One of three former Florida Gators basketball players in the process of training and preparing for the pre-draft camp in Chicago, IL and the 2013 NBA Draft in June, four-year forward Erik Murphy has agreed to join ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive as a guest blogger to chronicle his entire process from now through the draft.

Murphy will check in with OGGOA each week to discuss what he is up to in his quest to raise his stock and continue his basketball-playing career on the professional level.

Readers will be able to tag along as Murphy trains privately in Las Vegas, NV, participates in the NBA’s pre-draft camp, travels across the country to meet with individual teams and is hopefully selected at some point on Thursday, June 27.

Set to graduate in May with a degree in recreation and event management, Murphy started for the second-straight year and led the Gators in three-point shooting (.453) during the 2012-13 season. He was also the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.2 points per game and was third in rebounding with 5.5 per contest.

He fought through multiple injuries (including a broken rib) and ailments throughout the campaign yet only missed a single game.

Murphy is the seventh former Florida player to guest blog for OGGOA. Offensive lineman Shannon Snell and catcher Teddy Foster currently write columns about football and baseball, respectively. Safety Josh Evans is wrapping up his tenure as a guest blogger detailing his path to the 2013 NFL Draft. Prior contributors include quarterback Danny Wuerffel (football), guard Adam Allen (basketball), and forward Chandler Parsons (basketball), who was the first to blog his path to the 2011 NBA Draft.

Keep a look out for Murphy contributions, which will begin after the NFL wraps up its draft, exclusively here on OGGOA in the coming weeks.

You can also follow Erik Murphy on Twitter by clicking here.

Tags: Draft, Erik Murphy, NBA

1 » Rutgers Scarlet Knights sophomore guard Eli Carter, who received his release from the school last week and plans to transfer, met with Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan in his home on Monday, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Carter has a number of teams interested in receiving him as a transfer including Duke, Maryland and Texas, but Florida has a lot going for it in this particular situation. Like former Gators guard Mike Rosario and current assistant coach Rashon Burno, Carter spent his youth playing at St. Anthony’s High School in New Jersey under head coach Bob Hurley. The relationship between Donovan and Hurley goes back a ways and having Burno in the fold certainly does not hurt. “I think with Rashon Burno there and two guards leaving, one guard signed, [Kasey] Hill is the only guard coming in, they can I think talk to him about playing time,” Hurley told Zagoria. “When you transfer you have to go someplace where you’re gonna play. You can’t go someplace and play less than you did where you were before.”

Carter averaged 14.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a true sophomore but shot just 38.4 percent from the field and 32 percent from downtown. As a freshman against Florida in 2011, he scored 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds and seven dimes (in double overtime). The Gators have one open scholarship for the 2013-14 season, which Carter would take if he transferred to Florida, even though he would have to sit out the season due to NCAA rules.

2 » It took a while for criticisms about Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd to pop up, but it did not take the potential top-five overall pick much time to respond to them. “In my eyes there is no road-block that is going to stop me,” Floyd said on NFL AM on Tuesday. “A lot of people ask me, ‘Do you feel as though your arms are short?” and I say, ‘I don’t play like my arms are short.’ So my tape speaks for itself and the type of person I am speaks for itself.” Check out this three-minute interview with Floyd, which was aired Monday on ESPN.

Tags: Bob Hurley, Eli Carter, Kasey Hill, Mike Rosario, NCAA, Rashon Burno, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Sharrif Floyd

1 » No. 1 Florida Gators gymnastics did not conclude its incredible weekend on Saturday after it won the 2013 NCAA Championship, the first NCAA title in program history. Instead, Florida was right back at it on Sunday as its gymnasts competed in individual events with the hopes of bringing additional championships back to Gainesville, FL. Freshman Bridget Sloan, who captured the 2013 NCAA Championship in the all-around on Friday, doubled up with a title in the balance beam (9.900) on Sunday. She actually would have won three individual championships had it not been for junior teammate Alaina Johnson, who edged Sloan 9.9125 to 9.900 in the uneven parallel bars to win a title of her own.

2 » Florida’s national championship-winning gymnastics team will be honored at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center during a special celebration on Monday at 7 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. and access to the event is free. The celebration will be the first held inside the O’Dome for a Gators championship-winning program since basketball won its second of back-to-back titles in 2007. GatorVision.tv will have a live stream of the event for fans outside of Gainesville. OGGOA will tweet a link at 7 p.m.

The Florida school website on Monday posted a terrific feature on head coach Rhonda Faehn, who has been nothing short of spectacular since joining the program in 2002. Though the national title had been elusive for Faehn, she knew that the Gators could be one of the top programs in the country when she took the job. “It was a gold mine just waiting for success,” she told senior writer Scott Carter about Florida. “I felt there was so much potential. Who wouldn’t want to go there? It was undiscovered almost and people needed to see how amazing it was. That’s what I felt for years when I was coaching at other places, that Florida was just incredible.” Added athletic director Jeremy Foley about Fahen: “She built our program. When we hired her, the goal was we wanted to be like Alabama, we wanted to be like Georgia, we wanted to be like Utah, we didn’t understand why we couldn’t be like them. We wanted to be a factor. Look at what she has done. I feel great for her, her staff, and obviously these kids.”

Check out four more Florida Gators news BITS…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: gymnastics, Floyd, Kansas, Parsons

Tags: Big 12, Chandler Parsons, Draft, Eli Carter, gymnastics, Houston Rockets, Jeremy Foley, Kansas Jayhawks, NBA, NCAA, NCAA Championship, NFL, Playoffs, Rhonda Faehn, Sharrif Floyd

1 » Golden State Warriors All-Star forward David Lee was ruled out for the season on Saturday after he tore his right hip flexor during Game 1 of his team’s first-round playoff series. “I knew [Saturday] night when I did it. I felt it pop,” Lee told a group of reporters before his team’s Sunday practice. “I went to run back on defense and had absolutely no sensation in my leg. It wasn’t even painful as much as it was just [numb].” Though Lee is unlikely to need surgery on the tear, he is expected to remain off the court for at least three months. He led the NBA in double-doubles this season and was ranked top-10 in the league in a number of other categories including defensive rebounds, total rebounds, efficiency, field goals made and triple-doubles. “We can’t replace him, and we know that,” head coach Mark Jackson said. “We have some guys on our bench that can do some things to cover up his absence, but we cannot replace David Lee.”

2 » FORBES contributor Darren Heitner penned an article that took a look at Florida Gators safety Matt Elam as the only top prospect set to enter the 2013 NFL Draft without an agent. Though Elam at some point will need to at least hire a contract advisor or lawyer to help him sort out a deal after he is drafted, he has been able to go through the process up to this point without one because of the financial backing and experience of his brother (NFL safety Abram Elam). “Not to discredit any agent, but Matt has done the things to put himself in a position to have a high draft grade without an agent,” Abe Elam told FORBES. “There is no contract right now to be evaluated because he hasn’t been drafted yet. At some point we will have to address whether Matt should hire an agent or an attorney. We are not biased against agents; we have just been able to delay the process because of the resources he has.”

3 » Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson spent much of last week praising quarterback Tim Tebow, claiming he fixed problems with the player’s mechanics after spending three days working with him earlier this offseason in Scottsdale, AZ. And while Clarkson’s evaluation of Tebow may very well be correct, not much about his statements appears to be accurate. According quarterback coaches Dennis Gile and Mike Giavondo, who spoke with SB Nation over the weekend, Clarkson only spent a single day working with Tebow while they worked with him for three months in Scottsdale. “We put in a lot of time and effort for [no pay] to really help [Tebow],” Gile told the website. How much did Gile and Giavondo actually help Tebow improve? “Steve Young’s mouth was hitting the floor,” said Gile after noting that both Young and Jim Zorn watched Tebow throw. “’Wow, you got it!’ is what he said exactly.”

Check out one more BIT on Sharrif Floyd…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Lee hurt, Elam, Tebow, Floyd doubted

Tags: David Lee, Golden State Warriors, Matt Elam, NBA, NFL, Sharrif Floyd, Tim Tebow

With the 2012-13 NBA regular season concluding on Wednesday, 10 former Florida Gators basketball players spread over nine teams participated in the sixth month of action (16 total days), many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performances.

For the first time, OGGOA is checking and re-checking the box scores month-by-month to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplish throughout the entire 2012-13 season.

* Players names highlighted in orange have advanced to the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
F/C DAVID LEE, Golden State Warriors: GP/GS (8/8), MIN (37.9), PPG (18.1), RPG (11.9), APG (2.1), SPG (1.0), BPG (0.5), TPG (2.0), FPG (2.5), A/TO (1.1)
» Shooting: FG% (.560), 3P% (.000), FT% (.742)
» Highlights: Seven double-doubles (four-straight); 23 points, 16 rebounds, four assists vs. New Orleans on April 3; 22 points, 14 rebounds, two assists at Phoenix on April 5
» Top 10 ranks (season): Double-doubles (No. 1); defensive rebounds per game (No. 2); defensive rebounds (No. 3); rebounds per game and total efficiency points (No. 4); total rebounds and efficiency ranking (No. 5); field goals made and efficiency ranking per 48 mins. (No. 9); triple-doubles and defensive rebounds per 48 mins. (No. 10)
» Playoffs: The Warriors are the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and will take on the No. 3 Denver Nuggets beginning on Saturday.

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NBA played this month…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NBA: April 2013

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Corey Brewer, David Lee, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, NBA, Playoffs, San Antonio Spurs, Udonis Haslem, Washington Wizards

Florida Gators center Patric Young, who announced just over one week ago that he would return to the team for his senior season, underwent minor surgery on Friday to remove a bone spur from his right ankle.

Young has been seen on crutches and wearing a boot; he has even been tweeting about his ailment without providing specifics. The Independent Florida Alligator‘s Landon Watnick, on Tuesday, received official confirmation from the University Athletic Association that the surgery had taken place.

“Everything went great thanks for the prayers,” Young tweeted on Friday, likely after the surgery had been completed. “Not exactly my ideal Saturday,” he wrote a day later. “Home alone and bed ridden.”

Bone spurs can develop in the ankle due to extensive pressure or stress on the joint.

After spending his first year with the Gators as a reserve, Young has served as Florida’s starting center over the last two seasons, averaging 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game in each campaign. Head coach Billy Donovan has chided Young for his inconsistency on occasion in order to get the absolute most out of him on a game-to-game basis. Nevertheless, the two have a great player-coach relationship.

It will likely take at least six weeks for Young to fully recover from the surgery, putting him on track to return to the court in June.

A new NCAA rule instituted prior to the 2012-13 season allows college players to practice with their coaches for up to two hours per day (at a maximum of eight hours per week) during the summer months.

Donovan will be recruiting for the Gators until mid-June, when he will join USA Basketball’s under-19 team in Colorado Springs, CO to train for the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship set for June 17-July 7 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Florida’s assistant coaches will be in Gainesville, FL working with the team when they are not participating in the three four-day July evaluation periods.

Photo Credit: David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Tags: Billy Donovan, Patric Young

1 » Only one of the two Florida Gators golfers competing in the 2013 Masters moved on to weekend play. After hitting an even 72 in the opening round on Thursday, Brian Gay shot a +2 (74) on Friday and is currently tied for 37th, three strokes above the cut line. Senior T.J. Vogel, who earned a spot in the major as an amateur event winner, was not as fortunate. He shot a +5 (77) on Thursday but was able to bring his score down with a +3 (75) on Friday. Vogel missed the cut by four strokes, ending his special weekend earlier than he would hoped. “I just had a good time,” he said Thursday after his first round. “This experience, I can’t even explain even in words. I’m just having such a great time playing in front of so many people and it’s just a really cool feeling when you know you hita great shot and you got people cheering for you. And I’m not used to that yet. It’s just really cool.”

2 » Former Florida QB Jacoby Brissett sounds more than slightly perturbed that he lost the starting job to Jeff Driskel last season. In a feature penned by Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, Brissett indicates that he did not receive a fair shot to start for the Gators before throwing a barb at Driskel for his performance in the last game of the season. “It wasn’t right,” he said of the competition. “In the saying that God don’t like ugly, it came up to us in the Sugar Bowl when we couldn’t throw to save our life.” He then took a second shot at Driskel, basically questioning his former teammate’s work ethic while explaining why it was Brissett who should have started at Florida. “Just my competitiveness, I don’t think it was matched with that other guy,” he said. “The willingness to put in that extra work to win.”

Read four more Florida Gators news BITS…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Masters, Brissett, Booth, Tebow, PIT

Tags: All-American, Brian Gay, golf, Great Floridian Award, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Kenny Boynton, Laura Booth, Masters, Mike Mularkey, Mike Rosario, NCAA, NCAA Championship, New York Jets, NFL, PGA, Portsmouth Invitational, swimming, T.J. Vogel, Tim Tebow

1 » The attendees for the 2013 NFL Draft were officially announced on Wednesday and right at the top of the list was Florida Gators defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. A guaranteed first-round pick who is expected to go somewhere in the top five overall, Floyd will be sitting at a table at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY waiting for league commissioner Roger Goodell to call his name on Thursday, April 25. Now all that is left to wonder is which team selects Floyd and whether or not he will give Goodell a bear hug after joining him on stage.

2 » Former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow is set to be recognized by Florida Governor Rick Scott with the Great Floridian Award, the state announced on Wednesday. The ceremony, which will be held on Friday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Verda Beach, FL, recognizes “outstanding achievements of men and women who have made significant contributions to the progress and welfare of Florida.” Previous honorees include politicians, business leaders, veterans, Supreme Court Justices and philanthropists, among others. Tebow will join the 66 current “Great Floridians” and be honored alongside names like head coach Bobby Bowden, Governor Jeb Bush, inventor Thomas Edison, Stephen C. O’Connell and businessman Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.

3 » Competing in the first day of the 2013 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, former Gators guard Kenny Boynton finished his opening round game 2-for-6 (1-for-4 from three) with seven points, seven rebounds, six assists, a steal and just one turnover in 20 minutes. Boynton came off the bench for Mike Duman Auto Sales, which fell 90-89 to Portsmouth Partnership. His team plays again on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. Former Florida G Mike Rosario, playing for the Portsmouth Sports Club, takes the court for the first time on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Read three more BITS of Florida Gators news…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: NFL Draft, Tebow, PIT, Murphy, Brewer

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Corey Brewer, Denver Nuggets, Draft, Great Floridian Award, Kenny Boynton, Louis Murphy, Mike Rosario, NBA, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Portsmouth Invitational, Sharrif Floyd, Tim Tebow, TPC Sawgrass