Phlandrous Fleming Jr. looking to build on breakout performance in Athens
Phlandrous Fleming Jr. returned to his hometown Saturday, but his teammates were worried about what the reaction would be during team introductions.
After all, despite his Athens roots, he was now a Florida Gator in UGA territory.
“My teammates asked me if I was going to get booed,” Fleming said, “and I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t think so.'”
When his name was introduced in the starting lineup, Fleming received a loud standing ovation from what he estimated were 70-80 family members and friends in Stegeman Coliseum.
He proceeded to put on a show, scoring a season-high 27 points to led UF to an 84-72 win over Georgia. After the game, dozens of Fleming’s supporters were waiting for him by the team bus.
“It felt amazing to know that I’ve impacted a lot of people’s lives,” Fleming said. “That’s what I wanted to do before I left (Athens) and that’s what I’m going to continue to do with my journey.”
Florida coach Mike White felt like he was on Bourbon Street during the post-game scene with Fleming.
“Yeah, that was nuts. We’re boarding the bus and in that little tunnel, I don’t know how people were in there but it reminded me of a Mardi Gras parade back in high school in New Orleans. It was rocking,” White said.
“And when Phlan finally got on the bus, it shows you what a good dude he is and how many people love him. Because it was loud as heck. It was a cool moment for him and his family.”
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Phlandrous Fleming in rhythm
Fleming, a grad transfer Charleston Southern, scored 20 or more points in 27 games with the Buccaneers, but Saturday marked just his second 20-point game at Florida this year. His previous season high was 20 points against Stony Brook on Dec. 22.
Now that Fleming has shown what he’s capable of in SEC play, White wants him to build on this breakout performance.
“I don’t know that we can just expect him just having the same game,” White said. “If he has the same game, it’d be terrific of course. I’ve got confidence that he’s going to play well. He’s always gonna compete at a high level. He’s always going to play with toughness. He got into a really good rhythm offensively and he’s worked really hard on his stroke all year. He spent a lot of time in the gym.
“I thoughts his teammates did a good job of connecting with him as well off some cuts and off of some inside-out action. Maybe he’s got a couple more of those left in him. … Regardless of who’s in the stands, the message to him on Tuesday night in Nashville will be, ‘Let’s try to replicate it.’”
The Gators (18-11, 8-8 SEC) are back on the road Tuesday against Vanderbilt (14-14, 6-10 SEC) at 8:30 p.m. on SEC Network. Despite setting a high bar for himself against the Bulldogs, hitting four of Florida’s season-high 14 3-pointers, Fleming is focused on taking his game to another level down the stretch.
“We gotta go back and watch the film. Even with this win, we gotta fix some things,” Fleming said. “The mindset is the next game. We gotta focus on Vandy. We got a quick turnaround, and we need to win these next two.”
