GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Jalen Hudson continues to confound Gator Nation.
The senior guard was Florida's leading scorer last season (15.5 points per game) and was debating entering the NBA draft.
Fast forward to this season and he averages just 6.2 points per game.
Mike White admits the staff still has no answer for Hudson's slump.
"Occasionally Jalen will have a really, really good practice and you'll see, you'll be reminded of what he's capable of," said the Florida head coach. "It's funny. In the staff meeting (Tuesday) morning we're watching film from last season, Ole Miss. And we've got a new guy on staff, [Al Pinkins], and he says 'Oh my goodness, wow. That was a heck of a play by Jalen.'"
White was forced to look to their freshmen for support this season. Hudson made his way to the bench, while first year playmakers like Noah Locke took over his minutes.
Hudson has shown some glimpses of his old self in a few minutes here and there, however, the veteran has been far from consistent. According to White, there are days that Hudson is practicing well, and they believe they have turned a corner.
Then the TCU game happens.
Hudson had his best practice before Florida's last game, however, the Virginia native finished the game shooting a woeful 2-for-10 against TCU.
"It's in him. Our guys will tell you, he was dominant in practice," White said. "He was, he went off at practice. And it's not too late. I mean we can sit here and be depressed about it. 'Woe is me. Didn't go as I planned.' There's 12 games left and they're all good opportunities. They're all winnable. Outside of Game 1, we've had a chance to win every other game... We've got Ole Miss. He might play 30 minutes and score 30 points. We're holding out for it. We want him to play well.
"The most gut-wrenching thing for me is not being able to figure it out," White added. "And the fact that we're talking about it. And, respectfully, I'm going to answer your questions. I hate that he's in as many headlines as he is. And I don't read them. I'm afraid he does. He says he doesn't, but it's become such a big issue and naturally so. I feel for him."
With so many questions and no answers, White has one clear message to Hudson: play your game.
"I know that if he shows up saying 'I've got to score 30' you're not going to score 30," White explained. "You've got to stay in the moment and you've got to play that possession defensively and then we try to get a great shot and then we try to get a stop. And just play the game. He's not the only one. We've got four, five, six guys that struggle with; everyone struggles with it. But you just have to play the game. You can't say 'I'm going to go make a play' and then try to do something that we're not capable of doing."
"We’ll tell him, just play confident. Just use the same confidence that you have in practice on any other opponent," said guard Noah Locke. "I feel like with him it’s just, you know, personally just coming out there and just playing his game. I think sometimes he might go out there and think to much, thinking about maybe the past games he’s had, thinking what he has to do. Maybe sometimes he might think that he had to do a little too much when he really doesn't have to. He can just play within the game and stuff will fall his way. I think it’s a lot of mental with him. I feel like it’ll get better, but that’s what I really think it is.”
Florida hopes the game against the Rebels could be the game that turns things around.
"Hope so for the team, hope so for him," White said. "He's going through something tough. Obviously our team is. I haven't been able to figure it out. That's the hardest thing. But there's time."
