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Strange: Gators just won't go away
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Weren't they supposed to finally go away, these Florida Gators? Weren't they supposed to at least give it a rest?
They win a national championship in 2006 in Indianapolis. One shining Florida moment. But instead of heading off to the NBA, they all vote for another year on campus.
So they cut down the nets again, in Atlanta. One more shining Florida moment.
This time they all do leave. Three NBA lottery picks, two more in the second round.
But if anyone in the SEC thought there would be a grace period while Florida retooled - and who didn't think that? - they were underestimating what Billy Donovan has got going on in Gainesville.
"They are the benchmark for college basketball right now,'' Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said Monday. "Not only for their success the last couple of years but for building a program.''
Make that for rebuilding a program, too.
When Florida dribbles into Thompson-Boling Arena tonight, Tennessee fans won't find any familiar frizzy ponytails to jeer. They will, however, find some new long, lean Gators who know what to do in the paint.
Nor will Tennessee fans find any native-sons-gone-Gator to boo. They will, however, find some new dead-eye marksmen with a knack for knocking down big shots.
"I don't know another team in the country that lost what we lost last year,'' said Donovan. "It's the first time three players off one team went in the top nine (of the NBA draft).''
His reference was to Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah. Taurean Green and sixth-man Chris Richard went in the second round. The other starter, Maryville's Lee Humphrey, is in between European teams at the moment.
Most programs would be starting over and taking their lumps. Not Florida. Donovan, who has a .723 winning percentage at Florida, has blended five freshmen with three returning role players and hardly missed a beat.
"Don't feel sorry for Florida,'' cautioned UT coach Bruce Pearl.
Nobody is. The Gators arrive in Knoxville at 18-4, 5-2 SEC, and breathing down the neck of the Eastern Division-favorite Vols.
They have beaten Kentucky for a seventh consecutive time and destroyed Vanderbilt. They already have SEC road wins at Alabama and South Carolina.
"In the second half,'' said Alabama coach Mark Gottfried, "they kept hitting big shots one after another.
"For young players to do that on the road, that was very impressive.''
The most precocious of the young Gators is 6-foot-6 guard Nick Calathes, a McDonald's All-American who is scoring at a 15.8-point clip (17.9 in SEC play).
Jai Lucas, another McDonald's All-American who starts at guard, averages 9.3 points and shoots 50 percent from 3-point range.
Then there are forwards Adam Allen, Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus, who combine for 18.9 points a game.
A footnote on Tyus. He played at Harmony Prep in Cincinnati with UT teammates Josh Tabb and Brian Williams. It was while scouting Tyus that Tennessee's coaches discovered Williams.
The three returning role players are guard Walter Hodge, center Marreese Speights and forward Dan Werner. Last year they collectively scored 11.7 points a game. This year, 32.5.
"Calathes is the engine that makes the whole thing run,'' said Gottfried.
"He never seems to fatigue,'' added Auburn coach Jeff Lebo.
The secret to the young Gators' surprising success seems to be their advanced skill set and shooting touch, even the big guys.
"They're not as physically imposing as in the past,'' said Lebo, "but their skill level is every bit as good.''
Whether they'll hang another NCAA, or even SEC, banner in the O'Connell Center remains to be seen. Maybe there's a couple of future lottery picks in the bunch, maybe not.
But say this for them now:
The Gators didn't go away. Not even for a little while.
Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.
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Posted by dfreeman on February 4, 2008 at 10:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
enough of eddie munster and his gators!!
Posted by IPOrange on February 4, 2008 at 10:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"So they cut they cut down the nets again" ?
You might want to work out that stutter before going to print.
Posted by dfreeman on February 4, 2008 at 10:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Can we call him slick willy??
Posted by dfreeman on February 4, 2008 at 10:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
With his hair he could be the poster boy for zogs sex wax!!!
Posted by murrayvol on February 4, 2008 at 10:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
With apologies to tngeoff. Dang.
They did get torched by Arkansas over the weekend so there must be at least a little trouble in paradise.
Posted by Plasticman on February 4, 2008 at 10:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Vols win this one by 15 points. I think the young Gators will be totally intimidated by the Vols in TBA.
Posted by jevolball7 on February 4, 2008 at 10:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We will beat them by 20+.
Posted by dfreeman on February 4, 2008 at 10:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How about the four foot enforcer??
Posted by dfreeman on February 4, 2008 at 10:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All jokes aside Donovan is a great coach! I am more impressed with the job he has done this year than the two previous!!
Posted by noexcuses on February 4, 2008 at 10:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think we will win but we sure don't need to get to over-confident. They are still Florida
Posted by DekanGator on February 4, 2008 at 11:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Billy "D" Gets NO Respect in the SEC.. after he turned the program around at a "Football School" and all the great things he has done here at UF. Two national championships 3 stright Sec Tour champions and all the great teams over the last 12 years he has yet to win "SEC coach of the year" Before Billy came to UF Only a handful of players made it to the Pros..Right now I can think of 8 players in the NBA ...Its time for the SEC to show some respect!
Posted by dfreeman on February 4, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey DekanGator do you really think we are going to feel sorry for you?? I mean honestly?? I'd have voted for Pearl or Billy D over that golden domed HEADcoach at Vanderbilt!! Didn't he get it last year? Pearl got passed over his first season with a less talented team than just about anyone else in the SEC! No one that I have ever read or heard talking about Billy D has ever disrespected him and the job he has done!! If it makes you feel better and the award is between Bruce Pearl and Donovan never fear. Billy D would get it!! Wether Pearl deserved it or not!! You have to admit that it's funny for a Florida fan complaining on a UT board about not getting respect!!
Posted by DekanGator on February 5, 2008 at 12:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How bout the 05-06 year after losing 70% of there scoring after losing (Walsh,Roberson,Lee,)
To come in with 1JR 4 Soph and win the National championship and does not win SEC coach of the year?... Honstly something is wrong with that Picture.
Posted by jevolball7 on February 5, 2008 at 12:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
DekanGaytor: Sounds like your already getting the "fat lady" warmed up,as she will be singing again in TBA. Heard her show was sold out in Fayettenam. She will be sold out here also.
Posted by kbart4033 on February 5, 2008 at 2:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Billy D is a heckuva coach...I think he and Bruce
are as good as any tandem in one conference (as
good--not better than--those 2 guys in the ACC)...
I believe the keys are they have a system the players love to play and, more importantly, they
have the trust of their players...Billy D has
seemingly rebuilt his team after last year's seniors have moved on...Bruce's challenge is to
go deep in the tournament this time and then
find a way to replace these seniors...If Vols
bring their 'A' game tonight, Tennessee wins by
8. Go, Vols!
Posted by oldvolsfan on February 5, 2008 at 4:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
same old bunch of gator cry babies
Posted by instigator on February 5, 2008 at 5:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
oldvolsfan, did I miss something? Whose crying? Most of us in the Gator nation knew coming into the season this would be a down year. We're gonna lose our share this year, there is no doubt about it but this Gator hasn't heard a single complaint from the Gators over our performance.
Posted by dfreeman on February 5, 2008 at 7:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey instigator, your boy up top DekanGator popped out of left field with the Rodney Dangerfield (RIP) "I get no respect!" for Billy D! Again, you have to admit that it's funny for a Florida Gator fan to be on a Tennessee chat board complaining about not getting respect!!
Posted by 99gator on February 5, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
this kind of stuff always bothers me.
they don't give coach of the year to a coach of a team that is supposed to be good. it doesn't happen. most of the time, coach of the year goes to a coach of a team that people picked to finish last and they finish fourth.
it is actually a sign of respect donovan has not won coach of the year. it means people thought florida would be good in the first place. you will never see urban meyer win SEC coach of the year, because if and when florida wins, people will have believed they were supposed to.
also, coach of the year is given out before the tourney. in the first national title season, florida was 10-6 in the league. not overly impressive to anyone, but then florida mades its run in the tourney.
as far as tonight goes.....tenn is too good for florida. florida will have an awful tough time on the road in an ESPN televised game. florida has to hope tenn has a low double digit lead in the second half and then becomes disinterested. then, florida could possibly make a run while tenn is sleeping. but, i don't see that happenin.
incidently, i have all the respect in the world for bruce pearl and how quickly he has gotten tenn up and running. it actually reminds me of donovan at florida. no one knew what a basketball ball was when billy arrived. the only thing people knew about the o-dome was that it was next door to the football stadium.
Posted by pdhuff on February 5, 2008 at 7:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Beat the Gators. Then we'll talk about respect and rewards that stay in the back of the closet. We won "Best 4 loss Team in Amerika" and mythical "SEC East Title" and SEC Runner-up Title". But guess what, none of them ever arrived. All this in pigskin, of course.
Just beat the Gators.
Posted by Cherokee on February 5, 2008 at 7:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Come on guys, it IS ridiculous that Donovan has never won COTY. The problem is that the media have trained us all that the award is only supposed to go to a coach whose team did better than people predicted they would do. But I maintain that a coach who does his job well enough to get his team into a position where they are expected to do well should not then be penalized for that by being almost automatically excluded from consideration for the award. That's ludicrous. Besides, many times when a team exceeds preseason predictions, it's just as likely the case that the predictions were wrong to begin with.
Bottom line, Donovan and Pearl have both done enough to have won Coach of the Year by now. Pearl carries some baggage that too many folks hold against him, so I can understand why he gets shafted, but I don't know many people who don't love Donovan, so that one is a myster. But to have done what he has done at a school that, prior to his arrival, had hardly ever been relevant in basketball (much like UF in football before Spurrier), and not get COTY at some point is crazy.
Posted by jemcrynlds on February 5, 2008 at 7:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Based simply on achievement, Donovan is without question tops among coaches in the SEC, and it's no big surprise the Kentucky was drooling after last season to have him become their head coach. I have nothing but respect for the job he's done at UF.
The fact the BD hasn't won SEC coach of the year is meaningless, because this award is not given to whoever has done the best job in the conference. It's given to the coach who exceeds expectations with a team that wasn't picked to do well before the season began. Accordingly, BD not winning this award the past couple of years is no sign of disrespect toward either Florida or its coach.
The Gators will be an outstanding team and compete for titles, though not this season. They're simply too young, and as everyone knows road games are tough for teams dominated by freshman and sophs. Then again, who knows what might happen tonight? After all, the Vols beat the national championship Gators 3 out of the last 4.
Posted by dfreeman on February 5, 2008 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Gator fans - Again, you'll get no sympathy from us!! We were screaming that about Pearl when he was passed over for Golden Dome at Vanderbilt!! It made as much sense as the Vandy kid taking SEC player of the year over Lofton! You can beat a dead horse all you want to but you are complaining on a TENNESSEE board about your coach not getting respect?? Think about that!!
Posted by Fred08 on February 5, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't wait for the game tonight! I expect to not be able to talk tomorrow. GO VOLS!!!
Posted by johnlg00 on February 5, 2008 at 9:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know how anyone who loves basketball could not respect what Donovan has done at Florida. He and CBP are, IMHO, the best two coaches in one conference in America today. Not that I don't respect Roy Williams and Coach K in the ACC, but NC and Duke had national-caliber programs before they ever showed up. Donovan and Pearl built their programs up from much lower starting levels. Tonight's game will be an important measuring stick for both teams. Florida will be looking to show that they can win an important game on the road and UT will be looking to show that they can hold serve against a talented and dangerous opponent. This may be our window of opportunity against the Gators because, badly as I hate to think it, we may not be as good next year, losing JaJuan, Chris, and Jordan. I don't see how we can possibly be as fast or as deep, and we will REALLY miss that deadly outside shooting. Anyway, life is surely good right now, and it will only get better with a big home win over the Gators!
Posted by Archrockvol on February 5, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Vols 85 Gators 70
Posted by CrankE on February 5, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We Respect you Billy!!!! And we're still going to kick your Gators in the head. While UF was winning two national titles, they went 1-3 against UT if I'm not mistaken. I can respect Donovan, but I love Bruce Pearl.
Posted by givehim6 on February 5, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Enough of the gatorworship! We are TN! We will see what the final score is tonight! I just wonder if theres as many vols wearing orang in florida, as there are gators wearing there colors here. I know I have.
Posted by drone on February 5, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Tennessee vs FL - UT has won 6 of the last 9.
Posted by mtnbikrtn on February 5, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have seen lots of Gator stickers on the back of cars in Blount County. I know they are not all leftover Lee Humphrey fans. The FL fans are heading for the mountains, and they are staying. Lets make their stay a little less enjoyable. GO VOLS
Posted by Huntingdonvol on February 5, 2008 at 10:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just wondering if anyone knows Florida board i would just love to go read some of their posts??
Posted by bernardking on February 5, 2008 at 10:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Duke was NOTHING before Coach K got there.
Posted by murrayvol on February 5, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
COTY is all about expectations. Always has been and will be as far into the future as we can see. You very seldom get it for recruiting and developing great athletes.
I don't think Pearl (or Donovan) would trade these last 2 years & change for the award but peer recognition is always a plus.
Donovan is a great coach and so is Pearl. I doubt that either fan base would entertain a trade. Vols 83 Gators 69.
Posted by johnlg00 on February 5, 2008 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
bernardking, UCLA beat Duke for their first national championship, and in fact Duke was favored by many to win going in. That was in 1963 or 1964. Art Heyman of Duke, who played in the 1950's, is still one of the top five all-time scorers in the ACC. Duke had WAY more of a national profile in basketball before Coach K than UT has ever had. I live in NC now, so I have had all that crammed down my throat for about six years now. I saw that championship game on TV. I think Duke was also in the Final Four the year after that.
Posted by johnlg00 on February 5, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Continuing my previous thought, Duke had a few down years after the retirement of Vic Bubas, the coach of their Final Four teams and a Hall-of-Famer, and the arrival of Coach K, but nothing like what we suffered between Don DeVoe and Bruce Pearl and before Mears for the most part. We had only a few good years in that era, while Duke has had only a few bad years in the previous 50 or 60 years!
Posted by H1Gator on February 5, 2008 at 1:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
what a bunch of trash talkers, sure you will probably beat us tonight, so what-win 2 champonships and then I'll listen to ur trash. Don't forget to watch espn on feb 6 and compare fl to tenn in signing classes, i'm sure you will still talk trash-no wonder everyone hates the vols.
Posted by TurboFan on February 5, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The only trash on here is your post H1. Geez.
Brady at LSU won the COTY in 05-06, didn't he. LSU won the regular season after starting unranked. Not sure where Florida started that year, but BD was one of three worthy candidates.
Posted by tnbanker_govols on February 5, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Tennessee has a better team than Florida....that's a given. Flrodia is very young and inexperienced. However, Tennessee also has a better team than Kentucky and we remember what happened there. I remember seeing this youthful inexperienced Florida team whip up on a ranked Vanderbilt team a few weeks ago. Before we count a victory for the Vols, let's not forget that SEC basketball is very similar to SEC Football.....anybody can beat anybody on any given day. I hope you fellow Vol fans realize that tonight's game is critical and is anything but a given victory. Playing at home is definitely an advantage for the Vols but they still must execute.
Posted by dfreeman on February 5, 2008 at 2:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
H1Gator - By the way how many gymnastic scholarships you got left down there??
Posted by rckymtngator on February 5, 2008 at 2:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is Tennessee's year to win the SEC and compete for a national championship. But until Florida is beaten in the SEC Tournament, they are still the Champions. Love em or hate em, you have to respect what the Gators have accomplhished over the past two years.
As for the future, Florida, Tennessee, & Kentucky will dominate SEC Basketball. Unfortunatly when you include Kentucky, you include their moronic, obnoxious, spoiled fans who along with Alabama's fans give the whole conference a black eye.
Posted by givehim6 on February 5, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
H1gator. If you hate the vols so much, why are you on a vol wed site? Are you tired of talking to your trailer trash friends in gatorland? Moving north, and uptown hu!?
Posted by pdhuff on February 5, 2008 at 8:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
dfreeman 2:01- you put that in near the blow-hole. Probably fatal.
Posted by givehim6 on February 5, 2008 at 11:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ha H1, 104 to 82. where ya at?
Posted by pearlific on February 5, 2008 at 11:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
HEY MIKE.......THEY WENT AWAY!!!!!!!
Posted by dfreeman on February 5, 2008 at 11:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
H1 - didn't they drink their Gatorade??
Posted by bricker865 on February 5, 2008 at 11:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
H1...spoken like a true gaytor...goodnight loser...you're almost as bad as AirForceOne....
Posted by bricker865 on February 5, 2008 at 11:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
DekanGator...good points seriously but learn how to spell....
Posted by bricker865 on February 5, 2008 at 11:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
DekanGator..no offense, I agree with you for the most part. but H1, no pun intended but if you're still reading (doubt it), bite me.
Posted by schymtz on February 5, 2008 at 11:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Spot thr Gators a big lead and still win going away? These guys (Fla) are gonna be tough down the road, but tonight is Sweet!Wow, that game broke fast! Great Win! Gator post:http://www.gatorsportsforum.com/...
Great win!
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