Ques Glover returns home when the Gators take on the Vols
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Ques Glover is eagerly awaiting his chance to return home on Wednesday.
"It’s really exciting going back home, playing in front of my friends and family," said the Florida freshman on Friday. "Can’t wait."
Glover, a Knoxville, Tenn. native, never did receive an offer from Tennessee during his recruitment but on Saturday, he will face the team he grew up watching.
"When I was growing up, all my friends cheered for them so I thought it was right to cheer for them. When they played, I watched and cheered," said Glover about growing up in Tennessee. "It wasn't really disappointing [not getting the offer]. I mean, I wanted the offer, but I didn't get it, so it's fine."
It's fine because Glover ultimately found the situation he wanted at Florida.
“Just learning more each day, watching Andrew [Nembhard] to see how he plays the game and reads the defense. Just watching him every day and just trying to learn from our mistakes each day."
"Just kind of watch as much film and learn the game as much as possible," said Nembhard. "Just to understand when it’s time for him to score and when it’s time for him to pass and facilitate the team. Just to try to help him learn how to control the team as a whole.”
Mike White has already seen some improvement from the freshman this year.
"Ques, letting it come to him a little bit more," said the Gators head coach. "Thought he played a pretty good floor game the other day. Moved it a little bit better. You know transitioning, he’s always been a guy that in high school and AAU that scored a lot, and not that we don’t want him to score but he’s learning how to be a true point guard and it’s, it’s a process.
"But he’s a better player than he was a couple of months ago and he’s a talented guy, a great young man, heading home to Knoxville," added White. "You know for him, he can’t be emotional. He’s gotta—it’ll be nice to see all his people I’m sure but he’s gotta play, you know, with poise and maturity on the road.”
The Gators will need to be mature on the road as they prepare for Tennessee on Saturday.
Florida (18-10, 10-5 SEC) is now sitting in third place in the SEC after beating LSU on Saturday, bolstering its chances at a NCAA tournament bid.
“We’re playing better. We still have room for improvement, as do most teams. We’re definitely more connected, for the most part. I thought we had outlier a couple games ago with our lack of ball movement. We did some shot hunting. If we do that tomorrow in Knoxville, we won’t have a chance,” White said. “We have to play together. We have to play with maturity and unselfishness. But we’re getting there. Hopefully, we can continue to trend upward.”
The Vols (15-3, 7-8 SEC) have only won two games in the last five, however, are a strong opponent at home - winning ten games in 15.
"I think coach Barnes’ teams just consistently just play at a high level of intensity and with a lot of toughness for years and years. So we know it’s going to be very challenging," said White. "We know we’ve got our hands full. We’ve gotta get off to a really good start both offensively and defensively. We’ve got to hold our own on the glass, gotta defend without fouling. We’ve had those issues. So it’s nice last game to not have that issue. That’s been an outlier for us really last game not having the foul issues. So hopefully we can play with foul discipline up there. Transition defense of course. Gotta figure out ways to score against a stifling defense.
"Anytime you’re on the road, you give yourself a better chance if you get off to a better start.”
Florida and Tennessee will tip off their game at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.