May 14th, 2013 05:38pm
by Kevin Brockway
The SEC-Big 12 pairings were officially released on Tuesday. We’ve known for a little while that Florida will host Kansas on Dec. 10, but the matchup at the O’Connell Center just gained a little more star power.
Top 2013 national recruit Andrew Wiggins announced that he’s accepted a scholarship to Kansas, surprising many recruiting analysts that had him pegged for either Kentucky or Florida State.
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound Wiggins, son of former NBA and FSU guard Mitchell Wiggins, has been dubbed as …
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May 6th, 2013 07:16pm
by Kevin Brockway
After a strong four-year career at Florida, Erik Murphy is hoping to follow in his dad’s footsteps and play in the NBA.
Murphy hired Andy Miller of ASM Sports as an agent and is working out in Las Vegas with renowned strength and conditioning coach Joe Abunassar. Miller’s clients have included former Gator center Marreese Speights (Cleveland Cavaliers) and former UF point guard Taurean Green.
The 6-foot-10 Murphy is considered an NBA prospect due the combination of his size and shooting ability. …
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May 2nd, 2013 05:29pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida’s 2013-14 non-conference men’s basketball schedule is beginning to take shape.
The Gators will play at Wisconsin to conclude a home-and-home series, and will play Kansas at the O’Connell Center on Dec. 10 as part of the initial SEC-Big 12 challenge next season.
In addition, according to CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman, Florida will face Memphis in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Sqaure Garden in New York City on Dec. 17.
Florida also will host Richmond and Florida State and play in a round-robin …
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April 30th, 2013 06:59pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida junior center Patric Young has never been afraid to speak his mind or express himself during his college basketball career.
A Telecommunications major and two-time SEC scholar athlete of the year, Young writes a blog during the offseason. He’s active on Twitter (well, he did shut down his account to focus on the NCAA Tournament in March, but that’s understandable).
So Young was quick to come to the defense of ESPN NBA reporter/analyst Chris Broussard for his views on Jason Collins, …
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April 29th, 2013 03:37pm
by Kevin Brockway
Legendary St. Anthony’s (N.J.) basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr. witnessed how Florida coach Billy Donovan molded Mike Rosario into a productive team player.
And Hurley said Monday he thinks Donovan could do the same for Rutgers transfer Eli Carter, if given the opportunity. Carter, who is mulling between Florida and Maryland, arrived in Gainesville on Sunday and visited the Florida campus on Monday.
“Billy could certainly tighten up his game,” Hurley said. “When you play for a losing team, there is a …
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April 26th, 2013 04:23pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida is closing in on another transfer from Rutgers.
Rutgers sophomore guard Eli Carter announced on his Twitter feed Friday that Florida and Maryland are his final two transfer choices. He will visit both campuses next week.
Florida’s advantage in landing Carter? The relationship between Carter and UF assistant coach Rashon Burno. Both Carter and Burno played at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City, N.J., under legendary coach Bob Hurley Sr. Burno personally reached out to Carter earlier this week to gauge his …
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April 22nd, 2013 05:49pm
by Kevin Brockway
According to SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria, Florida is among a handful of schools that have reached out to former Rutgers sophomore guard Eli Carter.
Carter announced last week he was transferring in the wake of the firing of Rutgers coach Mike Rice.
Florida fans may remember that Carter scored a career-high 31 points as a freshman in Rutgers’ 85-83 double-overtime win over the Gators in December of 2011. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard averaged a team-high 14.9 points per game for the Scarlet Knights …
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April 15th, 2013 02:38pm
by Kevin Brockway
Incoming 2013 Florida signee Chris Walker is “making progress” academically, according to his his high school basketball coach.
Holmes County coach Poe White said he can’t divulge specifics of Walker’s academics due to student privacy issues.
“I can just tell you it’s been a work in progress and he’s making progress,” White said.
Rumblings have surfaced that the 6-foot-10 Walker, a McDonald’s All-American from Bonifay, may be in jeopardy of qualifying to play at UF as a freshman. Asked about Walker’s status last …
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April 11th, 2013 05:29pm
by Kevin Brockway
One day, like his mentor Rick Pitino, Florida coach Billy Donovan will wind up in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Donovan has been to the Final Four as a player (with Providence in 1987), an assistant coach (with Kentucky in 1993) and as a head coach (with Florida in 2000, 2006 and 2007). He’s guided the Gators to two national titles, three Final Fours and six Elite Eights. His 31 NCAA Tournament wins are the most ever for a coach …
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April 10th, 2013 06:05pm
by Kevin Brockway
After addressing the media on Wednesday, Florida coach Billy Donovan said he’ll be spending the next three weeks on the road recruiting.
Though Donovan didn’t rule out the possibility of adding a player for the 2013 roster, he said most of his focus will center around the 2014 and 2015 classes. Florida has room for one more scholarship player for the 2o13-14 season.
“Right now, we would look at that,” Donovan said. “From a transfer situation, there is no one we’re necessarily …
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Kevin Brockway gave up on his dream of becoming a lefty starting pitcher for the New York Mets when he walked four straight batters, then hit one in a middle school game in Suffern, N.Y. Since graduating college in 1993, he’s worked as a sports writer at daily newspapers throughout the state of Florida, beginning with the Key West Citizen. He then moved on to the Northwest Florida Daily News and Naples Daily News before becoming the men’s basketball writer for The Gainesville Sun in 2003. Brockway has won multiple state and national writing awards during his 16-year career. Favorite pastimes include karaoke and watching baseball. Favorite college hoops team growing up was St. John’s.