October 15th, 2009 02:22pm
by Kevin Brockway
I’ve been asked again to provide a ballot for the SEC men’s basketball preseason awards.
I picked Florida to finish fourth in the SEC East division and no Gator players on the All-SEC team. I also picked Kentucky as the SEC champion and UK freshman John Wall on the All-SEC first team. If there was a ballot for an All-SEC second team, I would have given Kenny Boynton and Alex Tyus some consideration.
Here’s my ballot:
East Division
1. Kentucky
2. Tennessee
3. South Carolina
4. Florida
5. …
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October 12th, 2009 01:57pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida has scheduled up this season to create a buzz after two years of declining attendance at the O’Connell Center.
Here’s a look at the RPIs of Florida’s non-conference opponents, based on rankings from March 16, 2009.
The average RPI of Florida’s non-conference opponents this season is 131.6 if the Gators face UMass in the second game of the Legends Classic in Atlantic City. If the Gators face Rutgers, the average RPI would be 134.5.
Michigan State – 6
Syracuse – 12
Florida State – …
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October 7th, 2009 07:55pm
by Kevin Brockway
The preseason projections for the Florida men’s basketball program are in.
And they aren’t flattering.
Three major publications (Sporting News, Lindy’s, Athlon) picked Florida to finish fifth in the six-team SEC East. None picked them to go to the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s Athlon’s synopsis:
“The Gators, as always, have talent. But this is a team with issues. It lacks a proven point guard and a proven scoring threat — other than (Alex) Tyus — in the frontcourt. (Erving) Walker and (Kenny) Boynton are incredible …
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October 5th, 2009 04:46pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida junior forward Chandler Parsons likes what he sees so far from Israeli point guard Nimrod Tishman.
In a video interview with Sun sports writer John Patton, Parsons said of 6-foot-5, 182-pound Tishman: “He’s really crafty and a really good passer. He’s going to help us out a lot.”
Tishman is now working out at the UF basketball facility and on scholarship, according to an athletic department source. But Tishman still needs to be cleared by the NCAA in order to compete …
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September 30th, 2009 01:25pm
by Kevin Brockway
While Florida got encouraging news on 2010 small forward commitment Casey Prather on Wednesday, the news on 2011 point guard commitment Austin Rivers is more troubling.
Apparently, Rivers sounds as if he’s prepared to re-open his recruitment between Duke and Florida following his visit to Durham, N.C., the weekend of Sept. 19.
“I still love Florida so much, but after I visited Duke I have to sit back and think about it over the next few days, weeks or so,” Rivers told …
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September 29th, 2009 11:04pm
by Kevin Brockway
Athletic swing-man Casey Prather committed to Florida on Wednesday, according to Scout.com.
The 6-foot-5, 189-pound prospect, rated as high as 55th nationally in the Class of 2010 according to some recruiting services, is considered an athletic defender in the mold of former Gator swing-man Corey Brewer. Like Brewer, Prather is a Tennessee native, hailing from Jackson, Tenn.
Prather joins power forward Patric Young as the second member of UF’s 2010 class. Florida coach Billy Donovan also visited point guard Brandon Knight, the …
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September 28th, 2009 07:46pm
by Kevin Brockway
Good job by our crack correspondent “All Day” Ray Fitzgerald in tracking down former Florida point guard Nick Calathes at UF’s volleyball game last Friday.
Apparently, $2 million per year goes a long way in paying for international flights.
Unfortunately, Calathes wasn’t forthcoming in his reasons why he left Florida after his sophomore season. Nick is a class kid, a hard worker and deserves every penny he gets overseas. But I just felt like he owed Gator Nation an explanation for the …
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September 25th, 2009 05:19pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida may be looking to strike lightning twice in the state of Tennessee.
After UF landed Corey Brewer from Rocky Top country five years ago in its decorated 2004 class, the Gators have turned their attention to another wing player from the state that’s considered an athletic slasher and versatile defender. Casey Prather, a 6-foot-5, 189-pound forward from Jackson, Tenn., took an official visit to Florida last weekend.
Prather is rated the 10th best small forward and 64th best overall prospect in …
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September 16th, 2009 03:01pm
by Kevin Brockway
The Florida men’s basketball team will be signing autographs Saturday prior to Florida’s football showdown with rival Tennessee.
Gator players and coaches, including head coach Billy Donovan, will sign from 12:30-1:30 p.m. outside of Gate 2 at the O’Connell Center as part of Verizon Wireless Fan Fest activities. Posters will be provided to sign by Florida staff members. Players are only permitted to sign the posters.
Florida returns nine players and three starters from a team that went 25-11 and reached the …
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September 14th, 2009 06:18pm
by Kevin Brockway
Billy Donovan’s return to the recruiting trail netted a pair of interesting visits last week.
The visit to five-star point guard recruit Brandon Knight wasn’t a surprise. Knight, considered the top prospect in the Class of 2010, is a Fort Lauderdale area native. He’s been on the Florida target list for some time.
The second visit was to four-star big man Damontre Harris. The 6-foot-9, 205 pound Harris, from Fayetteville, N.C., is considered a work in progress. But Harris’ long wingspan could …
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