1 » New York Knicks forward/center David Lee, a former Florida Gators standout who is averaging a double-double of 20 points and 11.4 rebounds in his fourth professional season, has been selected as a replacement reserve for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Lee will take the place of Philadelphia 76ers point guard Allen Iverson (personal reasons) and will join Atlanta Hawks F/C Al Horford in Dallas, TX.

2 » Former Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes has decided to continue training in Gainesville, FL, as he prepares for the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February. His agent, Terry Watson, spoke with The Gainesville Sun about Spikes. “He’s doing well,” Watson said. “He continues to work out hard and he’s eating well. He’s fully committed to a plan that will get him ready for the Combine.” Also in Gainesville working out with Florida strength and conditioning coordinator Mickey Marotti is wide receiver Riley Cooper. “Coach Mick is the best,” Cooper said. “I’m following the same plan Percy (Harvin) did a year ago under Coach Mick.”

Four more very informative Florida Gators BITS after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Lee, Spikes, Cooper, Tebow, Jones-Drew

Tags: Abby Wambach, Al Horford, Algarve Cup, All-Star, Allen Iverson, Allison Hightower, Amanda Butler, Atlanta Hawks, Brandon Spikes, combine, David Lee, Daytona 500, Gatorade Duel, Jacksonville Jaguars, LSU Tigers, Maurice Jones-Drew, Mickey Marotti, NBA, New York Knicks, NFL, O'Connell Center, Philadelphia 76ers, Riley Cooper, SEC, soccer, softball, Steffi Sorensen, Terry Watson, Tim Tebow, USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament, women's basketball

Still trying to recover from three straight losses after climbing to No. 10/11 in the AP Top 25 and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls three weeks ago, Florida Gators basketball (10-3) rolled the Presbyterian Blue Hose (2-12) 79-38 on Wednesday night in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Junior forward Chandler Parsons led Florida with 21 points including two three-pointers and three dunks.

Fellow forwards juniorAlex Tyus and freshman Erik Murphy posted double-doubles in the Gators’ victory, scoring 16 points each; Tyus collected 13 rebounds while Murphy grabbed 11 boards. Florida shot 30 percent from downtown with freshman guard Kenny Boynton going 3-for-8 from beyond the arc, leading the team in makes and attempts while finishing with 14 points. Freshman point guard Rod Tishman saw seven minutes of limited action, earning two points, rebounds and assists.

Gators sophomores G/F Ray Shipman (knee) and center Kenny Kadji (back) both sat out the contest; starting redshirt junior transfer C Vernon Macklin only played 14 minutes. F Jake Trovli led the Blue House with 14 points. Florida will next face the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Raleigh, NC, on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at 3 p.m.

Also on Wednesday, the women’s basketball team (7-6) defeated the Jacksonville Dolphins (1-9) for head coach Amanda Butler’s 50th win at the school. The Gators shot 54.5 percent from the floor while limiting Jacksonville to only 26.5 percent shooting. Sophomore G Trumae Lucas and freshman F Jennifer George led the team with 15 points each while senior F Sharielle Smith turned in the sixth double-double of her career with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Amanda Butler, Chandler Parsons, Erik Murphy, Jacksonville Dolphins, Jake Trovli, Jennifer George, Kenny Boynton, Kenny Kadji, O'Connell Center, Presbyterian Blue Hose, Ray Shipman, Rod Tishman, Sharielle Smith, Trumae Lucas, Vernon Macklin, women's basketball

Selected in the 44th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, right handed pitcher Frank DeJiulio (Ocala, FL) turned down a professional contract and decided to return to school. This week during the NCAA’s early signing period, DeJiulio officially accepted his scholarship and committed to the Florida Gators. Standing 6’3″, DeJiulio played one season for Daytona State College after high school and could be used as a starter or closer with the Gators.

Also signing national letters of intent with the Gators this week are setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, AZ) and libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, IN). The two women, standing 5’9″ and 5’7″ respectively, are elite-level players who are both expected to compete as freshmen beginning in 2010. “In Chanel and Taylor, we have signed two elite athletes that bring both high-level skills and a lot of energy to the court,” volleyball head coach Mary Wise said. “Gator fans are going to enjoy watching them play throughout their careers.”

[UPDATE:] Apparently women’s basketball wanted to get in on the action too, signing four high school recruits to 2010 letters of intent on Wednesday. Forward Deaundra Young and guards Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, FL), Kayla Lewis (Decatur, GA) and Brittany Shine (Sacramento, CA) all committed to head coach Amanda Butler, who could not have been more pleased to accept each of them. “There is not another group of players I would want to coach and I cannot wait to begin working with them,” Butler said. “These four players understand how special it is to be a Gator and that’s very important to me. They have great personalities, are super talented and each has a tremendous work-ethic.” Young, 6’2”, is the prize recruit of the class and is rated the nation’s 48th-best player (No. 8 forward) according to ESPN HoopGurlz. She is the niece of LaShawnda Jackson, a former letterwinner with the Florida track and field team. ESPN also ranks Lewis as the No. 16 small forward, Shine as the No. 25 guard and Bonds as the No. 32 shooting guard.

Tags: Amanda Butler, baseball, Brittany Shine, Chanel Brown, Chicago Cubs, Daytona State College, Deaundra Young, Frank DeJiulio, Jaterra Bonds, Kayla Lewis, LaShawnda Jackson, Mary Wise, MLB, Taylor Unroe, volleyball, women's basketball

1 » The Georgia Bulldogs are attempting to use timeouts called by Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer in the waning moments of the 2008 World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party as fuel the way Florida did Georgia’s celebration in its end zone at the beginning of the 2007 game. Calling timeouts with 44 and 30 seconds remaining on the clock, Meyer allowed the Gators and the entire crowd (almost every Bulldogs fan had left by that time) to bask in the glory of annihilating Georgia 49-10 after the team tried to embarrass Florida the year before.

2 » If winning games ugly has taken the Gators to 7-0 on the season, what could the team accomplish if it actually played well? And how long can Florida stay perfect with these imperfect performances? Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun asks those exact questions. Senior quarterback Tim Tebow has the answers. “Obviously, we want to get better, we want to continue to improve, which I think we’re doing,” he said. “As long as we keep winning games, that’s the most important thing. We’re 7-0 and still have everything in front of us. We always have an inclination to want to be perfect and we try to do that as an offense and have outstanding games. More important than that, we’re focusing on winning. If we’re doing that, we’re happy.”

3 » It is not just the media and fans, even some of the elder statesmen in the SEC are praising Tebow. From former players to accomplished head coaches, the praise for UF’s leader focuses on his “versatility, leadership and winning mentality.” Perhaps legendary Auburn Tigers coach Pat Dye said it best: “I think that Tim Tebow is as good as any football player, I’m talking about everything, as I’ve ever seen.” Former Georgia coach Vince Dooley echoed those sentiments. “Competitive, leader, football player, athlete, student, character, spiritual – I’ve seen some that are better in certain phases, but there’s never been one as complete as he is.”

4 » University of Florida head women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler ruptured her left Achilles tendon Saturday morning while playing quarterback her flag football team in The Swamp Bowl on campus. Butler will be at full strength for practices and games while she rehabs from surgery.

Tags: Amanda Butler, Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Pat Dye, SEC, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Vince Dooley, women's basketball, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party