Dorian Finney-Smith is already an experienced veteran nowadays, but in the past, he was a fixture of the Florida Gators squad. From 2013 to 2016, DFS was a reliable scorer and defender for the Gators, but the team did not make it to the Championship Game.
The closest Florida got to the Championship during Doe’s tenure was during the 2014 tournament when the Gators played against the University of Connecticut Huskies. That was the team led by the Nets’ current interim head coach, Kevin Ollie.
“They was bought in. You know, as coach preaches, as bought in and ten toes in. They was definitely bought in, they played hard and I think they gave us our only two losses that year,” Dorian said about going against Ollie’s Huskies in the 2013/14 college basketball season. “They beat us with a buzzer-beater and beat us in the Final Four. I still let him talk to him about it, because he messed up my chances of getting a championship. I’m scarred for life.”
Ollie coached a fantastic Huskies team
While most of the team did not make it to a regular NBA roster, Ollie coached one of the most exciting college teams in a long time with that 2013/14 Huskies squad. Of course, they did have a big-time player in point guard Shabazz Napier, who grew to become a solid NBA role player for a couple of years.
The Huskies played their hearts out for Coach KO as they played with superb energy and a team-based playstyle that got them to the highest heights of college basketball. Napier was the standout, but other players like Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels were also stellar during their time under Ollie.
The 2014 Final Four was the peak of DFS’ college career
That was Dorian’s closest shot at getting a National Championship because Florida has not reached that part of the NCAA Tournament ever since. The closest they got was in 2017, when they qualified for the Elite Eight, but still lost to South Carolina.
It was a heartbreaking moment for Florida since they were arguably the best team in the country. The Gators only suffered two losses that season, and both of them came against Ollie’s UConn team.
Doe can laugh it off now with Coach Ollie, but deep inside, that still hurts, given the college basketball National Championship is one of the best achievements you can have in a basketball career.
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