Two Gators honored by SEC

Two Gators have earned weekly honors by the SEC in their respective sports.

Junior first baseman Ali Gardiner was named the SEC Player of the Week after he led the Gator softball team to a 5-0 record last week, including series sweeps over conference foes South Carolina and No. 8 LSU.

Gardiner was the Gators' leading hitter over its five games against SEC opponents this week. She hit .643 for the week, including a 1.143 slugging percentage and a .706 on base percentage. She also led the team in hits (9), runs (5), home runs (2) and shared the lead in RBI (4) on the week.

Also junior right hander Patrick Keating was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week after his first-ever complete game on Saturday to clinch the series victory over LSU. He became the first Gator pitcher to earn the accolade since Darren O'Day collected the honor on Feb. 20, 2006, and the 16th different Florida pitcher to be recognized.

Keating improved his season record to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.41.

Terry Jackson joins UF football staff

Former UF tailback Terry Jackson has been hired as the Gators' new Director of Player and Community Relations.

Jackson, a Gainesville native, was a member of UF’s 1996 National Championship team and a seven-year veteran of the NFL.

"Terry is a great addition to our football staff,” UF coach Urban Meyer said. “He is someone who is very committed and loyal to The Gator Nation and a great ambassador for our football program. He will be a tremendous
mentor, leader and role model for our players. He has excelled at every endeavor - from serving as Student Body Vice- President and playing on the 1996 National Championship to his career in the NFL. He is deeply rooted in the local community and we are excited to have him join our staff.”

Jackson played in 36 games in his collegiate career with 16 starts. He also played in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, 1997 Sugar Bowl and started the 1999 Orange Bowl. Jackson had 321 career carries for 1,794 yards (5.6 avg.) and 17 touchdowns. He also had 59 career receptions for 645 yards (10.9 avg.) and four touchdowns. Jackson lettered at Florida from 1995-98 after a redshirt year in 1994.

He graduated from Florida in December of 1998 following an outstanding academic career. He was named to the 1998 GTE Academic All-America Second Team and was a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. He received an Outstanding Senior Leadership Award from the University upon graduation and was the Student Body Vice-President for the 1998-99 academic year.

“It is an honor to come back and work at my alma mater,” Jackson said.  “I’ve been fortunate enough to grow up in Gainesville and have a chance to live out all of my childhood dreams, from playing for
the Gators and winning a national championship to playing in the NFL. Coming back to work with the University of Florida football program has also been a dream of mine.”

Decision on Harvin expected Monday

Urban Meyer said he'll announce on Monday the status of star receiver Percy Harvin, who has missed practice all week with a heel injury.

"We're going to meet at 130 today,'' Meyer said after Saturday's practice. "We have a conference call... there's about 3 different doctors. It is a heel, we just want to make sure we're doing the best treatments possible. I'll announce on Monday exactly what's going to happen. I've heard people say 'hey is he having surgery?' I don't know. I'm anxious to find out. But there'll be 3 doctors on the conference call.''

Harvin underwent an MRI on Wednesday to help determine the extent of his injury. Meyer said Monday that Harvin could miss the remainder of spring practice, but he didn't think it would affect his status in the fall. It is the latest in a string of injuries that have hampered Harvin during his Gator career.

Harvin misses another day of practice

Receiver Percy Harvin missed practice Wednesday to undergo an MRI on his injured heel.

Harvin also missed Monday's practice and is currently in a boot.

Harvin suffered from tendinitis last season that began in his Achilles and then spread to his knee.

Whether the two injuries are related is unknown. UF coach Urban Meyer said he could miss the remainder of spring drills, but is expected to be ready to go in the fall.

Patchan moves over to defense

Former Armwood offensive lineman Matt Patchan has moved over to defense full-time, Florida coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday.
  Patchan began the spring working full-time on offense, with extra work on defense. But Meyer said the Gators need more help on defense, and with his incredible work ethic and intensity, Patchan seems capable of making the change to defensive lineman effectively. He’ll now do extra work on offense, when possible.
  "He’s been hurt (shoulder surgery before spring), so you don’t you know how much he can do,'' Meyer said. "But his devotion to the game, and intensity and work ethic are excellent.''
   

Torrey Davis settles legal troubles

  GAINESVILLE – Florida defensive tackle Torrey Davis has had his legal troubles resolved. Davis, 19, was charged with possession of alcohol by a minor on Jan. 19. On Monday, he signed a deferred prosecution agreement with the State Attorney’s Office in Gainesville, according to court documents.

As a condition of the agreement, Davis cannot be get into any additional legal trouble and must pay $125 or complete 12 ½ hours of community service within the next four months.

Davis is currently involved in spring practice on a limited basis. Florida coach Urban Meyer said prior to spring practice that Davis has some academic issues he must address to remain eligible to play.

Ingram at peace with his decision to return for senior season

It took a lot of soul searching. And then some more. But senior tight end Cornelius Ingram is in spring practice this week with the Gators and said he's at peace with his decision to come back.

Ingram spent an anguishing week last January trying to make the biggest decision of his life: whether to forego his senior year and jump to the NFL or return for one final season with the Gators.

In the end, he chose the Gators.

Ingram said the NFL projected he would be a second or third round pick, but he remained hesitant about leaving.

"It wasn't bad, second or third round,'' he said. "That was pretty much basically from two years, moving and changing to that position. I kind of felt good about the situation but at the same time there's a lot of guys in the past may have had pretty good grades coming back from that (petitioning the NFL) and ended up not getting drafted. You really can't go by that all the time, but the grade wasn't really bad. I just wanted to come back and improve as a player.''

Ingram said his two cell phones rang incessantly during the time he was trying to make his decision, and compared it to the way things were when he was being recruited out of Hawthorne High.

"That's why I wanted to make sure I made the right decision, finish school, and become the best player I could become.'' Ingram said. "I think I made the right decision and I'm happy with it.''

Ingram needs just five more classes, and will graduate in December

Women headed to WNIT

GAINESVILLE - The women's basketball team will compete in the Women's NIT and is one of 16 teams to receive a first-round bye.

The Gators will play the winner of the opening-round game between South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast. The location of the second-round game will be determined at a later date.

Florida (18-13) defeated Florida Gulf Coast, 78-52, on December 4 this season in Gainesville in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Gators sport a 34-4 all-time record against South Florida. The Bulls, however, won the last meeting, which was a 61-56 decision in the first round of the 2005 WNIT played in Tampa.

Florida will be making its fourth appearance in the WNIT, reaching the title game in 1985 and in 2000.

This is the 14th time in the last 16 years the Gators have earned a postseason berth, with 11 NCAA Tournament berths.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to continue our season and compete for a championship," Butler said. "We knew early during the yearthat we were a postseason team and the announcement of the WNIT bid makes that a reality. We've worked hard all season for this chance and hopefully, we'll take advantage of the opportunity in front of us."

Butler is the first UF coach to guide the Gators to a postseason berth in their first year.

Donovan challenges players by taking away perks

GAINESVILLE - Billy Donovan says he doesn't totally blame his players for the Gators' struggles this season, despite the way it seemed from his comments following the Gators' first-round loss in the SEC tournament. But he does have a theory as to why they underachieved this season.

Too much, too soon.

"I think it's very, very easy to become complacent and to lose sight of how good things are around here and to have an attitude of, 'I'm at Florida. This is just what's going to happen,'' Donovan said Monday afternoon. " One of the things that creates a tremendous level of complacency in anybody is after something very, very big happens, it's very easy to have a letdown. It's not these guys' fault. They walked into this. They walked into what happened. They got a facility that the administration has invested a lot in. It's one of the best in the country. They've got a massage therapist to make sure they're okay after games. They've got a private plane that they take to games. The meals that they eat. All those things, these guys came here and went right to the penthouse. When you're on the outside looking in and you walk into something like that, a lot of times you don't know, you just  think, 'I'm here.' And I would say that probably this group, when Oct. 15 started, would have said, 'There's no way, no way, we're not in the NCAA Tournament.' And I just think that's their youthfulness, them not going through it, them not understanding what it's all about.''

To help foster some understanding of just how hard it is to build - and sustain - a championship level program, Donovan is taking a new approach. He's taking away some of their perks.

The locker room is off limits. The beautiful, fancy practice facility is out. The players are wearing thier own workout gear and practicing in the uppper court of the O'Connell Center.

"We don't deserve to be in the penthouse,'' freshman guard Jai Lucas said. "We have done anything to be in the penthouse yet. We're working our way up.''

Donovan said Monday he's continually trying to get the team to understand the commitment it takes to play at the level that's expected at Florida. After Thursday's loss to Alabama, he decided to up the stakes.

"He said we've got to earn what we have,'' freshman guard Nick Calathes said. "We've got everything here: our own practice facility, however million dollar practice facility. we didn't know what other teams did to get there and what the back-to-back national championship guys, how hard they worked and stuff like that. He wants to show us how hard (you have to work) to get to the highest level.''

The Gators will get a chance to show if anything has changed when they host San Diego State in the first round of the NIT Wednesday night.

Gators to host San Diego in NIT

Okay, the fall from grace is official.

After nine straight years of making the NCAA Tournament field and back-to-back national championships, Florida is officially an NIT team.

And they aren't even a No. 1 seed.

The No. 2-seed Gators will host No. 7 seed San Diego State Wednesday at 9 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Should Florida advance, it would take on the winner of the game between Creighton and Rhode Island, to be played in Omaha on Tuesday night.

The Gator Ticket Office will accept ticket orders for Rounds 1 and 2, until 5 p.m. Monday.  Second round ticket orders will only be filled if the University of Florida advances.

All tickets must be picked up at Will Call, located at Gate 1 of the O’Connell Center, beginning Wednesday, March 19.  Office hours will be from 8:30 a.m. until tip off.  Tickets must be picked up by the season ticket holder, who must present a photo ID at the time of pick-up.

To order tickets, please call the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 384-3261 or (877) 428-6742.

SEC tournament goes on in surreal atmosphere

ATLANTA - The SEC men's basketball tournament resumed play at 12:15 today in a scene that can only be described as surreal.

The Alexander Memorial Coliseum at Georgia Tech seats 9,000, but fewer than 1,000 were in the stands when Kentucky and Georgia tipped off in the quarterfinal game that was postponed from Friday night after a tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta and damaged dozens of buildings, including the Georgia Dome. As you can imagine, the majority were from the Big Blue nation.

At haltime, it feels like you're sitting at a high school basketball game that nobody really wanted to attend - including the teams. Kentucky is leading 25-22.

Because of the size of the Georgia Tech arena, only friends and family of the players, coaches and staff, and credentialed media are allowed to attend the games.

Hundreds of fans were seen around Atlanta packing their bags and heading home from local hotels. And as bizarre as it is, the games go on.

No. 1 seed Tennessee will play Arkansas tonight at 6 and the Georgia-Kentucky winner will play Mississippi State tonight at approximately 8:30. The games will be televised live on Ch. 38 (Raycom), FSN Sports and in South Florida on Sun Sports.

The championship game has been moved ahead two hours to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The SEC based its revised format on the fact that the championship game has to be completed before the NCAA Tournament selection show because the SEC champion is an automatic qualifier.

SEC tournament moved from Georgia Dome

After conferring with Atlanta and Georgia Dome officials, the SEC has decided to move the remainder of its men's basketball tournament to Georgia Tech after the Georgia Dome sustained damage due to a possible tornado that tore through downtown Atlanta Friday night.

The Georgia-Kentucky quarterfinal game, which was postponed Friday after the storm struck, will be played at noon today. The winner of that game will have to play Mississippi State tonight in the semifinals.

The other semifinal between No. 4 Tennessee and Arkansas will be played at 6 p.m.

Because Alexander Memorial Coliseum is smaller than the Georgia Dome — 9,100 seats compared to 26,000 in the dome’s basketball configuration — only players’ families and those with working credentials will be allowed to attend the remaining games.

The championship will be held Sunday at 3 p.m.

The decision will be extremely disappointing news, particularly for Tennesseee fans who traveled en masse this year because the Vols are favored to win it all. Tennessee hasn't made it to the semifinals in quite some time. Kentucky fans are also in Atlanta in huge numbers.

The SEC was under pressure to get all three games played on Saturday because the championship game falls on Selection Sunday and is televised by CBS.

At a 1:15 a.m. press conference, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said rescue and construction crews would work through the night to determine if structures were stable enough to allow people back in, inlcuding some apartments in which the floors collapsed under pressure from the storm.

"We are a tourist-friendly city and we love having them here for the basketball tournament and other events . . . but our primary goal right now is to ensure the safety of life and safety of property,'' she said.

Two cloth panels in the upper deck of the Georgia Dome's fabric roof were torn open, and on the outside large chunks of insulation and metal were blown off the building. Other buildings in the area, including the Georgia World Congress Center, the CNN headquarters building and the Omni Hotel all sustained damage.

Fans stunned by major storm that hit downtown Atlanta

Stunned fans are now pouring out of the Philips Arena, the Georgia Dome and a large, formal dental-convention reception at the World Congress Center, surveying the damage of a major storm that tore through downtown Atlanta, bringing wind, rain and hail.

Dozens of people have been reported injured, and nine have been taken to Grady Hospital.

Damaged cars and buildings in the busiest part of downtown Atlanta could be seen throughout the area that houses CNN, the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome.

Glass and debris are strewn all over Centennial Park, which sits in the heart of the area where the SEC tournament is being held. Billboards and metal signs and are strewn all over the street.

Lightning flashes continue and more severe weather is expected, which led to the postponement of the Georgia-Kentucky quarterfinal game of the SEC men's basketball tournament.

Mayor Shirley Franklin issued a statement urging people to stay away from downtown and allow emergency services personnel to do their jobs. Franklin was scheduled to hold a news conference at 1:15 a.m.

Downtown was expected to be bustling on Saturday, including the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the SEC men's basketball tournament.

At about 1 a.m., SEC officials were still meeting with Georgia Dome staff trying to determine whether the extent of the damage will affect the tournament.

Kentucky-Georgia quarterfinal game postponed

SEC officials will release a revised SEC men's basketball tournament schedule Saturday morning after the Kentucky-Georgia quarterfinal game was postponed Friday night due to a suspected tornado that tore through downtown Atlanta.

SEC officials are currently working on details for this unprecedented event.

The decision most likely means Georgia or Kentucky will have to play two games in one day.

The decision did not sit well with some fans, who booed when the announcement was made.

"There are several options out there and we've been in contact with all of the athletic directors of the affected schools,'' associate commissioner Charles Bloom said. "We feel we have a good handle on it.''

Bloom said he was told by Dome officials that one corner of the building was affected more than any other, but no injuries were reported at the Dome.

Along with damage to the roof, some suites in the Georgia Dome were flooded. Building engineers will survey the damage today to ensure it's safe for fans to return.

SEC tournament temporarily halted by severe weather

  ATLANTA - The SEC men's basketball tournament was suspended for one hour and four minutes Friday night after funnel clouds and tornaodo-like weather blew threw downtown Atlanta, causing damage to the Georgia Dome and several other buildings, including the CNN Center and the Georgia World Congress Center.

Alabama and Mississippi State were in overtime of their quarterfinal game when the severe weather came through town. The Bulldogs led 64-61 with 2:11 remaining. Mississippi State eventually won 69-67.

The winds sounded like a locomotive train moving through, and debris could be seen flying through the Atlanta skyline. Traffic came to a near dead stop on the interstate and police and rescue crews could be heard racing throughout downtown.

Portions of the dome suffered structural damage. Officials said they believe the structure can be patched up enough to allow the tournament to continue through the weekend, but won't know the full extent of the damage until construction crews can examine it Saturday morning.

"The people at the Georgia Dome are first class and know what they are doing and are very experienced at this kind of stuff,'' SEC associate commissioner Mark Womack said.

Local weather officials said more severe weather is on the way, but it is expected to be about 10 miles from downtown Atlanta.

Debris could be seen strewn throughout downtown Atlanta, where an Atlanta Hawks game was also being played at the Philips Arena across from the Georgia Dome. The Omni Hotel and Ritz-Carlton in downtown Atlanta were being evacuated due to windows being blown out and structural damage. Florida Power and Light officials said 19,000 people were without power. A water main line broke in the newest addition of the World Congress Center, sending water pouring throughout the building like waterfall.

Atlanta meteorologists have not yet declared it was a tornado that blew through the city, saying tornadoes don't normally go through heavily-populated metropolitan areas. A CNN meteorologist said while it is rare for a tornado to go through an area like Atlanta or New York, it is not impossible.

Furniture from the Omni hotel flew down on portions of the city, knocking out windows and damaging cabs that sat outside the hotel.

Rescue crews could be seen and heard racing through the area, but no fatalities have been reported.

During the delay, players, coaches and officials spent part of the time trying to make contact with family members.

"I tried to call my folks,'' Alabama's Richard Hendrix said. "We all had a lot of family members here. I couldn't get ahold of them, I think everybody was trying to call at the same time. Finally I got a text message from my dad and he said everybody was alright.''

Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said he didn't object to the game being resumed, despite the long delay.

"You have people, that's what they do is examine and make sure the building is okay,'' Gottfried said. "Once they determined that, I didn't have a problem with it. You trust the engineers that they are making the right decision.''

Donovan: Don't look for quick fix next season

If you're one of those people who thinks the Gators are going to automatically be better next season just because they'll be a year older, Billy Donovan said think again.

The Florida coach said after Thursday night's SEC tournament first round loss to sub .500 Alabama that he can't promise the Gators will be better next season with the group of players he has right now. He based that assessment on the fact they aren't much better after 32 games.

"I'm not necessarily really that excited about these guys being sophomores to be honest,'' Donovan said. "I don't see that being - I think people's initial thing is, well, they're going to get older. I never believe in that. I don't think people change a whole lot, and I don't think you've seen the basketball team change at all this year. So it's hard for me to get overly thrilled or excited.''

Donovan said one of the reasons he chose to return to Gainesville was to take on the challenge of "rebuilding'' after losing five starters and five NBA draft picks. And while he admits he knew it wasn't going to be easy, he acknowledged after the game that both talent and effort are an issue with the 2007 Gators.

"I think if you see guys really get better and battle and compete, you say, you know what? They're just young, they're inexperienced. We have some, I think talent issues on the defensive end of the floor, foot speed-wise, that sometimes is not all their fault. But also, I think too, we have a commitment issue, which to me bothers me as a coach because I just got done coaching a group of guys the last two year that were so committed. And to be with this group, I don't think just because they're going to be another year older that all of a sudden, quote-unquote, everything gets resolved. I don't see that.''

Wilber Marshall among nominees for College Football Hall of Fame

Former All-American Wilber Marshall is among 75 players who are nominated and on the official ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Of the 4.6 million individuals who have played college football, only 829 players have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. From the coaching ranks, 178 individuals have achieved Hall of Fame distinction.

Marshall was an All-American linebacker who played for the Gators from 1980-83. He was a first-round draft selection by the Chicago Bears.

To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least ten years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. The candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.

The FBS Hall of Fame Class will be announced live on ESPNEWS at a press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City May 1 and inducted at The National Football Foundation's Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9.  They will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Ind. in the summer of 2009.

Calathes named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year

After a disappointing past few weeks, a little good news for Florida.

Freshman guard Nick Calathes was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, sharing the honor with Kentucky's Patrick Patterson.

The Gators landed three players on the SEC All-Freshman team, voted on by the SEC coaches and announced this morning: Calathes, guard Jai Lucas, and forward Chandler Parsons.

Calathes, who leads the team in scoring with 15.9 points per game, is the only Gator to also make the All-SEC team. He was a second-team selection.

Kentucky's Billy Gillispie and Tennessee's Bruce Pearl shard Coach of the Year honors, while Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado is the league's Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the nation in blocked shots (4.8 per game).

Vanderbilt's Shan Foster was named the SEC Player of the Year.

AAFL battling to stay alive

The All-American Football League announced Thursday it is searching for various financing options to try and keep the fledgling league afloat.

“Every effort is being made to ensure that the '08 season will be played as planned, but this depends upon locating a new majority owner with the needed liquidity, which in turn depends upon the League being able to finalize a TV deal,’’ AAFL senior director of communications Risa Balayem said in a statement. “Otherwise, the inaugural season will be postponed to '09.’’

The league statement said its finances have been indirectly tied to the $300 billion federally guaranteed student loan asset-backed securities market and problems with subprime mortgages, municipal bonds and student loans have exacerbated the financial problems. Ticket sales for Team Florida have also reportedly been far under expectations.

Several former Florida players are scheduled to play on Team Florida, including 2006 national championship quarterback Chris Leak. The team is coached by former Gator Shane Matthews.

UF spring practice schedule announced

All Florida spring practices are open to the public, but fans are not allowed to have cameras.

Here is the Gators' practice schedule, which is subject to change. All practices are scheduled to be held at the Sanders practice field adjacent to the O'Connell Center.

Wednesday, March 19: 3:25 -5:55 p.m.

Friday, March 21: 3:25- 5:55 p.m.

Saturday, March 22: 10:10 a.m. - 12:40 p.m.

Monday,  March 24: 3:55 - 6:25 p.m.

Wednesday, March 26: 3:35 - 6:05

Friday, March 28: 3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 29: 10:10 a.m. - 12:40 p.m.

Monday, March 31, 3:55 - 6:25 p.m.

Wednesday, April 2: 3:25 -5:55 p.m.

Friday, April 4, 3:25 - 5:55 p.m.

Saturday, April 5: 10:10 - 12:40

Monday, April 7: 3:55 - 6:25 p.m.

Florida won't seek legal action if AAFL folds

Florida officials said late Wednesday night they would not try to seek legal action against the All-American Football League if the fledgling Florida franchise is unable to honor its contract to play three games at Florida Field.

The AAFL's board of directors will hold a conference call Thursday with AAFL CEO Marcus Katz to discuss the future of the league and wheter any games will be played this season. Team Florida is scheduled to begin practice in two weeks.

It became evident the league was in trouble when former Team Florida chairman Lee McGriff resigned from his position several months ago. McGriff told the Times he was concerned about the direction the league was headed in and expressed some doubt the league would survive.

Money woes seem to be the league's biggest problem. Katz, the co-founder of the Educational Loan Administration Group, is the primary financial supporter of the league, which is scheduled to pay between $7 million and $10 million for stadium leases, including about $1 million to UF for Florida Field.

Florida associate athletic director Greg McGarity said Wednesday night that because Florida has not used any of its own expenditures in relation to the AAFL, the school would not try to seek legal action for breech of contract if the league is unable to fulfill its contractual obligation based on its lease.

Katz, who cofounded the Educational Loan Administration Group in 1993, is the primary financial backer of the AAFL. He has committed between $30 million and $35 million to the AAFL, but there has been no guarantee of continued financial support beyond March 31.

Several Gators to miss all or part of spring practice

Several Gators will miss all or part of the Orange and Blue spring game due to injuries. Here's a list of who will and won't play when spring practice begins two weeks from today.

SCHEDULED TO MISS ALL OF SPRING:

DT BRANDON ANTWINE (back): Antwine injured his back in the second half of the season and UF coach Urban Meyer said they hope to have him back in the fall, but that's not definite at this time.

OL SIMON CODRINGTON (wrist)

DL JAVIER ESTOPINAN: Underwent his third ACL surgery last season. He's expected to return in the fall, and Meyer said he hopes to get 30-35 snaps per game from him.

OL JAMES WILSON (left knee sprain). OL PHIL TRAUTWEIN: He missed all of last season with a right foot fracture and recently underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his right foot. IF he does anything this spring, Meyer said, it'll be light contact.

OL Maurice Hurt (severe stingers): Will have surgery to remove bone spurs and is expected back in the fall.

SCHEDULED TO MISS PART OF SPRING:

QB John Brantley (left shoulder). Expected to miss the first three days of practice, but return for the remainder.

LB Ryan Stamper (shoulder). Will be evaluated this week and is expected to practice.

OT Matt Patchan (shoulder surgery): Will be eased into spring practice as it progresses, but could be limited.

ESPN GameDay to be at Orange and Blue Game

The crew from ESPN's award-winning GameDay show will be in Gainesville for a live broadcast of the Orange and Blue Spring game on April 12.

ESPN will also televise the game.

To help add to the telecast, Florida coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday there will be several new events this year, including a 40-yard dash contest between junior receiver Percy Harvin and a UF student. Details of the race, and other events, are still being formalized.

"ESPN is doing the spring game. College football is great, isn't it?,'' Meyer said.

Dotson named first-team All-SEC

Junior forward Marshae Dotson was among the First-Team, All-SEC selections, voted by the league coaches Wednesday.

Dotson is the Gators' leading scorer (14.1), rebounder (8.4) and top field goal percentage shooter (55 percent). She had nine double-doubles this season, and also eclipsed the 1,000- point career mark.

Gators pick up second 2009 recruit

Gary Brown, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive lineman from Gadsden Technical Institute in Quincy, became the Gators' second oral commitment for the 2009 class on Tuesday night.

In his junior season, Brown had 26 sacks and 108 tackles, including 84 solo.

“I want to be a Gator,” Brown told Gator Country.com. “. . . I just got that feeling, I just wanted to be a Gator so I called Coach Meyer and I told him. I have been looking at colleges and they say trust your first feeling. It’s just like a dream. I just had to go ahead and trust that feeling.''

Brown chose UF over Miami, Arkansas and Florida State.

Calathes becomes eligible for All-America

GAINESVILLE - Freshman guard Nick Calathes on Tuesday was named to the District 6 All-District team, selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Calathes is among 150 players from 15 districts who are now eligible for the Division I All-America teams, which will be announced on April 5.

Joining Calathes on the District 6 team is: Richard Hendrix (Alabama), Jamont Gordon (Mississippi State), Robert Vaden (UAB) and Demetric Bennett (South Alabama). Calathes is averaging 15.6 points and 6.0 assists per game.

Antonya English, Times Staff Writer

Trautwein to miss part of spring following surgery

Redshirt senior offensive tackle Phil Trautwein will miss part of spring drills after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle.

Trautwein, who had surgery on Feb. 25, is on crutches and in a boot and not expected to be available for the start of spring practice on March 19. However, he has not yet been ruled out for all of spring drills.

The New Jersey native missed all of last season after he suffered a stress fracture in his right foot during preseason drills in August.

The most recent surgery is not related to the previous injury.

Florida suffers tough loss to Mississippi State

The grip on the NCAA bubble has loosened.

Florida's  68-59 loss to Mississippi State Saturday almost assures that the Gators need wins over Tennessee and at Kentucky to keep their NCAA hopes alive.

"It's sad,'' freshman Chandler Parsons said. "It's going toward the end of the year, with everything we're playing for, the things we want to do this year, just to have a loss like that this late in the season just hurts.''

Florida was dominated by Mississippi State's size and the shot-blocking of Jarvis Vernado, the league's best shot-blocker. And when the Gators were focusing on MSU's big men, sophomore guard Ben Hansbrough (Tyler's little brother) made them pay, scoring a team-high 20 points.

"I would think with the way we played today, we had the most athletic team in the United States of America,'' said UF coach Billy Donovan, who said he was disappointed with the way the team exectued, but not surprised.

With such a young team, Donovan said he's never surprised by what happens because every game is a new challenge.

"The word I would never use with our team would be the word consistent,'' Donovan said.

The Gators helped Mississippi State with the victory and the record books. With seven blocked shots in the game, the Bulldogs set a single season school record (227), surpassing last season’s 222.

“Anytime you can go on the road and win, it’s special,’’ Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. "It's never easy here (O'Dome). With so much at stake this time of year, it's not easy. We probably caught them on not one of their better days.''

Stansbury said he believes the Gators should be in the Big Dance.

"Absolutely, Florida is an NCAA Tournament team,'' he said.

About the only Bulldogs who weren't happy after the game were Stansbury's two young sons. After his postgame press conference, one asked, "Are we going to Disney World?"

"No, we're not going to Disney World,'' Stansbury responded.  "Now come on let's go.''

Florida surely had to be happy to see them leave.

More with hoop recruit Ray Shipman

I just spoke briefly with Miami Pace guard Ray Shipman, whose team won the Class 4A state title with an 80-76 victory today over Lakeland Kathleen. Shipman, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, scored 17 points and was named the tournament MVP.

- Shipman said his focus was on winning state this season, not on his future with the Gators: "I wanted to win back-to-back titles." He did that Saturday.

-Although Shipman fouled out in the final quarter of a close game, he said he never lost faith his squad would win: "I knew my teammates would step up."

-The Gators, he said, have given him a list of off-the-court workouts to get in better shape before he arrives in Gainesville: "The coaches call me all the time and tell me what I need to do."

-Shipman said he plans to arrive at UF in June: "I'm getting ready to go up there and help them any way I can."

-Shipman said his entire game needs to improve before he officially becomes a Gator: "Especially my jump shot. I really need to work on that."

-- KEITH NIEBUHR

Gator hoop recruit wins state title; is MVP

Guard/forward Ray Shipman, a Florida Gator signee and Miami Pace senior, will lead his team against Lakeland Kathleen for the Class 4A boys basketball state title at 3:30 p.m. today in Lakeland. The 6-foot-5 Shipman, arguably the least-heralded member of next year's Gator class, is having a sensational season. He enters the final averaging 23.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Shipman led the Spartans to the championship last year, when they beat Katheen 77-58.

I'm here at The Lakeland Center and will have an update for you not long after the game is final. If time permits, I'll also try to do a postgame Q&A with Shipman. By the way, I just spoke to Shipman and said he is, in fact, 6-5 --- not 6-3 as most websites list him at.

An interesting note -- one of the players Shipman will go up against today is 6-2 Kathleen guard T.J. Lawrence. Lawrence signed with the Gator football program in February. He's a four-star receiver.

-- KEITH NIEBUHR