May 29th, 2009 03:58pm
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Florida coach Billy Donovan is taking an interesting family vacation to celebrate his 44th birthday.
Rather than making a weekend getaway to his vacation condo in nearby Crescent Beach, Donovan took an 18-hour flight to South Africa.
The mission — to swim with sharks.
Donovan doesn’t watch much TV, but when he does, he’s glued to the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, which airs each August. He and his 12-year-old son Bryan are shark enthusiasts.
…
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May 25th, 2009 11:12am
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When one door closes, another one comes open. The adage may come into play for the Florida men’s basketball team in light of sophomore guard Nick Calathes’ decision to play in Greece.
In a report in the New York Daily News, Brooklyn Lincoln guard Lance Stephenson is saying that Florida is now in play for his services.
Stephenson is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound McDonald’s All-American shooting guard. He is rated No. 7 by Scout, No. 9 by Rivals and No. 8 by ESPN. …
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May 22nd, 2009 06:38pm
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Florida coach Billy Donovan and Louisville coach Rick Pitino served as keynote speakers for the Dick Vitale’s V Foundation College Coaches gala. The event again raised more than $1 million for cancer research.
Before the event, Pitino offered some comments about his protege and his son joining the Florida staff as an assistant coach.
On his son, Rick Pitino Jr., leaving Louisville and joining the Florida staff as an assistant:
“It was the toughest conversation …
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May 20th, 2009 07:49pm
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As media members, we often complain about accessibility. We always want just to have one more minute with the coach and to be just one step closer to the action.
On Wednesday night, I realized things could be worse. You could try interviewing a major sports figure in Lee County.
It’s common for sports reporters to huddle around a coach when he speaks. Most print reporters use tape recorders and TV reporters use video and audio equipment. The …
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May 15th, 2009 04:06pm
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Two-time Florida assist king Nick Calathes said it’s still up in the air whether he’ll return to Florida for his junior season.
“I think that’s what the workouts are for, to get an idea where I stand,” Calathes said following a Friday workout at IMG Sports Academy in Bradenton.
Calathes already posted an impressive workout in California earlier this week in front of NBA personnel executives. He has private workouts scheduled with the Dallas Mavericks on …
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May 15th, 2009 11:19am
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Melo is making a trip to Gainesville.
No, not Carmelo Anthony. He’s gearing up for Denver’s NBA Western Conference finals appearance.
But recruiting moles have confirmed that 7-foot, 263-pound Fabricio De Melo of Sagemont High in Weston will be checking out the UF campus this weekend.
Melo is the 25th ranked player in the Class of 2010 according to Scout.com and the fifth ranked center. For a Florida team that lacked a significant post presence last season, …
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May 14th, 2009 07:56pm
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Had a chance to talk with former Florida 2009 commitment DeShawn Painter, who signed with North Carolina State on Thursday. During the brief conversation on his cell phone, Painter said he left Florida on good terms.
“Coach (Billy) Donovan and I, we’re straight,” Painter said. “We still talk every now and then. He was the one that told me if I wasn’t going to be happy, than maybe it was a good idea (to part ways.)”
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May 14th, 2009 05:07pm
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It appears that Florida is out of the John Wall sweepstakes.
Wall’s advisor and ex-AAU coach Brian Clifton told SI.com’s Luke Winn that it would be accurate to assume the race is now down to Duke, Kentucky and Miami.
Florida coach Billy Donovan went to great lengths in an attempt to sign the nation’s top overall and top point guard prospect, traveling to Portland with assistant coach Rob Lanier last April and showing Wall tape of how he …
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May 14th, 2009 12:55pm
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Ex-Florida 2009 signee DeShawn Painter announced Thursday that he’s going to North Carolina State.
Painter left Florida under somewhat curious circumstances. A Norfolk, Va., native, Painter told the Virginian Pilot that the reason he asked out of his letter of intent was he wanted to play closer to home. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound Painter, who played last season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., is rated by Rivals.com as the 64th best prospect in the Class of 2009.
There …
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May 13th, 2009 09:40am
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Billy Donovan said that he’s pleased about Alex Tyus’ decision to return and envisions the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Tyus as a power forward next season.
Under that scenario, Donovan said that Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin and sophomore Kenny Kadji would play center and senior Dan Werner would play small forward. Donovan also said Chandler Parsons could even see some time in the backcourt because of his ballhandling ability and Florida’s potential lack of depth there.
“We’re going to have to move guys down …
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