter account.