In a decision that has seemingly been coming for quite some time, five-star 2011 guard recruit Austin Rivers (Winter Park, FL) has officially decommitted from the Florida Gators and decided to open up his recruitment.

“I have reopened my recruitment as of last night,” Rivers told TheDevilsDen.com [paid subscription required]. “I have decommitted to Florida at this time. I still really like them, but I needed to go ahead and reopen things right now. Right now I’m looking at three schools: Duke, Florida and North Carolina. I may open it up a little more later on, but right now it’s just going to be those three programs. I have a long history with both Duke and Florida. North Carolina is trying to recruit me as well. So, we’ll see what happens.”

There should be no question that the Duke Blue Devils’ recent success in winning the 2010 NCAA Championship made some impact on Rivers’ decision. Nevertheless, he claims his affection for Florida is unwavering.

“It’s only right to look at other schools just to compare,” Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel. “I still love Florida the same. Coach Donovan, he respects it. I still have the same relationship. They didn’t do anything.”

“When people hear the word de-commitment, they think I’m not going there anymore, but Florida’s still a very possible option for me. This process will help me see where I’m at with Florida.”

OGGOA will continue to stay on top of Rivers’ recruitment as more information is made available and he nears a final decision.

Photo Credit: Rivals.com

Tags: Austin Rivers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida Gators, NCAA Championship, North Carolina Tar Heels

From falling to the Brigham Young Cougars in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament and losing sophomore guard Ray Shipman to transfer to being a name rumored in two head coaching openings (St. Johns, Oregon) while recruiting players for his 2010 and 2011 classes, Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan has had plenty on his mind in recent weeks.

Speaking with the media Wednesday, Donovan appeared somewhat distraught at losing Shipman, a “great kid” who he empathizes with and would take back “in a heartbeat.”

Read what Donovan said about Shipman and the team’s future after the break!
Continue Reading » Billy Donovan on Shipman, recruiting, coaching

Tags: Bernie Machen, Billy Donovan, Jeremy Foley, NCAA Tournament, Oregon Ducks, Ray Shipman, St. John's Red Storm, University of Florida

Florida Gators junior forward Alex Tyus has submitted his name into the 2010 NBA Draft but will not to hire an agent. Tyus, who has until May 8 to remove his name from consideration if he should so choose, thought about transferring away from Florida last season but was convinced to stay by head coach Billy Donovan.

“Mainly, I just want to see where I stand [with the NBA Draft Advisory Committee],” Tyus told The Gainesville Sun. “I want to go through the process, getting a chance to meet with some teams, working out against other players, trying to get better.”

Tyus, who explained to The Sun that he will likely stay in Gainesville, FL, unless he is projected to be a first-round pick, is the third UF basketball player in as many years to submit his name for consideration (Marreese Speights – 2008, Nick Calathes – 2009).

“It’s definitely a situation where I’ll have to think quicker,” he said. “Making that decision, that’s not really the goal right now. I just want to work out and see how I can get better.”

Averaging 11.8 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds (tied with Chandler Parsons) in 2009-10, Tyus developed well as a forward this past season but will likely be told by teams that he needs another season to work on his game.

The Sun reports that “Tyus can begin to work out for NBA teams on April 25 and cannot miss class during workouts. But because UF’s classes are over, Tyus will be able to take part in mid-week workouts until May 8. Tyus would have to schedule some workouts between final exams from April 24-30.”

Photo Credit: Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Draft, Draft Advisory Board, Marreese Speights, NBA, Nick Calathes

1 » Numerous college basketball analysts are predicting that Florida Gators basketball will have a strong 2010-11 season. In fact, many have even placed the Gators in their top 10 early preseason rankings. ESPN‘s Andy Katz takes a balanced look at Florida basketball in his latest piece:

13. The Gators return the entire core of their team, led by a backcourt that was underrated at times with Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton. Add a rising clutch shooter in Chandler Parsons and a top-10 recruiting class led by Patric Young and Casey Prather and it’s no wonder the Gators are confident they have turned the corner with their NCAA bid this season. Florida could be the pick in the SEC.

2 » The Gators appear to be leaving no stone unturned when it comes to backcourt help for the future. Potentially making a push for an Auburn commitment, Florida is also looking at potentially receiving a transfer from Rutgers. Sophomore guard Mike Rosario, who is “considering” transferring from the Scarlet Knights if head coach Fred Hill is fired, has the Gators as one of his top options. “It sounds like [transferring is] what he wants to do,” Rosario’s family friend and old coach Rex Durso told ZagsBlog.com. “Florida, USC and Michigan State are places he’s looking at.”

Photo Credit: Rob Tringali

Tags: Casey Prather, Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Fred Hill, Kenny Boynton, Mike Rosario, Patric Young, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

1 » When mentioning Florida Gators redshirt junior starting quarterback John Brantley, the first thing that comes to the mind of most is simply: “How will he follow Tim Tebow?” Brantley, to his credit, says that is not his goal – even if the comparisons will be there from the get-go. “He knows he’s going to be compared to Timmy and that’s OK, that’s part of the deal,” his father John Brantley, Sr. told USA Today. “But I keep telling him, ‘Be yourself. Don’t be Tim Tebow. Don’t be someone you’re not. You’ve been successful at every level. Don’t change.”

2 » Florida senior center Mike Pouncey has taken his new leadership position seriously. So much, in fact, that he proclaimed boldly to USA Today that no foolishness will get by under his watch. “We had a lot of things going on [last year] that we shouldn’t have had and we got away from being the team,” Pouncey said. “We lost a lot of our star players, guys with big names. We don’t have any prima donnas. Anyone who is going to step on that field is going to have something to prove. […] We’ll take care of [any prima donnas]. We’re not having that this year.”

3 » The Cleveland Browns seemingly hoped to kill two birds with one stone Tuesday as they hosted former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and cornerback Joe Haden at the team’s complex in Berea, OH. According to The News-Herald, team president Mike Holmgren has “made it clear the Browns will take a quarterback in the draft;” whether or not that will be Tebow remains to be seen. Also in attendance was former Rutgers CB Devin McCourty, considered the fourth-best at his position. The team could choose him in a later round should they pass on Haden at No. 7 overall.

4 » The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway, citing a story published by the Knoxville News-Sentinel earlier this week, reports that Florida basketball has inquired about 2010 three-star point guard recruit Jalen Steele (Knoxville, TN). Steele, who committed to the Auburn Tigers in September, is looking to get out of his letter of intent after the team fired head coach Jeff Lebo.

Tags: Auburn Tigers, Cleveland Browns, Devin McCourty, Jalen Steele, Jeff Lebo, Joe Haden, John Brantley, Mike Holmgren, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Tim Tebow

1 » Looking for a new home after being cut outright by the Chicago Bears, former Florida Gators defensive end Alex Brown is making the rounds. Visiting Tuesday with the New Orleans Saints, Brown has also scheduled a meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. With the Saints, Brown would likely receive a starting job should he be amenable to their contract offer.

2 » From OGGOA on Oct. 14, 2009:

University of Florida men’s basketball head coach Billy Donovan will be honored with the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching Award” on April [9,] 2010. This award recognizes successful coaches who exemplify Wooden’s high standards of integrity on the court. Winners are selected based on character, success, student-athlete graduation rate and coaching philosophy. Donovan will be one of only four active coaches who have both guided teams to multiple NCAA National Championship titles (20006, 2007) and received this honor. The others are the Duke Blue Devils’ Mike Krzyzweski (4), North Carolina Tar Heels’ Roy Williams (2) and Connecticut Huskies’ Jim Calhoun (2). Donovan is 333-139 (.706) in 14 seasons as coach of the Gators with 12 consecutive 20-win seasons, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and three SEC Championships.

Tags: Alex Brown, Billy Donovan, Chicago Bears, Duke Blue Devils, John Wooden, Legends of Coaching Award, Mike Krzyzweski, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, University of Florida, Wooden Award

On the eve of the 2010 NCAA Championship between the Duke Blue Devils and Butler Bulldogs, OGGOA thought it would be a good time to take a look at the Florida Gators‘ back-to-back National Championship victories in 2006 and 2007. Enjoy.

Tags: Butler Bulldogs, Duke Blue Devils, Florida Gators, National Championship, NCAA

1 » Former Florida Gators forward/center David Lee, now in the middle of an excellent career in the NBA with the New York Knicks, scored a season-high 37 points along with 20 rebounds and 10 assists Friday night for his first career triple-double. Though New York fell to the Golden State Warriors on the road, Lee made NBA history by becoming the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to go 30-20-10 in points, rebounds and assists, respectively. Lee will be a free agent this summer, and it appears unlikely that he will return to the Knicks due to their decision to go after “bigger” names.

2 » Following a victory in their first game of the series, No. 8/11 Gators baseball (20-6, 6-2 SEC) clinched its weekend series against the No. 20/17 Vanderbilt Commodores (23-6, 4-4 SEC) with a 7-3 win Saturday at McKethan Stadium. Freshman starter Brian Johnson (3-1) controlled the entire game, pitching 5.2 innings of one-run ball while going 3-3 from the plate with a run. Senior outfielder Matt den Dekker went 2-4 with two runs, and sophomore OF Daniel Pigott nabbed three RBI with a two-run homer in the second inning. Game three of the series is currently underway (as of press time).

Read about softball’s doubleheader and lacrosse’s landmark victory after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: David Lee, baseball, softball, lacrosse

Tags: ALC, Ashley Bruns, baseball, Brian Johnson, Daniel Pigott, David Lee, Ensley Gammel, Francesca Enea, Golden State Warriors, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kelsey Bruder, lacrosse, LSU Tigers, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, Michelle Moultrie, NBA, New York Knicks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Pressly Stadium, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, Vanderbilt Commodores