1 » Neither the top-ranked men nor the third-ranked women were able to bring home a team title in the 2013 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championship for the Florida Gators, but the track & field program did conclude the four-day event with five individual titles. Sophomore Kyle Strawn started things off on Thursday by winning the SEC title in the men’s hammer throw; his championship toss went 66.90m/219-6 and also marked a personal best. Florida added a second individual SEC crown on Friday when redshirt freshman Jimmy Clark gutted out a tough 10,000 meters in 29:44.54 to win the Gators’ first title in the event since 1987. Though Florida went title-less on Saturday, the Gators added three on Sunday to close the event. UF swept the triple jump with senior Omar Craddock (16.46m/54-0) and sophomore Ciarra Brewer (13.85m/45-5.25) defending their 2012 titles by winning the men’s and women’s championships, respectively. Freshman Marija Vucenovic also got in on the fun by winning the women’s javelin with a throw of 51.30m/168-4.

The Florida men (123.00) finished second to Arkansas (152.50), while the UF women (106.00) placed fourth. The Gators were hoping to win the athletic program’s ninth SEC team title of the season but must instead settle for a school record-tying eight as the league’s 2012-13 season has officially come to a close.

2 » No. 1 Florida women’s tennis began competing in the 2013 NCAA Tournament over the weekend and swept both of its opponents, defeating the Marist Red Foxes and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 4-0 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Gators ran through the Red Foxes without dropping a single game, winning both doubles matches 8-0 and all three singles contests 6-0, 6-0. Georgia Tech was a tougher out for Florida but still went down rather easily as UF won the doubles point with 8-6 and 8-2 victories and took singles in short order. No. 1 senior Lauren Embree beat No. 98 Elizabeth Kilborn 6-0, 6-0 in her last home match, and No. 116 senior Caroline Hitimana led 6-1, 3-3 in her match but did not finish; both players were involved in victories that led to the doubles point. Embree received a standing ovation after he victory; she and Hitimana leave UF never having lost a team match (55-0) at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. Action continues for Florida on Friday when it takes on Duke in a round of 16 match in Urbania, IL.

Read two more Gators news BITS (with an extra)…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: track, tennis, lacrosse, softball

For a team that was predicted to be no better than a middle-of-the-road squad in 2013 following a disastrous end to its 2012 campign, No. 2 Florida Gators softball on Saturday continued its trend of proving doubters wrong by ousting the Missouri Tigers 10-4 to win the 2013 Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The SEC Tournament title is Florida’s first since 2009 with Saturday’s victory completing a sweep of the league’s two 2013 crowns. The Gators previously clinched the regular-season SEC Championship on May 5.

Consecutive victories over Alabama (8-4 on Thursday) and Georgia (9-5 in a semifinal game pushed to early Saturday) propelled Florida into the tournament’s finale against Mizzou, and the Gators ensured that a season’s worth or hard work would pay off by smacking the ball all around the park in Lexington, KY.

Florida (52-7) registered three home runs, a two-run triple and a two-run double to take down Missouri (35-11) and clinch the title.

Freshman center fielder Kirsti Merritt, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after Saturday night’s game, led the way for the Gators in the event by going 5/11 with two homers, seven RBI, four runs, a walk and two stolen bases.

Joining Merritt on the 2013 SEC All-Tournament Team were freshman second baseman Kelsey Stewart (4/12 [two triples], 4 RBI, 4 R, SB, BB), junior third baseman Stephanie Tofft (6/10, HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB) and freshman first baseman Taylor Schwarz (3/12, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R).

Florida also swept both SEC titles in softball in 2008 and 2009.

In addition to the school record-tying eight SEC regular-season championships that the Gators have won during the 2012-13 athletic season, the Florida athletic program has now captured three total SEC Tournament titles.

Photo Credit: Southeastern Conference

Four-star 2014 point guard Chris Chiozza (Memphis, TN), a highly sought after prospect and a member of the Rivals100, will officially announce his commitment on Tuesday and choose the Florida Gators, according to CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish.

Chris Chiozza, barring a change of plans, will announce next week that he’s committing to Florida, a source told CBSSports.com on Friday.

Chiozza’s other finalists include Auburn, Memphis, Ohio State, Richmond, Tennessee and UMass, but he apparently sees an opportunity at UF that he simply cannot pass up.

“Florida’s always been one of my top three schools since I was a little kid,” Chiozza told SNY.tv last week. “I’ve always loved watching them. I’d also love to play with Kasey Hill and Chris Walker, if they’re still there. They’re also recruiting my teammate Leron [Black] so that’s a school where we could play together.”

A source close to the Gators confirmed to OGGOA on Friday that Florida’s coaching staff is extremely confident that Chiozza will choose the Gators on Tuesday. The source also believes that Black, a five-star power forward and the No. 16 ranked 2014 recruit in the country per Rivals, will ultimately join Chiozza in Gainesville, FL.

Continue Reading » Report: Florida to add 2014 PG Chris Chiozza

Through the 2013 NBA Draft, which is set for 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.

Between workouts in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday, which he is taking part in as preparation for next week’s 2013 NBA Combine, Murphy got in touch with OGGOA to discuss what he has been doing to get ready for the draft over the last month.

After the tournament, I took a little bit of time off, about a week and a half to just hang out, relax and unwind. I did not even meet with any agents during that time. Eventually I met with a couple people – B.J. Armstrong and Art Tellem (Wasserman Media Group), for example – with my dad, who came down, Coach [Billy] Donovan and others were there to help me. I was talking with Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports and Entertainment) because he’s [the agent for Chandler Parsons, Bradley Beal and David Lee], but I just decided that Andy Miller (ASM Sports) was the best choice for me.

I just felt really comfortable with him. Going through the process of being with the agents, getting to know them a little more, it’s a partnership hopefully for a long time, so you want to be comfortable with the person. They’re all great and do what they do well; it was just a comfort level and getting along with him really well that made the decision pretty easy at the end.

Part of my conversation with Andy was laying out a plan for the entire process. Most of the guys Andy signs, as long as they find it agreeable, he sends them out to Las Vegas to train at Impact Basketball. I’ve actually been out here before when I was young, training for a couple weeks during the summer, but Impact is a different spot, of course. He basically set me up out here with Impact and [founder/president] Joe Abunassar.

I’ve just been out here for the last three weeks, except when I went back to school for graduation, working out every day, lifting, getting in really good shape and getting a good feel for what I’ll be doing during the combine. It’s a good idea to get comfortable with the process, get acclimated before the combine.

Continue Reading » Erik Murphy – Path to 2013 NBA Draft: Las Vegas

1 » Is former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow being “blackballed by NFL teams because of [his] cult-like following [and the] media frenzy” that follows him? That’s the headline of Yahoo! Sports writer Mike Silver’s most recent article, one that is perhaps not that far off from reality. Silver spoke to an NFC head coach who said as much. “He seems like a great guy to have on a team, and I’d be tempted to bring him in as our backup, but it’s just not worth dealing with all the stuff that comes with it,” he said. Silver also learned that New England head coach Bill Belichick, believed to be a fan of Tebow’s, “hates” Tebow as a player, that according to an “organizational source.” “No chance. Plus they wouldn’t like the circus that comes with it,” the source added.

If the fans and media are legitimately the reasons that Tebow is unemployed at this moment, the absurdity of that fact cannot be understated. In the NFL – and most professional leagues – talent is supposed to win out. If you are talented enough to play the game – and smart enough to stay out of the gutter off the field – coaches say you deserve a spot in the league or at the very least a chance to compete. The school you attended, spot you were drafted (if you were drafted at all), race, religion and sexuality are not supposed to matter. Now the message is that if fans like you and the media cover you (too much), you are not welcome. Even if one does not believe Tebow is a starting-caliber quarterback at this time, there are 32 NFL teams, which means there are 64 backup quarterback spots in the league. Try making an argument that Tebow is not talented enough to be a top-32 backup in the league or even deserving of tryouts with teams to showcase his abilities while second-round bust John Beck – a colossal bust of a second-round pick entering his seventh year as a professional with a 3-7 record and QB rating of 67.6 – is working with New Orleans this weekend.

2 » The WNBA may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the Los Angeles Sparks have been one team that Gators fans have been able to pay attention to over the years. In this picture taken on Thursday, former Florida head women’s basketball coach Carol Ross (now Los Angeles’ head coach), current Gators assistant coach Murriel Page (UF alumna and former Sparks player) and former Florida guard Bridget Pettis all pose for a picture while doing the Gator Chomp.

Read three more Florida Gators news BITS…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Tebow, WNBA, Muschamp, Embree

Updated: May 10 at 11:00 p.m.

Former Florida Gators linebacker Jon Bostic has signed a four-year, $3.941 million contract with the Chicago Bears.

The rookie’s agreement was officially announced by the team on Thursday, making Bostic the first of Florida’s eight draftees to come to terms with the team that selected him in April’s draft.

Bostic was chosen by the Bears with the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He was the third overall Gators player selected during the event and the first to have his name called (coincidentally by former Florida and Chicago running back Neal Anderson) on the second day of the three-day draft.

Bostic is the first Gators linebacker selected since Brandon Spikes (No. 62, 2010) and the 24th UF player drafted by the Bears in the history of the event.

He is the first Florida player to be picked by Chicago since safety Major Wright (No. 75, 2010), who is entering his fourth year with the franchise.

Bostic’s four-year rookie deal includes a $1.246 million signing bonus and $405,000 in first-year salary. He will earn $584,127 in 2014, $663,254 in 2015 and $842,381 in 2016 and will also be eligible for $100,000 workout bonuses in both 2015 and 2016.

Expected to compete immediately for the starting middle linebacker job, Bostic will be counted on to have a major impact on the Bears’ defense in 2013 even if he does not win the position. Chicago believes he can line up and start at all three linebacker spots.

“It’s really starting to sink in now,” Bostic told the team’s website. “It’s hard to believe that it’s all here. It’s something you dream about all your life as a kid and then all of a sudden you open your eyes this morning and it’s right in front of you.”

By Andrew Olson – OGGOA Contributor

Despite riding a wave of momentum (and an 11-2 record over the previous 13 games) into their latest weekend series, Florida Gators baseball (27-23, 12-12 SEC) failed its toughest test yet as it was swept on the road while taking on the No. 3 LSU Tigers (43-6, 19-5 SEC). Yet while Florida struggled away from home, the Gators got back into the swing of things as it closed its non-conference schedule this week with a pair of dominant wins over in-state opponents.

LSU snapped Florida’s streak of three-straight SEC series wins, taking all three games over the weekend in Baton Rogue, LA.

In the series opener, the Gators battled but came out on the short end of a 3-2 decision. Tigers ace Aaron Nola silenced his opponent’s bats and tossed his fourth-consecutive complete game in a 5-0 victory that clinched the series for the home team on Friday. Florida tried seven different pitchers in the series finale but none of them could contain LSU in what would eventually become a 18-6 blowout and series sweep.

The ESPNU Thursday Night Game of the Week creates a dilemma for SEC managers. Do you start your ace in game one or let him go Friday night (game two) to keep him in his regular routine? Tigers coach Paul Mainieri saved his top starter, Nola, for Friday, but Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan opted to go with his ace, junior right-hander Jonathon Crawford, in Thursday’s series opener. Crawford (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) did enough to keep Florida in the game but struggled with his command, only throwing 56 of his 98 pitches for strikes.

Continue Reading » Florida baseball ends skid, routs FAMU, FAU

In his third year at the helm of the Florida Gators, head coach Will Muschamp was forced to hire three new position coaches and find a new defensive coordinator as adjustments were made to the coaching staff following the 2012 season.

According to information released by Florida on Wednesday, offensive coordinator Brent Pease received a $100,000 hike in his annual salary as well as a one-year contract extension. Pease also earns annual retention bonuses of $100,000.

New special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach Jeff Choate will be paid $290,000 in his first year on the job ($100,000 higher than the contract he signed to be defensive coordinator at UTEP). Additionally, offensive line coach Tim Davis and tight ends coach Derek Lewis each received $25,000 salary bumps.

The figures for defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, wide receivers coach Joker Phillips and defensive line coach Brad Lawing were previously released on March 1.

A look at the coaching staff’s 2013 salaries compared with their counterparts in 2012:

2013 Coach	2013 Salary	2012 Coach	2012 Salary
Will Muschamp Head Coach	$2.75M (5 years)*	Will Muschamp Head Coach	$2.75M (5 years)
Brent Pease Offensive Coordinator / QB	$590K (3 years)^	Brent Pease Offensive Coordinator / QB	$490K (3 years)
D.J. Durkin Defensive Coordinator / ILB	$490K (2 years)~	Dan Quinn Defensive Coordinator / DL	$510K (2 years)
Jeff Choate Special Teams Coordinator / OLB	$290K (1 year)	D.J. Durkin Special Teams Coordinator / LB	$340K (2 years)
Brad Lawing Assistant Head Coach / DL	$390K (3 years)	Bryant Young Assistant Defensive Line	$230K (1 year left)
Brian White Running Backs	$290K (1 year)	Brian White Running Backs	$290K (1 year)
Tim Davis Offensive Line	$300K (1 year)	Tim Davis Offensive Line	$275K (1 year)
Joker Phillips Wide Receivers / Recruiting	$265K (2 years)	Aubrey Hill Wide Receivers / Recruiting	$230K (1 year)
Travaris Robinson Defensive Backs	$230K (1 year)	Travaris Robinson Defensive Backs	$230K (1 year)
Derek Lewis Tight Ends	$215K (1 year)	Derek Lewis Tight Ends	$190K (1 year)
Jeff Dillman Strength & Conditioning	$215K (1 year)`	Jeff DIllman Strength & Conditioning	$215K (2 years)

* Muschamp received a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season.
^ Pease received a one-year contract extension through the 2015 season.
~ Durkin received a $150,000 raise as he moved from special teams to defensive coordinator and agreed to a new two-year contract.
` Dillman is in the second year of a two-year contract signed in 2012.
- Florida generally signs most of its assistant coaches to one-year renewable contracts (Choate, White, Davis, Robinson, Lewis).
- The Gators are spending $275,000 more in salary than the program did in 2012.

Universal contract notes and bonuses:
- All coaches receive a $10,000 bonus from Florida’s contract with Nike
- All coaches receive use of a car and other tangible incentives
- BCS National Championship Game appearance – up to 30 percent increase
- Other BCS bowl game appearance – 20 percent increase
- SEC Championship Game appearance – 10 percent increase
- Non-BCS bowl game – 10 percent increase
- Bowl game with less than $2 million payout – one month’s salary increase

The Orlando Sentinel and multiple other media outlets obtained the salary information referenced above directly from the University of Florida.