Less than two minutes into North Florida’s season opener, Kamrin Oriol brought the ball down the floor against the Florida Gators and spotted up from the 3-point line.
Oriol rose, released and connected to break the seal for North Florida in front of 10,000 fans against the defending national champions at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville.
The senior point guard made the Ospreys’ first shot of the year and has taken many of the ones since, leading North Florida (2-6) in multiple offensive categories entering another mammoth test for the ASUN program on Sunday at 6 p.m. (KHQ) against No. 11 Gonzaga (8-1).
The 6-foot-3 guard set the tone for the season and probably gained some confidence while scoring 19 points against Todd Golden and the Gators on opening night. Since then, he’s averaging 17.5 points and 4.4 assists – both team highs – while recording 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 turnovers.
One of six Florida natives on the roster, Oriol’s a proven perimeter shooter, making 22 of 51 (43%) from deep to lead the Ospreys in 3-point percentage.
Oriol also leads UNF in free throw attempts (26) and percentage (84.6%), but the Ospreys aren’t really looking to get there and rank just 328th in attempts per game (16.0).
In UNF’s only other game against a high-major opponent, Oriol was limited by Tennessee to 11 points on 3 of 12 from the field. The St. Petersburg native scored a season-high 30 points against NAIA New College (Florida).
It’s not clear how the Zags will line up on Sunday after changing the starting unit against Kentucky, but they should have size and athleticism advantages regardless of who the first five players on the floor are.
Mario Saint-Supery is the most logical candidate to guard Oriol early in the game, but backup point guard Braeden Smith should see plenty of floor time Sunday as well.