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Gators look to rebound
No. 19 Florida trying to rebuild off NIT season.
By MARK LONG
Associated Press
GAINESVILLE — Last season was a humbling experience for two-time national champion Florida.
The Gators lost eight of their last 11 games in Southeastern Conference play and missed out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade. Coach Billy Donovan even kicked his players out of their $12 million practice facility, trying to get them to appreciate what it took to get a program to this level.
They’re back now, eager to get Florida back on track.
“We know what it feels like to go into the NIT and not to be in the NCAA tournament,” guard Nick Calathes said. “Everyone from last year really wants it. This year, we are going to have our heads straight.”
The Gators, ranked No. 19 in The Associated Press preseason college basketball poll, open play Friday night against Toledo.
They will be without two starters from last season’s team that advanced to the semifinals of the NIT, but have five talented freshmen who could see playing time. Center Marreese Speights left school after his junior year and entered the NBA draft, and guard Jai Lucas decided last week he wanted to transfer somewhere he can play the point and run the offense.
Guards Ray Shipman and Erving Walker and big men Allan Chaney, Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas are expected to help fill the void.
Realistically, Florida could be a year away from making another run in the NCAA tournament, especially with nine underclassmen on the roster, Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin sitting out under NCAA transfer rules and prized recruit Kenny Boynton finishing up his high school career.
But the Gators expect to be better than they were last season, which would be a step in the right direction.
“Last year was a good learning experience,” forward Chandler Parsons said. “We were a really young team and we learned from our mistakes. To start the year already knowing what we have to do in practice and the right ways to prepare for games is already a step above last year.”
With two freshmen in the starting lineup and three more coming off the bench, Florida opened 18-3 last season and was ranked in late January. But a soft early season schedule and a lack of defense caught up with the Gators down the stretch. The two-time defending national champions ended conference play with four consecutive losses and were relegated to the NIT.
The Gators had to practice at an old court inside the O’Connell Center, had to trek across campus for treatment, wear their own clothes to practice and handle the extra loads of extra laundry.
Donovan also increased the intensity of practice, saying his players failed to realize how hard they needed to work, especially on defense, to win games.
“I’m hopeful it was a humbling experience for all of us last year,” said Donovan, whose team rebounded to win three in a row in the NIT. “There’s no way in their mind last year that they didn’t see themselves competing in the NCAA tournament.”
The Gators lost eight of their last 11 games in Southeastern Conference play and missed out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade. Coach Billy Donovan even kicked his players out of their $12 million practice facility, trying to get them to appreciate what it took to get a program to this level.
They’re back now, eager to get Florida back on track.
“We know what it feels like to go into the NIT and not to be in the NCAA tournament,” guard Nick Calathes said. “Everyone from last year really wants it. This year, we are going to have our heads straight.”
The Gators, ranked No. 19 in The Associated Press preseason college basketball poll, open play Friday night against Toledo.
They will be without two starters from last season’s team that advanced to the semifinals of the NIT, but have five talented freshmen who could see playing time. Center Marreese Speights left school after his junior year and entered the NBA draft, and guard Jai Lucas decided last week he wanted to transfer somewhere he can play the point and run the offense.
Guards Ray Shipman and Erving Walker and big men Allan Chaney, Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas are expected to help fill the void.
Realistically, Florida could be a year away from making another run in the NCAA tournament, especially with nine underclassmen on the roster, Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin sitting out under NCAA transfer rules and prized recruit Kenny Boynton finishing up his high school career.
But the Gators expect to be better than they were last season, which would be a step in the right direction.
“Last year was a good learning experience,” forward Chandler Parsons said. “We were a really young team and we learned from our mistakes. To start the year already knowing what we have to do in practice and the right ways to prepare for games is already a step above last year.”
With two freshmen in the starting lineup and three more coming off the bench, Florida opened 18-3 last season and was ranked in late January. But a soft early season schedule and a lack of defense caught up with the Gators down the stretch. The two-time defending national champions ended conference play with four consecutive losses and were relegated to the NIT.
The Gators had to practice at an old court inside the O’Connell Center, had to trek across campus for treatment, wear their own clothes to practice and handle the extra loads of extra laundry.
Donovan also increased the intensity of practice, saying his players failed to realize how hard they needed to work, especially on defense, to win games.
“I’m hopeful it was a humbling experience for all of us last year,” said Donovan, whose team rebounded to win three in a row in the NIT. “There’s no way in their mind last year that they didn’t see themselves competing in the NCAA tournament.”
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