UF officials: Calathes violated no NCAA rules

GAINESVILLE –  University of Florida officials said Friday night that Florida guard Nick Calathes violated no NCAA rules in running up an approximately $600 gambling debt playing online poker.

Calathes, a sophomore from Casselberry, was in the starting lineup in Friday night’s game against Toledo.

"We became aware of certain allegations over the weekend and immediately looked into it,’’ Florida athletic director said. “We reviewed everything very thoroughly and are satisfied with our results. We have no eligibility issues and are very comfortable that this issue is resolved based on our review."

According to NCAA rules, athletic department staff and student-athletes cannot knowingly provide information to individuals involved in organized gambling activities, solicit or accept any bets or participate in any gambling activity that involves intercollegiate athletics. Calathes and other UF players were questioned during the school’s inquiry.

Calathes averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists last season and was named SEC co-freshman of the year.

UF investigating possible gambling?

Florida officials have been investigating a possible gambling incident involving sophomore guard Nick Callathes, according to a repot on Yahoo! Sports.

According to Yahoo!, Florida's internal investigation determined Calathes had approximately $600 in debts for gambling on poker, sources told the website.

The investigation did not find that Calathes or other Florida basketball players bet on sporting events, which would be a violation of NCAA rules, sources said.

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley told Yahoo! Sports on Friday the probe did not find any evidence of wrongdoing that would affect players’ eligibility or impact the school.

Florida opens the season in less than two hours against Toledo at the O'Connell Center.

More on this story as it develops.

Jai Lucas to transfer

Sophomore guard Jai Lucas has decided it's in his best interest to find somewhere else to play basketball.

Lucas and his mother met with Florida coach Billy Donovan today, then made the decision.

"We got a little bit of bad news today with Jai Lucas,'' Donovan said. "He’s decided to transfer. We had the chance to sit down (Wednesday morning) and I had a chance to meet with his mom, too. I feel bad because Jai’s a great kid, he’s got a great family and I think any time a player leaves your program you’re always disappointed. But at the same point I think there was a point where Jai wasn’t totally happy and wanted to try to make it work. And I think there’s probably a lot of contributing factors. One is being far away from home, and not feeling like it’s the best fit for him is how he put it.''

Lucas started all 36 games as a freshman last season, averaging 8.5 points and 2.2 assists per game, and was again scheduled to be a starter.

The son of former NBA player John Lucas, Jai was a McDonald's and Parade All-American who averaged 26.3 points and 7.5 assists at Bellaire (Texas) High.

But the Gators brought in four new players this season who can play the guard position, including Brooklyn native Erving Walker who had 13 points and six assists in an exhibition win over Warner Monday night. And with last week's announcement that prep superstar Kenny Boynton plans to attend Florida next year, the guard position is quickly becoming highly-competitive, and Lucas' role was ever-changing.

"He just wants to get into a situation he feels is a little bit better for him,'' Donovan said.

Gators get Top 10 recruit

Kenny Boynton, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard who is ranked the nation's No. 8 prospect by Scout.com, orally committed to the Gators Thursday evening.

Boynton, of Plantation American Heritage, made his announcement on ESPNU. He chose UF over Duke, Southern Cal, Texas and Georgia Tech.

"I took numerous visits to all the schools, and on my Florida visit I was very comfortable,'' Boynton said.

Boynton averaged 34.5 points per game as a junior last season.

Adam Allen suffers injury setback

Florida sophomore forward Adam Allen has suffered a sprained knee and is out at least one week,'' Florida coach Billy Donovan said Saturday. Adam had an MRI on Friday night,  which did not show any additional damage.

"It looks like it’s a significant sprain and he’ll probably be out about a week right now,'' Donovan said. "I watched the  film and he didn’t land that awkwardly but he kind of came up.''

Donovan said Allen was playing well before the injury.

"Adam has done a good job and Adam’s a physical, tough and strong kid but with him being out right now that makes it more difficult as well,'' Donovan said. "Adam was doing well. He is what he is. He’s a phenomenal shooter, a great kid and a great teammate and a guy that gives you everything he has.''

Donovan said Allen has had to battle other problems, as well, the past two years.

"He does have some asthma where he’s always battling and trying to get in great shape,'' Donovan said. "The one thing about Adam is that he always gives you everything he has and as a coach you’re so much of the time coaching effort, let’s get going. You’re never coaching effort with Adam, which is something you wish all your players would be  like that.''

Dotson, Brooks selected to preseason All-SEC team

The Florida women's basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the league this season, but seniors Marshae Dotson and Sha Brooks were selected to the preseason All-SEC team.

Dotson was voted First-Team All-SEC by the league's coaches last year. The 5-foot-11 forward enters the 2008-09 season with 1,082 career points and 634 career rebounds. In 2007-08, Dotson was UF’s leading rebounder (262, 7.9 rpg), while ranking second for scoring (432, 13.1 ppg), also leading the Gators in field goal percentage (53.1%), free throws made (110) and free throws attempted (162), while ranking third in assists (54) and steals (57). In the 2007-08 SEC statistics for all games, she ranked No. 1 for offensive rebounding (3.42 pg), No. 10 for scoring, No. 8 for rebounding and No. 8 for free throw percentage.

Brooks enters the season having started 91 consecutive games and 94 overall, starting all except one in her career, and has never missed a game. During her first three years, the 5-foot-7 guard has accumulated 1,295 career points and 164 three-pointers, while totaling 2,909 minutes of playing time (30.9 mpg). Last year, Brooks worked on her game and emerged as more of a complete player, averaging 12.3 points, logging 32.2 minutes per game and contributing a team-high 87 assists (2.6 apg),
in addition to ranking second in steals (62) and made three-pointers (48). In the SEC statistics for all games, she ranked No. 13 for scoring, No. 2 for free throw percentage (79.8%, 103-129), No. 14 for steals, No. 13 for three-pointers made and No. 11 for minutes played. She also was UF’s second-leading scorer in SEC games (12.9 ppg), while hitting 36.6 percent (26-71) from the three-point arc.

Vanderbilt was picked to finish first in the SEC, followed by Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Florida. Kentucky is seventh, followed by Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas, South Carolina and Alabama.

Calathes among preseason All-SEC; Gators picked to finish 2nd in East

Sophomore guard/forward Nick Calathes was selected on Monday as a preseason All-SEC selection by a select panel of SEC and national media members.

Calathes is joined on the team by Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, Sr. G Marcus Thornton (LSU), Jr. G Devan Downey (South Carolina) and Jr. F Tyler Smith (Tennessee), who was also the preseason selection for Player of the Year.

The Gators were picked to finish second in the SEC East behind defending champion Tennessee. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Georgia followed. In the West, Alabama was picked to finish first, followed by LSU. Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and Arkansas.

Each SEC school selected two media members that cover their team and six additional writers from across the nation were selected by the conference office to form the 30-member voting panel.

Donovan signs new multi-year contract

Billy Donovan signed a multi-year contract on Friday, 16 months after he backed out of an agreement to coach the Orlando Magic and decided he wanted to remain with the Gators.

The contract has been on the table since last year, but Donovan had yet to sign. Despite speculation about the delay, both Donovan and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley insisted there was no set timetable to sign, and that both sides were amenable to the contract.

Neither Foley nor Donovan were available for comment Friday.

Donovan, who is 285-115 and entering his 13th season with the Gators, has five years remaining on the contract, with an option for a sixth year, according to a copy obtained by The Times Friday evening.

He is set to earn a total compensation package that ranges from $3.3 million this season to $3.77 million in 2012-13. Donovan’s base salary during those years ranges from $195,000 this season to $215,000 in 2012-13. His incentives range from $50,000 for winning the SEC championship to $150,00 for winning a national title.

If Donovan decides to leave before the end of the contract, it will up to $500,000, but if he’s fired, he will receive $2.5 million for every year remaining on the contract. Donovan is also prohibited from exploring other employment options with any other university or professional team without written permission of the UF athletic director.

The contract also includes longevity incentives for approximately $450,000 over the length of the contract and compensation for speaking engagements, radio, television and website, and camps and promotional appearances that range from $2.49 million this season to $2.67 million in the final year of the contract.

SEC Basketball Tournament tickets on sale now

Public tickets for the 2009 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, which will be held in Tampa for the first time in league history, are on sale now.

Fans can purchase tickets through www.SECsports.com or by calling    1-800 732-4849.

The tournament will take place March 12-15, 2009, at the St. Pete Times Forum. Tickets will only be available by purchasing the reserved book for $300, which includes one ticket for each of the six sessions (11 games total).

Hospitality packages for the tournament will be available by contacting the Colonnade Group at (205) 320-1234.

Gators unveil 2008-09 basketball schedule

The 2008 Florida men's basketball schedule will include at least 11 teams that made NCAA appearances last year, and an unusual January out of conference contest against North Carolina State (Jan. 3).

Florida will remain in the state of Florida all of the month of December. Those games include home dates with Florida A&M (Dec. 2), Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 10), Georgia Southern (Dec. 22) and Stetson (Dec. 30).

The annual Florida-Florida State game will be played on Dec. 7 in Tallahassee and the Gators will play UCF at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Dec. 20. The annual MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 28 will include a game against Winthrop.

The Gators will have 19 home dates – 17 regular season and two exhibition games.

Florida opens SEC play at home against Ole Miss on Jan. 10, then play four of their next six on the road traveling to Auburn (Jan.14), South Carolina (Jan. 21), Vanderbilt (Jan. 25) and Tennessee (Jan.
31) around home dates with Arkansas (Jan. 17) and Georgia (Jan. 28). The Vanderbilt game will be televised by CBS, while the Gators’ trip to Tennessee will be a Saturday night 9 p.m. tip on ESPN. Four of the six teams played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Four of the Gators’ six games in February will be nationally televised.

Speights shines in summer league; Donovan happy for him

Former Gator Marreese Speights continues to impress in the NBA summer league.

Speights is averaging 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds with the Philadelphia 76ers.

And remember how stamina and conditioning used to be his biggest weakness? In five games, he's averaging 33 minutes per game.

Florida coach Billy Donovan, believe it or not, says he's not as surprised by Speights' rise since he declared for the draft in early April.

"I think when the process first started, the initial response coming back from the NBA office before all the workouts started, was that he was probably anywhere from 20 to 35, 25 to 40, somewhere in that range.'' Donovan said this week. "I think Stu Jackson and the NBA office do a great job helping you at least get the amount of information that you can at that time, when he first put his name in. I was probably surprised, but as the process was going forward it was very clear that
Philadelphia picking at 16 was really, really interested in Marreese, and really liked Marreese. All it does, it takes one team for a guy to move up. So I think, when the processs started, I thought Marreese if he kept his name in would probably go anywhere from 19 to about 25.

"I think if Philly had passed on Marreese he could have fallen back into the 20s but I'm certainly happy for him and his family because I think he's going to a great organization and he's got a great chance,'' Donovan added. 

Donovan concerned about Dupay

GAINESVILLE - Florida coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday he has been in contact with former star guard Teddy Dupay to express his concern after news broke of Dupay's June arrest on charges of felony rape, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping.

Dupay, 29, has been charged with rape and kidnapping in an incident with a woman at a ski resort in Utah. He was arraigned on Monday in Park City, Utah.

Donovan, who has gained a repuation for keeping in contact with former players, and sometimes helping those who have run into trouble, said he recently spoke with Dupay.

"I had the chance to talk to Teddy a little bit and not get into any
details,'' Donovan said, his first public comment on the incident. "I just touched base with him just to see how he's doing. And we talked. He feels there are some things that he's got to get taken care of that maybe are all not truthful, that's going on right now.''

A former Florida "Mr. Basketball'' out of Cape Coral Mariner High School in 1998, Dupay was part of the Gators' 2000 team that reached the
national title game for the first time in school history. Florida lost 89-76 to Michigan State in the final in Indianapolis.

He eventually left the program amidst scandal after accusations of sports betting prior to his senior season in 2001. He played pro basketball overseas after leaving Gainesville.

"I think any time one of our players goes through something like that, you always feel a sense of concern,'' Donovan said. "For any kid, I think it's a difficult situation. And certainly, I think, for the girl it's a difficult situation. You hate to see anything like that happen and where the truth lies, I don't know. I think it's an unfortunate situation for both parties.''

Ex-Gator Dupay faces rape accusation

Former Florida star Ted Dupay was charged with rape and kidnapping by prosecutors in Deer Valley, Utah, according to the Park Record.

Dupay, who helped the Gators to the 2000 Final Four, is charged with three first-degree felonies for aggravated kidnapping, rape and aggravated sexual assault, the paper said.

Dupay, 29, was arrested and booked into the Summit County Jail June 19, the paper said, after the accusation by a 28-year-old woman with whom he had a two-year relationship.

According to the paper, "Mr. Dupay stated it got 'a little rough' but denied raping her," charging documents filed in 3rd District Court state. "He stated, 'how can you rape someone you love?'"

Dupay posted $40,000 bail and was released, the paper reported.

Speights goes No. 16 to Philadelphia

It turns out, Marreese Speights made the right decision afterall.

The Florida forward/center was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, using the 16th overall pick. Speights became the 10th Gator to become a first round NBA pick, the eighth under head coach Billy Donovan.

"My heart said do it and it came out right,'' Speights said from St. Petersburg Thursday night. "I'm in a good spot right now.''

Speights is the first Gator ever drafted by Philadelphia, while his selection at No. 16 is the seventh-highest pick in school history.

Florida has now had five first round draft picks since 2005, the most of any SEC school, and has had at least one player drafted five of the past six years. The Gators have had four first round picks in the last two drafts alone.

Speights finished second on UF in scoring during his sophomore season, averaging 14.5 points per game. He led the Gators in rebounding with 8.1 rebounds per contest, as well team-highs of 49 blocked shots and 10 double-doubles.

He scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds against Massachusetts in the semifinals of the MasterCard NIT in what would be the final game of his career. In his two-year career, Speights averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and blocked 64 shots.

Speights will leave Friday morning for Philadelphia to begin his new career.

Former Gators helping current stars improve

Around the Florida basketball practice facility these days, the pickup games include three former members of the Gators' two-time national championship team who are trying to help mold a new generation of players.

Al Horford, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey have spent time this summer joining the pickup games with the current Gators, in-between attending summer classes.

It's been great, we've been going real hard,'' sophomore guard Nick Calathes said this week. "We've got just 10 guys, but Lee, Al, and Taurean plays with us so I think they really help us a lot too on the court. Them being at the NBA level helps us a lot.''

Aside from the tough love the former players are showing on the court, Calathes said they have also spent time trying to impart the wisdom of mental toughness to Calathes and his teammates, including Chandler Parsons and Jai Lucas.

"The thing they are trying to tell us most is just (how important) it is to practice everyday, wanting to play every night and getting the freshman coming in just like we are, playing every day,'' Calathes said. And just coming in the gym working out.''

Calathes said he's tried to take on more of a leadership role since the season ended, but ultimately success will be a team effort.

"I've taken on leadership a lot and I've tried to help the guys out, but I think we all know what it's going to take because we've been through it last year,'' he said. "We don't want that same thing happening.''

Donovan to return to Orlando with Gators

Billy Donovan will coach a basketball game at Amway Arena afterall.

Nearly 18 months after Donovan accepted, then backed out of a deal to become the head coach of the Orlando Magic, he and the Gators will play the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 30 at Amway Arena, officials with Florida Citrus Sports announced Wednesday.

It will be the first appearance for the Florida’s men’s basketball team in Orlando since 1997. The Gators have played 11 games all-time in Orlando between  1989 and 1997.

“We are certainly excited to return to Orlando for the first time in over a decade,” Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “The tremendous support we receive from the alumni and fan base in Orlando is extremely important to us, and we’re elated to be able to bring our basketball program to this great Gator city.”

The game will be a homecoming of sorts for Orlando-area natives and Gators Nick Calathes and Chandler Parsons – who led Lake Howell High School to the Florida 5A state championship en route to being named to McDonalds and Parade All-American teams as seniors.

Ticket prices for "Gator Jam" are as follows: Lower Level (Sidelines), $30; Lower Level (Corners/End Zone), $15; and Upper Level (all), $10.  For ticket information or to purchase tickets, call (407) 423-2476 or go to www.Ticketmaster.com after 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 23. 

Will Gators struggle without Speights?

You can argue both ways about whether Marresse Speights is making the right decision by skipping his junior season for the NBA, but ESPN's Andy Katz believes it's the Gators will be hurt more by his departure.

Katz wrote on ESPN.com: Florida may be one big body short in the middle: "The Gators were a likely NCAA tourney team with Marreese Speights in the post. Without him, they may need significant seasons from their incoming freshman post players to make the tournament.''

His departure means the loss of 15 points and eight rebounds per game for the Gators.

 

 

Marresse Speights heading for the NBA

Florida sophmore forward Marreese Speights will not return for his junior season and will enter the NBA draft.

Speights, a native of St. Petersburg, informed coach Billy Donovan of his decision Thursday morning during a conference call. Speights declared for the draft in April, but did not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility for his return. But after numerous workouts with NBA teams, Speights told the Times Thursday morning he believes his best option is to move on.

"It was a hard decision,'' Speights said.. "But we had a good conversation. Coach Donovan understood. He always said he wants what's best for me.''

Speights is expected to sign with agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports, whose clients include Kevin Garnett and Chauncey Billups.

"I completely support his decision, this is what he wants to do,'' Donovan said in a statement. "I wish him nothing but the best of luck on June 26 (NBA draft day) and in the future.''

Speights' advisor and former AAU coach Matt Ramker said following their conversation with Donovan, Speights was even more sure he was making the right decision, which he's been trying to come to terms with the past few weeks based on all the information he has been receiving.

"Coach (Donovan) is very supportive,'' Ramker said. "He wants what is best for these guys. He knows Marreese has the opportunity to help himself and his family and to set them up for the rest of their lives. But it took a lot of conversations with coach and a lot of people the last two weeks so we could make the best decision for Marreese.''

[Brian Cassella, Times files]

Speights continues NBA workouts, nears final decision

Florida center Marreese Speights continued his whirlwind tour of NBA team workouts with a session today with the Indiana Pacers, as he nears a decision on his future.

Over the past two weeks, Speights, a St. Petersburg native, has also worked out for the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns and the Seattle Supersonics.

Speights declared for the NBA draft on April 8, but at the time did not sign with an agent, clearing the way for a possible return to school. But as he continues to impress NBA brass during workouts, there is growing speculation that Speights will not be at Florida next season.

His advisor and former AAU coach Matt Ramker said today Speights has still not signed with an agent and will confer with Florida coach Billy Donovan later this week. Speights has gotten good feedback from NBA officials.

"From some of the information we got, he's done a very good job with conditioning during his workouts and he's performed very well,'' Ramker said.

Speights averaged 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds as a sophomore for the Gators last season. He's been projected anywhere from a mid-first round pick to an early second round in the NBA draft

Ramker said the experience of traveling across the country has been beneficial for Speights.

"It has been a unique experience for him,'' Ramker said. "He's by himself, flying into cities, working out, having dinner, then flying right back out the next day. He's having to be extremely focused. It's been a good experience in preparation for potentially what he'll experience with an 82-game schedule and five or six games in a row.''

Gators make Smart choice

Clemson's Shaka Smart, a well-regarded recruiter, will join the Florida basketball staff as an assistant coach, the school announced. Smart, 31, replaces Lewis Preston, who left late last week for a similar job at Penn State. Smart, originally from Madison, Wis., played at Kenyon College, graduating Magna cum laude in 1999 with a degree in history.

Florida's Speights to skip NBA predraft camp

Center Marreese Speights has decided to decline an offer to participate in this week's Orlando predraft camp, opting to focus on the individual workouts he has scheduled with several teams in early June.

"Marreese is going to take this week to prepare for the individual workouts and get his body healthy, in shape and ready to go into the individual workouts as soon as camp is concluded,'' said Matt Ramker, his advisor and former AAU coach.

Speights (left in photo) declared for the draft on April 8, but has not signed with an agent. Since then, he has been wroking out in preparation for his NBA team workouts. Under NBA rules, which went into effect this season, teams cannot conduct individual workouts until after the predraft camp.

Florida coach Billy Donovan said last week the rule hampers players like Speights, who has been projected anywhere from a Top 10 pick to a late first or early second round pick.

"You've got a point where we finished playing our season over six weeks ago, and there's just no new information,'' Donovan said. "That's the unfortunate part for a lot of these kids.''

Ramker said Speights, who remains academically eligible to return to Florida, and Donovan are expected to meet in mid-June to make a final decision on whether Speights will return to school. The deadline is June 16.

Speights, who averaged 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds, currently weighs 240 pounds and has about seven percent body fat, Ramker said.

In his individual workouts, Speights hopes to dispel his image as a player who lacks endurance.

"I think the biggest thing Marreese is going to need to to show teams as he works out is a level of endurance and stamina,'' Ramker said. "That's something that has been a negative on him. A lot of it was because he didn't have himself in shape during the season and it cost him playing time.

"Pushing him beyond the brink of exhaustion has been a focal point of preparation,'' Ramker added. "The majority of teams that have seen him play know he's a talented and skillful offensive player. They want to see if he can sustain through a 1 or 1 1/2 hour workout. These workouts are not rah, rah, we're clapping for you, we're happy for you. They are trying to make you quit. They want to see what they are working with.''

[Brian Cassella, Times files]

Jonathan Mitchell chooses Rutgers

Former UF forward Jonathan Mitchell has decided to transfer to Rutgers, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.

Mitchell, a 6-foot-7 former Mr. Basketball in New York State, chose Rutgers over Seton Hall and Marshall, according to the report.

“In the end it just came down to where he felt the most comfortable,” Herb Mitchell, Jonathan’s uncle, told the Daily News. “With the coach, the players and the style of play. This was the right fit.”

Mitchell must sit out one season per NCAA transfer rules.

Vernon Macklin arrives on campus

Former Georgetown center/forward Vernon Macklin's transfer is complete and he's currently attending classes on the Florida campus, coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday.

The 6-foot-9 Macklin began classes Monday in a whirlwind weekend.

"He's here right now,'' Donovan said. "It's been really a quick turnaround for him. He had a final exam on Friday, and then we started summer school on Monday. And Georgetown was very cooperative and they got his grades to us very, very quickly so he's here, he's enrolled.''

Macklin averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in nearly 13 minutes at Georgetown as Hibbert's backup.

"My only view of Vernon is what I watched on him on film at Georgetown and remembering him when he was in high school,'' Donovan said. "He certainly provides a lot of athleticism to our front court and provides a lot of experience. He's a guy that's played in a program that's been to the Final Four and played in a program that's been ranked in the Top 10 all year.''

Although Macklin must sit out one season, Donovan said he's hoping his prior experience will be helpful for the young Gators.

Probably the thing I've talked to him most about is taking the experiences he's had at Georgetown to help some of these young guys in our program,'' he said. "But he's got to get adjusted, too, to being here and fitting in with his teammates. He's a really nice kid. I think he realizes he was probably a young man coming out of high school with this huge, huge reputation. Then coming there playing alongside Jeff Green and Hibbert, those two guys are really, really good players. It was a situation where he wasn't geting a chance to play as much, but a lot of that had to do with he was around good players. So I think he's goign to try to utilize this year to really try to get better and improve and maybe live up to some of his own individual expectations of what he believes he can become as a player.''

Horford headlines NBA All-Rookie team

Former Gator and current Atlanta Hawks star Al Horford was the only unanimous selection to the NBA's 2007-08 T-Mobile All-Rookie team, announced Tuesday.

Horford received 58 points, followed by NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, who received 57.

Former Gator Joakim Noah was first among the also received votes list with 17 points and Corey Brewer picked up three points.

For the rest of the team, check out this link.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3394654

Horford, Green back in Gainesville

Former Gators Al Horford and Taurean Green are back in Gainesville for a portion of the summer. The two are attending Summer “A” classes, making good on their promise to return and earn their degrees after leaving at the end of their junior season.

Horford is coming off a phenomenal NBA season, which included a berth in the NBA playoffs with the Atlanta Hawks and NBA rookie of the year runner-up. Horford played in 81 games and started in 77, including seven playoff games. He averaged 10.1 points and 9.7 rebounds during the regular season, 12.6 and 10.4 respectively in the playoffs.

Green was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers, but finished the season with the Denver Nuggets. He played in 17 games this season.

-- ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer

Georgetown's Macklin to join Donovan's squad

  GAINESVILLE – Vernon Macklin, the backup center to Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert the past two seasons, has decided to transfer to Florida.

  Macklin spent two days on campus this past week and made his final decision on Friday. Clemson was reportedly among the top of the list of several schools he was considering.

  The 6-foot-9, 230-pound sophomore is a former teammate of Gators’ center Marreese Speights at Hargrave Military Academy. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds, but because he was behind Hibbert, he played just 12.8 minutes per game. A former McDonald’s All-American, he is expected to be in Gainesville in time for summer classes. If the Gators lose Speights to the NBA, Macklin won’t be able to step in and offer some experience at the position because by NCAA rules he must sit out the 2008-09 season.

  Coming out of high school, Macklin was ranked No. 17 by scout.com and No. 37 in the nation by Rivals.com.

Mitchell receives permission to transfer

Florida forward Jonathan Mitchell has asked for and received permission to transfer, school officials said Friday.

Mitchell played in all 35 games this season with one start. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-7 Mitchell was a highly touted recruit who averaged 19.5 points and nearly eight rebounds and led Mount Vernon (New York) High to a Class 4A state title. But he never seemed to find his place on the Gators' squad. He showed signs at times of the talent he possessed in high school but never had any consistency with the Gators.

Antonya English, Times Staff Writer

Speights will enter NBA Draft

Florida sophomore center Marreese Speights has decided to enter the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent.

By taking this route, Speights, a St. Petersburg native, is leaving open the option of returning to school.

Speights finished the season as the Gators' second-leading scorer (14.5) and top rebounder (8.1). He had a team-high 10 double-doubles on the year, including a16-point, 18-rebound effort against UMass in the NIT semifinals.

“Marreese has informed me that he would like to explore his future options in the NBA,” UF head coach Billy Donovan said in a statment. “I will do whatever I can to help Marreese gather all necessary information to make an educated decision.”

-- Antonya English, Times Staff Writer

Gator target is Parade All-American

Plantation American Heritage shooting guard Kenny Boynton Jr., a player the Florida Gators are said to covet, has been named to the Parade All-American boys' basketball fourth team. Boynton, who averaged a state-best 34.5 points per game, was the only player from Florida selected. He is rated No. 7 in the Class of 2009 by Rivals.com.

To read more about Boynton, go HERE.

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.''

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.

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.

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

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.

Kentucky's Patterson out for the season

Kentucky freshman Patrick Patterson has suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle and will miss the reaminder of the season.

Patterson, the league's top scorer (16.4 ppg), underwent an MRI Friday morning and the injury was discovered. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, according to a statement released by the school.

After struggling the first two months of the season, Kentucky managed to rebound and currently is in second place in the SEC East behind Tennessee.

Patterson was the Wildcats' most dominant player in the post, and his loss is a huge blow to Kentucky's late-season push to make it into the NCAA tournament.

UF in need of more wins, expert says

Last night's 77-64 road win over Georiga may have gone a long way in bolstering Florida's NCAA championship resume, but the Gators still have work to do, at least one expert said Thursday.

Joe Lunardi, the ESPN Bracketologist, said the Gators need to win at least one of their remaining regular season home games if they want to feel more comfortable heading into Selection Sunday. Florida (21-7, 8-5 SEC) will host Mississippi State at 4 p.m. Saturday, then host Tennessee next Wednesday. Florida closes out the regular season at Kentucky.

"They've got to get at least one of them,'' Lunardi said. "They can't lose two home games . . . and then go to Kentucky, which is going to be just as desperate, if not more.''

Lunardi said winning two home games would be much better for the Gators. If they split the final home games, they may have a lot of work to do in the SEC Tournament, Lunardi said, working under the assumption that a win at Rupp Arena will be very tough for the Gators to pull off.

For now, Lunardi said, the Gators aren't in dire straits, but they aren't a lock for the tournament by far. Florida is being helped by the faltering of some other teams down the stretch.

"I think winning the road game (at Georgia Wednesday night)  was a great start,'' he said. "The other great advantage I think Florida has at this moment is the bubble is really soft. Typically at this time of year more teams are playing their way out than in but if you look at  the bubble listings - last four in and last four out over the last week or two - nobody's winning any games. Or so it seems. At least three out of four are losing, it seems to me right now. So if Florida can just win the games they are supposed to win and not get a bad loss early in the SEC Tournament I think they'll find themselves in the bracket.''

Gators return to action after week off

Florida's week-long bye ends tonight at Georgia, in a game the Gators desperately need to win.

Florida hasn't played since last Wednesday, and coach Billy Donovan said he's unsure just how much the team accomplished with the break. Donovan said taking a week-long break in February presents different challenges than one in November or December after a team has been working with an established routine for four nearly four months.

"We pretty much get into a set routine where we play Wednesday-Saturday or Tuesday-Saturday and you’re going to have two games during the course of the week,'' Donovan said. "So in reality, you look at this week off and say "gee they had a lot of time', when we really didn’t have a lot of time.''

Following last Wednesday's win over South Carolina, Florida took an NCAA-mandatory day off Thursday because they had practiced on Sunday of last week following the Vanderbilt loss. They practiced on Friday and Saturday, then took this past Sunday off to get back on their regular practice rotation.

"So in reality, we had two days and one day was really spent dealing with some mental things and the second was spent playing and practicing,'' Donovan said. "But the combination and balance between keeping them mentally fresh and excited and enjoying coming into the gym, that was important to us. I think sometimes I’ve seen teams that don’t really enjoy this time of year. So I don’t know what we got accomplished. I felt like we did do some things, but how much improved or helped our team was with the week off, I don’t know.''

The Gator players know they are in a precarious situation, with games against league-leading Mississippi State and Tennessee on the horizon.

"We feel like we’re in a must-win situation,'' freshman forward Alex Tyus said. "This is a game we feel like we definitely need to win. All the games (remaining) we feel like we need to win. But we’re mostly concentrating on the game ahead of us.''

Tyus, Speights combination may see more playing time

It’s most likely not a combination you could see using for an extended period of time, at this point but it’s possible you’ll see more of freshman Alex Tyus and sophomore Marreesse Speights on the floor at the same time.

Billy Donovan has been experimenting with two big-man combination with a bit of success. At 6 has been  foot-8, Tyus offers some much-needed height and physical play along with Speights inside the paint.

“I think that it's something that can be good for our team,’’ Donovan said. “I don't know how many minutes we can do it. There are a lot of dilemmas when you talk about trying to do that because you're dealing a freshman in Alex that's having to move into a different position and there's a lot of different responsibilities when you talk about inbounding the ball, things that we do offensively. There's probably an adjustment period if you're going to try to do it some. Certainly he provides a little bit more athleticism for us but besides the physical part of it there's also a mental side of it too, where it can be challenging for a young guy playing multiple positions. I think Alex has gotten better at it, he's improved, it's something we looked at and we want to try to continue to develop and work on. Not only for this year's team but also for Alex and our team's growth in the future.’’

For Tyus, just getting on the floor is enough incentive to learn to play multiple roles for the Gators, even if he's not totally comfortable.

“Just playing and getting experience is what I’m most happy about, playing in my first year,’’ Tyus said. But it’s different because I’m playing against guys that are bigger than me, playing against them all the time. I guess you could say playing out of position isn’t that bad for right now.’’

Gators to face much better Vanderbilt team

Expect Florida to face an improved Vanderbilt team when the Gators travel to Nashville on Saturday for a 3 p.m. game against the Commodores.

According to Vandy coach Kevin Stallings, the Commodores are better than the team that came to Gainesville and got trounced last month.

Vandy has won four of its last five games and is on a four-game winning streak since losing to the Gators 86-64 on Jan. 27. They enter Saturday's game after dismantling Kentucky 83-52 on national television Tuesday night.

"We’re playing a little better and had a good performance on Tuesday night,'' Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "I think that defensively we’ve gotten a ltitle better over the last few weeks, and we seem to be taking better care of the basketball, and those were the things that were plaguing us early on. Hopefully we’ll continue to improve in those areas and we can continue to become a better basketball team. It’s a long season and you have your ups and your downs. You have to do your best to stay as even keeled as possible. And hopefully our guys understand you can’t get too up with a big win or too down with a big loss.''

Florida coach Billy Donovan said he expected the Commodores gradually improve, particularly since because of the brutal schedule they've played. Vandy played six of its first nine SEC games on the road.

:Certainly Vanderbilt is playing great basketball right now,'' Donovan said. "You’ve got to give them a lot of credit with the way their schedule played early, and they are going to make that up on the back end. All year long they have played terrific at home. It’s a tough game for us against one of the better teams in the league who’s really playing well right now.''

Florida (19-6, 6-4) is coming off a loss to LSU at home, and struggling, having lost three of its last four games.

Vanderbilt is 15-0 this season at Memorial Gymnasium, and has won 28 of its last 29 games at home.  Don't think for one moment they aren't looking for payback for the way the Gators embarassed them in Gainesville.

"We look forward to antoher chance with Florida because obviously the first time they handled us in very easy fashion and very thoroughly,'' Stallings said. "So hopefully we can play better this time.''

No easy answers for what ails Gators

If you've been watching the Florida basketball team, I mean REALLY watching them, then Wednesday night's collpase against LSU probably didn't come as much of a surprise.

Forget all the harping about poor defense coach Billy Donovan has been doing, everybody else has seen it, too. Heck, even some of you have posted on this site about how bad the defense has been in some games.

Now that they've lost three of the last four games by a total of 53 points, the question is: how do the Gators fix it? And can they do it quickly?

Donovan said he has no idea. It's not like he can go out and play for them.

When asked what's his best defensive unit, Donovan quipped it's himself, assistant coaches Larry Shyatt and Rob Lanier, team trainer Duke Werner and strength coach Matt Herring. Actually, I'm not sure how much of a joke that was.

One of his problems, Donovan said, is that of his nine scholarship players, "We have one team that's better outscoring people and we have one team that's better (defensively), that is maybe offensively challenged.''

If you talk to the players, they are saying all the right things, even if it's not showing up on the court.

"We've got to want it,'' freshman Nick Calathes said. "It's got to be about heart.''

Actually, talent would help, too, Donovan said.

"I do think defense is a talent,'' he said. "But we can make up with that with intelligence, toughness and heart. . . I'm not saying we can be a lock-down defensive team, but they can do better.

Make no mistake, Donovan isn't putting all the blame on the players. The coaching staff is seemingly stumped by this one.

"I've got to take some level of responsibilty because whatever I'm doing, it's not registering,'' he said."We try to as a coach, talk about the things that are preventing you from becoming the best you can come. We beat Georgia by 10 and people were surprised how I talked about our defense. . . Our best defenders are Dan Werner, Jonathan Mitchell and Walter Hodge. I would start with those three guys first, then I would say some of the other guys need to get better.''

And while Donovan refuses to talk about the NCAA Tournament or any postseason, it's an issue for Florida. Conventional wisdom says an 8-8 league team that is the defending national champion (okay, even if name only), gets in. But getting to 8-8 isn't a given for this team. They've shown that home-court isn't necessarily an advantage. And they still have South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi State at home and Georgia and Kentucky on the road. Donovan may not be thinking beyond Saturday's game at Vandy, his comments don't bode well.

"I don't think we're doing a good enough job at this level of competition to put ourselves in a position to win,'' he said.

Donovan, Gators prepare for the unexpected tonight

When he was heading into his senior year of high school and trying to decide where he wanted to attend college, Florida forward Chandler Parsons considered attending  LSU.

The biggest reason? LSU coach John Brady.

So Parsons is among the many, including Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and Florida coach Billy Donovan, who expressed disappointment over Brady's firing last week - two years after he got the Tigers to the Final Four.

"I love coach Brady,'' Parsons said. "He’s a wild dude, he’s a fun guy, he’s a great recruiuter.  He got his team to the Final Four two years ago. They are missing Tasmin Mitchell so they are having a tough year right now, but it’s just unfortunate.''

Parsons said Brady's firing reminded players of just how fragile the coaching profession can be.

"It’s a business,'' he said. "It’s a job and it’s tough. He’s having a down year, but I’m sure he’s not doing anything different, I’m sure he’s not trying to lose or trying to have a rebuilding year.''

Donovan said after Saturday's win over Georgia that he found it hard to believe LSU would fire Brady simply over wins and losses, considering the Tigers have been hit hard by injuries. He said although Brady "rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,'' he always liked him and the two had "a very good relationship.''

Florida will host LSU tonight at 8, and the UF coaching staff has been trying to warn the Gator players not to take the struggling and potentially emotionally battered Tigers lightly.

"I  have great respect for John Brady as a coach and the relationship that we developed,'' Donovan said Monday. "I hope he is happy and doing okay. Coach (Butch) Pierre has taken over, and he has been with John for a long period of time. In terms of knowing the system and coaching, he knows what to do. There is no question he will bring a lot of enthusiasm and excitement to their team. Beside the emotional
things that they’re dealing with, I think they are an extremely talented team. . .  They’re long. They’re athletic.They’re a hard team to guard. They present a lot of problems in a lot of different areas. I think where they are at right now; their league record is not really any indication of where they are at.''\

Freshman guard Jai Lucas is a friend of LSU's Anthony Randolph. And although he hasn't had a chance to speak with Randolph about the situation, Lucas said the Gators are expecting to face an angry team tonight.

"There's no advantage, if anything you have to be more focused because they're playing pissed off and when somebody's playing pissed off you never know what's going to happen,'' Lucas said. "You have to be on edge the whole time.''

Parsons comes up big in win over Georgia

After a week dedicated to nothing but trying to break out of a miserable shooting slump, freshman guard Chandler Parsons had his best effort since the SEC season began, scoring a team-high 18 points in the Gators' 77-67 victory over Georgia Saturday afternoon in the O'Connell Center.

After going 1-for-9 in the last five games, Parsons spent the week working on his shot, sometimes staying in the gym until 2 a.m.

"These last couple games it's been real aggravating not making a shot,'' he said. "I figured out ways to contribute to the team when my shot's not falling but it's always a good thing when it's falling. My shot hasn't been falling lately, but I've been coming in late and early and getting in extra work. I actually came in this morning with coach (Lewis) Preston and I got some shots up. Went 70 for 100, so I felt good coming in to the game tonight.''

Florida (19-5, 6-3 SEC) rebounded after losing its last two games to Arkansas and Tennessee by 19 and 22 points respectively.

“No matter who you are, you get tired of losing and the way we lost made it even worse,’’ said freshman guard Jai Lucas, who had 13 points. “We really just did whatever it took to win. And being at home helped us a lot.''

Sophomore forward Dan Werner had a career-high seven steals, which also tied an O'Connell Center record.

“We needed this one, especially after the last two games,’’ Werner said. “We’re not going to be the biggest or the most athletic team, so we have to play good defense. Guys have got to make a decision whether we want to guard or not. That's the only way we can win is to guard. I think we're starting to figure it out. We have a long way to go but slowly but surely we're starting to figure out we have to guard if we want to win.’’

Georgia will face Gators without key player

Florida coach Billy Donovan said he's preparing his team as if Georgia guard Billy Humphrey will play, although it's u