1 » Less than two weeks after freshman guard Chandler Cooper announced she would be leaving the Florida Gators women’s basketball team and transferring to Lipscomb, two more members of the 2012-13 squad have decided to join her in exiting the program. According to The Alligator’s Phil Heilman, freshman guard/forward Sydney Moss will also transfer and junior center Vicky McIntyre, who transferred in last year but did not play the final eight games of the season, plans to leave the program. Moss, a star recruit for the Gators and member of the 2013 All-SEC Freshman Team, started 24 of 37 games, averaging 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. She was also dominant for Florida in the 2013 WNIT, leading the Gators in scoring (19.6 points), rebounding (9.0), assists (4.0) and field goal percentage (.571) during the event. Moss is an exceptionally big loss for head coach Amanda Butler, who was hoping to assemble for next season one of Florida’s most talented teams in years. The Gators signed their first-ever women’s McDonald’s All-American in 2013 five-star F Ronni Williams (Daytona Beach, FL) back in November.

2 » While transfer guard Eli Carter waits to learn if new Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann will sign off on his waiver to play immediately at Florida, he and head coach Billy Donovan have a decision to make. According to his father Dale Carter, who spoke with The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway, Eli has been provided with the opportunity to play for the Jamaican National Team over the summer, a decision the player will let Donovan make. Donovan allowed – and even encouraged – G Mike Rosario to play with the Puerto Rican National Team last summer, a move that helped Rosario improve and mature both on and off the court. Chances are, if Carter desires to spend part of the summer in Jamaica playing basketball, Donovan will approve.

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Moss, Carter, Miller, Bonner

Tags: All-SEC, Amanda Butler, Billy Donovan, Chandler Cooper, Eli Carter, Jamaica, Matt Bonner, McDonald's All-Ameircan, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, NBA, NBA Finals, Ronni Williams, San Antonio Spurs, Sydney Moss, Vicky McIntyre, WNIT, women's basketball

Florida Gators rising sophomore guard Michael Frazier officially made the 12-man cut for the USA Basketball 2013 Men’s U19 National Team led by head coach Billy Donovan and set to compete in the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship from June 27-July 7 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Though the final roster was supposed to be announced on the last day of training camp (June 19), Donovan wanted to get the decision out of the way in order to make sure the Americans had as much practice time as possible before leaving the country.

“Getting down to 12 is the real hard part because in a lot of respects we easy could have kept 14-15,” Donovan said. “There were some tough decisions, difficult decisions, but I think we feel overall that we have selected an athletic and versatile team.

“Our style of play will be an aggressive, up-tempo, running, pressing style. From an execution standpoint we’ve got to get better there, a lot of the other teams over there have been together for quite some time and that’s probably a strength of their teams, so we felt that we have to rely on some athleticism.”

He continued: “Getting [the final cuts] behind us now and going forward we can get our guys focused on being the best team. I think the focus up to this point of time by them has been ‘make the team,’ ‘make the team,’ ‘make the team,’ and we’ve got to now move it towards trying to win.”

Continue Reading » Frazier makes USA Basketball U19 team, joins Donovan at 2013 FIBA World Championship

Tags: Billy Donovan, Dave Werner, FIBA, FIBA Americas Championship, FIBA World Championship, Michael Frazier

Head coach Billy Donovan only holds a pledge from one member of the 2014 recruiting class but has already added the Florida Gators‘ first 2015 commitment when, as first reported by FOXSports.com’s Evan Daniels ($), power forward Kevarrius Hayes (Live Oak, FL) decided on Monday to join the program.

“We came down to Gainesville together last week for a visit and he loved it,” Hayes’s high school coach and University of Florida alumnus, Jeremy Ulmer, told InsidetheGators.com‘s Russ Wood ($). “Florida was his dream school and he told me he was ready. I called Billy Donovan and told him that Kevarrius had something to tell him, then I handed him the phone.”

Hayes, who recently participated in the Nike Elite 100 basketball camp from June 3-9 in St. Louis, MO, was named Suwannee High School’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season. He has drawn comparisons to current Gators PF Will Yeguete for his strong defense and ability to clean up offensively around the basket.

Like Yeguete did as a high schooler, Hayes plays travel-league basketball for head coach Tom Topping and Nike Team Florida. Hayes joins Yeguete, Walter Hodge, Nick Calathes, Chandler Parsons, Scottie Wilbekin and DeVon Walker as recent or current Gators that previously played under Topping.

During his sophomore season at Suwannee, Hayes averaged 11.3 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks per game. Rivals lists him as a three-star prospect (the company’s 2015 rankings have not yet been released), while ESPN currently has him ranked him as a four-star and the No. 58 overall player in the Class of 2015.

Hayes (6-foot-9, 190-pounds) also had early interest from Alabama, Kansas State and Miami. Florida assistant coach Matt McCall, his primary recruiter, helped reel him in.

According to the Suwannee Democrat, he boasts a 3.0 grade point average, served as president of his sophomore class last school year and hopes to attend medical school so he can become a surgeon. He is also a member of the track and field team and currently holds the school record in the high jump.

“Kevarrius has everything it takes to be a major [Division I] player. He has athletic and academic ability, a positive attitude and a great work ethic,” Ulmer told the Democrat on June 12. “He is everything a coach could ask for in a player.”

Tags: Billy Donovan, Kevarrius Hayes, Matt McCall, University of Florida, Will Yeguete

1 » Florida Gators sophomore linebacker Antonio Morrison was released from Alachua County Jail on his own recognizance Monday, nearly 36 hours after he was arrested and charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for simple battery. Morrison, accused of punching a bouncer outside Kava Bar and Hookah Lounge at 1007 W. University Ave. on Sunday morning, is being represented by attorney Huntley Johnson. “At this point, he would enter a plea of not guilty,” Johnson told The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway after his client was released, “but we need to talk to witnesses [first].”

2 » Gators senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin, indefinitely suspended by head coach Billy Donovan on June 10 for a violation of team rules, will not be rejoining the program any time soon. “Right now, he needs to prove that he wants to be part of the team and that this is what he wants to do,” Donovan told Brockway on Monday. “He has to take care of responsibilities. At this point, I don’t really want to address any more about his status until the season starts in October. Hopefully this is something he can learn from.” Wilbekin was suspended at the start of the 2012-13 season for a similar violation of team rules; he missed three games but eventually returned to his role as Florida’s starting point guard. Wilbekin is currently barred from the team practice facility as part of his indefinite suspension.

Donovan also commented to Brockway on the status of a waiver that will be submitted to the NCAA by Rutgers transfer guard Eli Carter, who is looking to play immediately for UF in 2013-14, and the academic eligibility of five-star power forward Chris Walker (Bonifay, FL). Both are works in progress.

CLICK TO EXPAND and read two more BITS in this post.

Tags: Alex Brown, Antonio Morrison, Billy Donovan, Chicago Bears, Chris Walker, Eli Carter, NBA, NCAA, Neal Anderson, NFL, Scottie Wilbekin

Through the 2013 NBA Draft on June 27, former Florida Gators forward Erik Murphy, the team’s leading three-point shooter last season (.453), will be keeping you up-to-date on his Path to the Draft via a weekly blog entry here on OGGOA.

Murphy got in touch with OGGOA on Friday to discuss three more workouts he participated in over the last week. He has at least five more to go, possibly more, before the process concludes next week.

Picking back up from last time I checked in, last Friday I had a workout with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It followed the same format that most of the others did, but it was definitely the hardest one due to the length, intensity and the type of drills they had us running. The focus was mostly on skill work with some shooting at the end. What stood out the most from Cleveland was that it was the nicest facility I have been in so far.

After the workout, I met with Žydrūnas Ilgauskas – the Cavs’ assistant general manager – and other members of the front office. It was a good experience all-around; I definitely had a good experience there.

I got back to Las Vegas, NV, later on Friday and took Saturday off. [Editor’s Note: Murphy is training with Impact Basketball in Las Vegas.]

On Sunday and Monday, I did some light workouts, nothing too strenuous, because I found out I was flying to Portland, OR, Monday night for a workout with the Portland Trailblazers that was added to my schedule for Tuesday.

Continue Reading » Erik Murphy – Path to 2013 NBA Draft: Workouts II

Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Erik Murphy, Houston Rockets, NBA, Portland Trailblazers

1 » Florida Gators redshirt senior linebacker Neiron Ball recovered from the arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that forced him to miss the entire 2011 season, registering 10 tackles (0.5 for loss), two fumble recoveries and an interception last year. In this special feature produced by GatorVision, Ball, his family, doctors, trainers and coaches discuss his recovery and resurgence.

2 » Gators guard Michael Frazier began working with USA Basketball on Friday as one of 25 players trying out for 12 spots on the Men’s U19 National Team that will compete in the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship from June 27-July 7 in Prague, Czech Republic. Along with head coach Billy Donovan, who is serving in the same role for Team USA, Frazier is in Colorado Springs, CO, competing during a five-day training camp; the final roster will be decided on June 19. “Very excited to have the opportunity to get invited and have the opportunity to go play against very talented players and just have the opportunity to be able to represent my country,” Frazier told The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway. “It’s just really fun when I learned the news.”

CLICK TO EXPAND and read two more BITS in this post.

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Billy Donovan, FIBA, FIBA World Championship, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Matt Elam, Michael Frazier, Neiron Ball, NFL, USA, USA Basketball

1 » Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons are two of 27 players that have accepted invitations to participate in the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Mini-Camp from July 22-25 in Las Vegas, NV. Though Parsons does not have much experience competing internationally, Beal was involved with USA Basketball as a high schooler and has represented his country before. Both men will have the opportunity to impress head coach Mike Krzyzewski during the mini-camp in hopes of earning placement on the 2013-16 U.S. Men’s National Team that will participate in international competitions, qualifiers and eventually the 2016 Rio Olympics. Eight of the players that participated in USA Basketball’s mini-camp in 2009 went on to make the 2009-12 team and eventually win gold in the 2012 London Olympics.

2 » Quarterback Tim Tebow is not the only member of the New England Patriots making waves in minicamp. Linebacker Brandon Spikes, who missed all of the team’s organized team activities while training on his own in Florida, arrived on Monday and began working with his New England teammates on Tuesday. “Honestly, I just felt like I was trying to put myself in the best position to compete for a spot on the team and also help this team win a championship,” Spikes told the Boston Globe. “I mean, you guys know me. I frequently do things a little bit different from everybody else. I don’t think they’re bad, or a shocker. Honestly, if everybody in the world was a conformist, it would be a boring place.” Spikes offered a “no comment” when asked about being in the last year of his rookie contract and also addressed the team bringing in Tebow.

“I was happy for him [when I heard he’d been signed],” Spikes said. “He got to get his job back and come out here and compete. So that’s good to see him smile, you know that big smile I’m used to seeing for the last few years down in Florida. … He’s a hard worker, a competitor, and he loves the game and you need guys like that.”

Check out four more BITS of Florida Gators news…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: USA, Tebow, Spikes, Pouncey, Sturgis

Tags: Bill Belichick, Bradley Beal, Brandon Spikes, Caleb Sturgis, Chandler Parsons, Houston Rockets, Miami Dolphins, Mike Pouncey, NBA, New England Patriots, NFL, Olympics, Tim Tebow, U.S. National Team, USA Basketball, Washington Wizards

In addition to bringing back an experienced senior class and talented role players, a big reason why Florida Gators basketball is garnering so much national attention heading into the 2013-14 season is the top-notch recruiting class being brought in by head coach Billy Donovan, one that includes a pair of five-star prospects.

Unfortunately for Donovan and the Gators, one of those two signees is struggling to make it on campus as power forward Chris Walker (Bonifay, FL) still has a ways to go to become academically eligible to play college basketball.

A source close to the program told OGGOA last week that Walker recently passed the FCAT, but as The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway reported on Tuesday, the player still has a number of other hurdles to overcome before he will be able to suit up.

The 6-foot-9 Walker is still taking three academic courses online with the Florida virtual school to finish core requirements, according to his high school coach at Bonifay, Poe White. He also took the ACT for the third time last Saturday. [...]

NCAA initial eligibility is based on a sliding scale that combines grade point average (in 16 core courses) and test scores. The minimum GPA required is 2.0 while the minimum sum test score in the ACT is 37.

With three academic courses and a standardized test still in front of him, it appears unlikely that Walker will be able to join the team for Summer B on July 1 when his AAU teammate, point guard Kasey Hill (Clermont, FL), is expected to enroll.

Whether Walker will even be able to qualify at all remains up in the air.

The Gators hope he is practicing with the team at least by the fall, but he may have to wait until the spring semester. Should that occur, he would likely miss the entire non-conference schedule and begin practicing with the team in hopes of learning the ropes quickly so he can contribute during Southeastern Conference play.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Chris Walker, Kasey Hill