1 » For the second-straight year, Florida Gators head basketball coachBilly Donovan is participating in the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge, a charitable contest where coaches are vying to win money for an organization they choose to represent. Donovan, who is in the contest for the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation, could win $100,000 for the organization just as he did one year ago when Florida fans cast the most online votes for him and the foundation. The eight-week-long contest began Jan. 18 with a winner being announced March 9. There were only 14 participants in 2011 but that number has increased to 48 this year. For more information and to vote for Donovan and the foundation (which supports Shands Hospital at UF), go here and click on South Region. Former Gators assistant coach Anthony Grant (Alabama, The Sweet Home Fund) and head coach Lon Kruger (Oklahoma, Coaches vs. Cancer) are also participating though Grant is also in the South Region with Donovan.

2 » Former Florida wide receiver and 11-year NFL veteran Wes Chandler has agreed to be the WR coach at California, the school divulged Wednesday evening. Though it will be just his second stint on the college level (Central Florida, 1994-95), Chandler has coached receivers in NFL Europe (1995-1999), the NFL (2000-2008) and the UFL (2009). He was a first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC player with the Gators who made it to four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams in his NFL career. Chandler was also inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a Gator Great in 1989 after catching 92 passes for 1,963 yards and 22 touchdowns in his four years at Florida. He was the team’s leading receiver for three-straight years from 1975-77.

Click to expand and read two more BITS in this post.

On what winning 400 games means to him: “One, I’m definitely clearly getting older. A guy like Jason Williams is here at the game, and he was obviously a part of it when it first started, coaching him. Chandler came in the locker room [and I thought about] his time here. Joakim Noah has been on campus a lot with the lockout. The Brent Wrights of the world. The [Udonis] Haslems. I think more about the time here and the guys that have come through. There have been a lot of special guys. Not only the guys that people get a chance to watch that are in the NBA, because those are obvious guys, but the Justin Hamiltons, the Brent Wrights, the Major Parkers – that first recruiting class. Anthony Roberson, Matt Walsh, Brett Nelson, there have been so many guys that have come through that were close to making the NBA that maybe didn’t make it that had a huge significance and impact on our program. It’s not just the NBA guys, it’s a lot of really good quality kids I’ve coached for a period of time. It’s hard to believe you see Jason Williams. The guy is married, he already has a couple of kids and is retired from the NBA. It’s definitely a reflection that time is moving on and you’re getting older.”

Read everything else Billy Donovan had to say…after the break!

On being able to celebrate the win with good friend John Pelphrey by his side: “It was a great feeling. I would be remiss not to even mention a lot of the guys that I’ve had a chance to work with starting with Donnie Jones and Anthony Grant and John Pelphrey. And then having Rob Lanier and Shaka Smart and Louis Preston. Now having Norm [Roberts] and John back and Matt McCall. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve had a lot of really high level quality top assistants that have done a really good job. The other thing you look at too is in today’s day and age, where there is so much turnover in coaching, and really college athletics has changed so much. I’m probably in a unique and rare situation with the fact that, although there has been a lot of great presidents that have come through the University of Florida since I’ve been there – and I’ve had a great relationship with all of them – the one mainstay for me has been Jeremy Foley and my relationship with him that started 16 years ago. That has been a great relationship beyond the professional side of going to work every day and working with him at a great intuition. There has been a lot of people that have been a major part of that, that have sacrificed a lot from players, coaches and administration that have given us an opportunity to go out and try to compete.”

On being older but still the youngest active coach with 400 wins: “One of the first things that comes to mind for me in coaching is Coach [Rick] Petino giving me the opportunity to work at Kentucky with him. He gave me the opportunity to learn a lot and thrust me into a lot of different situations. He forced me to grow in a lot of different ways, challenged me. It really started with him, the time and energy and sacrifices he and his family have made for me.”

On if he can even look ahead to a larger win total: “I’m sure, if you ask Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim if they were going to coach until they were 70, they would have said, ‘No way.’ It’s hard to imagine coaching that long in this day and age. So much of it has changed from even when I first started out. A lot of things have changed. As long as I feel like I do right now in terms of the energy and the passion and the enthusiasm and the excitement, then I’m going to keep doing what I really enjoy doing. But I think there’s always that fear and worry that, do you get to a point where you say, ‘OK, now it’s time and I’ve had enough,’ or ‘I’m not enjoying this as much as I did,’ or ‘I’m not as passionate and motivated.’ When I look at coaching another 24-25 years, I’m not even halfway through to that point. It’s hard for me to even grasp what a guy like Mike Krzyzewski or Jim Boeheim or Jim Calhoun or guys like that that are obviously up there in age and still have the level of passion and enthusiasm that they do.”

On how the game has changed since he first began coaching: “Patrick Ewing today was at our shoot around and I played a year with Patrick and he’s a great guy, but it’s hard to believe in this day and age that Patrick would be in college for four years. [...] That’s totally changed now. The level of money that’s generated in college athletics, and in particular what’s generated in college football and stuff like that, there is kind of a microwave to get it done right now, the pressure to get it done right now and it’s hard to stay in a place for a period of time. There was a time where there probably was for coaches, 25 years ago or 20 years ago, a lot more patience at the college level. Some of that stuff has changed. A lot of it has changed because of the amount of money coaches are making, the amount of money institutions are making, the commitment that fans and alumni and boosters make to a program.

“The last several years it’s been guys going to college for a year and they can leave. For a while there it was guys going right out of high school. Even with the Kwame Brown situation, he never even made it here and went right out of high school. Kids now, and I understand it, I’m not faulting them or anybody because they have an opportunity to earn an income. There was a view where you need to get your education before you go professional sports. Now it’s: I have a certain amount of a window year-wise to make money and earn income. I can earn more income playing professional – whether it be overseas or the NBA – than I ever could make I if took my degree and started out at an entry level job. Therefore, I think the view for a lot of guys is that they can always go back and get it or do it online. There was never online classes 25 years ago, now guys can get their degrees online. Everything has changed. I’m not saying it’s bad change, just everything has changed.

“The NCAA right now is having a hard time keeping up with all that change. So much has changed, even from the way kids communicate now from text messaging, e-mailing and tweeting. It’s totally different. I’m not saying it’s bad, just different. That’s why there is so much of a push now for these guys to be paid while they are in college, because a lot of money is generated in college athletics.”

On if he has ever felt pressure from someone other than himself to win: “You always have, when you’re working for an institution or working for somebody, an internal level of responsibility to do the best job you can and not let people down. You don’t want to let people down you don’t want to let the athletic director down or the president down or the school down or the fans down. The day-to-day job of doing the job, I know what really needs to be done. A lot of times, people from the outside looking in, they don’ necessarily know you’re being evaluated of what takes place inside the lines on the court whether you win or lose. There are things I’ve learned over the years where there’s’ probably a lot more smaller victories that take place inside practice and the gym that I have a level of appreciation for now that I didn’t 15 or 20 years ago. Most of the pressure is coming from the expectation level that I have of doing the best job I can performing in the job that I have right now. And then when you’re working with great people, you want them to feel good about what you’re doing.”

On taking the Gatorade shower: “I got got pretty good. I’m not sure whose paying for the dry cleaning bill. I told the guys, they’re a part of it, too. I’ve been fortunate to coach not only good players but really good people. It’s nice when you go into a locker room and you see a group of guys happy for 400 games. That was nice that I could share it with them.”

On Urban Meyer going to Ohio State: “I spoke to him last week right before Thanksgiving when all this stuff was going on. They had been talking. I do think that for him, in my conversation with him, a lot of it was just about his family, spending time with them to talk about it. I said this before, there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to go back in at some point. Sometimes unique situations happen. Jim Tressel is a great coach and has done a great job there, but if those situations don’t happen maybe Urban’s not back in coaching. It probably took for him a unique situation as it relates to where he grew up, where he started coaching, being form Ohio. There’s probably some things there for him that internally mean a great deal. That’s what he was trying to look over. I don’t think it has anything to do with…he loves Florida, loved his time here. But if he was out, I’m not so sure he’s just jumping into any job. I think he was waiting for something that really made sense for him, and that really made sense for him.”

Overseas in Spain starting every game for C.B. Gran Canaria 2014 of the ACB, former Florida Gators two-time National Championship-winning point guard Taurean Green took some nearly 45 minutes out of his busy schedule to sit down with OGGOA for a wide-ranging, in-depth interview late Tuesday evening.

Green, one of the four members of the Oh Fours and an integral part to the team’s success from 2005-07, discussed at length his college career and continuing relationship with his Gators teammates and coaches. He also provided some insight into what the current team is going through during their 2011 NCAA Tournament run and how they can improve going forward and make the most out of their opportunity.

ADAM SILVERSTEIN: With your father being a former NBA player and college coach as your adviser, what was it about Florida and Billy Donovan that had you winding up playing for the Gators out of high school?
TAUREAN GREEN: “Obviously Coach Donovan was a huge factor, the style of play, Coach [Anthony] Grant was a huge factor, too. It was just basically the style of play, how they get up-and-down [the court], and he’s a guard’s coach. I knew that he played for a great coach in Rick Pitino at Providence, and then he played some years in the NBA. Just from what everybody told me and from what I heard, he’s a guard’s coach and you’ll definitely get better [playing for him]. He’ll give you freedom out there but along with the freedom comes responsibility in running the team.”

AS: Your first year at Florida was obviously an adjustment as there were still a bunch of upperclassmen holding starting roles on the team. How was it walking into a team with established guys like David Lee, Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson already comfortable with each other and running the show?
TG: “That was good for me. Some guys can adapt – you see freshmen get thrown into the fire right away nowadays. I felt like I needed that year to go against Anthony Roberson and all those guys just to get my feet wet. At the same time, I knew that I was going to be getting better going against Peep every day in practice. They led the way, and we just tried to contribute in whatever way we could.”

AS: You won the SEC Tournament that season and were a No. 4-seed going into the NCAA Tournament. What was it like playing at such a big stage so early in your career?
TG: “It was fun! When I was at Florida, the main thing was we just lived in the moment. We took it game-by-game. We wanted to do stuff that no other team really had done at Florida. We knew that we had David, Matt and Anthony, and we just wanted to contribute in any way we could. The main thing was just going out and playing hard, doing whatever it took to win.”

Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Taurean Green…after the break!

AS: Were you guys surprised that Walsh and Roberson left early? It gave all of you an opportunity to start alongside each other right away.
TG: “Honestly, not really. We really weren’t surprised about that. We knew, once we heard the news that they left, that it was going to be our turn and we had to be ready. That summer we all worked extremely hard in the weight room, on the court, just trying to get better. It all paid off.”

AS: Why wasn’t it a surprise that they left early?
TG: “It was just the vibe we got. We knew they were talented and could play at that level. It was kind of the vibe and kind of what we thought would happen.”

AS: That next year the Gators started off unranked in the polls considering the belief was that the team lost all of its best players. At what point during that 2005-06 season did you guys realize that something special was going on?
TG: “It was after that Coaches vs. Cancer [Classic] in New York, after we beat Wake Forest and went ahead and beat Syracuse. That was just the beginning, but as the season went on and as we started to play games, we thought, ‘This could be a special season.’ We had a great group of guys that loved playing with each other. The sky was the limit for us, and we just wanted to stay focused. Coach Donovan always preached to us, ‘Don’t look ahead to winning the National Championship or the SEC Championship. Let’s just be the best we can be each and every game.’ As long as we came out, executed our game plan and were the best that night, we knew nobody could beat us.”

AS: Coach Donovan has said many of those exact same things this season. He often talks about the team not thinking they are better or further along than they actually are…
TG: “That’s exactly right. With the media, there’s a lot of stuff that was said about us. ‘Florida’s predicted to win. They’re moving along.’ He didn’t want us to get into all of that, reading our clippings, getting satisfied and complacent. He wanted us to stay hungry and have that edge to us each and every game. That’s the main thing that he tries to tell his teams. He told that to us and I’m sure he’s telling that to these guys now. Live in the moment. Each game you got to bring it for 40 minutes, because every game it is one-and-done now.”

AS: Let’s go back to that first title run. You guys entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3-seed; did you feel a bit disrespected considering how well the team played in the regular season and SEC Tournament?
TG: “I don’t think so. As a team we were confident with what we could do. It really didn’t matter where they put us because we felt that the way we were playing, how the season ended, winning the SEC Championship, taking that momentum into the NCAA Tournament, we didn’t care where we were. We just knew that we were tough and we were going to compete and win.”

AS: You had a tough road to get to the title – going through Georgetown, Villanova and then UCLA in the championship game. There was a moment at the end where you had the ball in your hands with the clock winding down and did that little shimmy dance. Was that something you thought out or did it just happen?
TG: “That was just me being happy. Just sitting there, dribbling the ball out and realizing – we did it. That was just emotion – all emotion at the end of the game.”

AS: Obviously there was a lot of talk about Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer declaring for the NBA Draft after that season. I know they made their own decisions independently, but did the four of you sit down and have a talk about trying to repeat? How did all of that go down?
TG: “All of the speculation with Corey, Al and Jo, they had to make their decision for themselves. Jo came from a family who was capable of having money, Al too. Corey was just in a different situation than us because he wasn’t as fortunate. Everybody made their decision themselves and then, toward the end, those guys sat down and talked to me and were just like, ‘Hey man, let’s go do it again.’ That was real special for those guys because those guys could have gone and taken the money. The main reason why they came back was because they loved playing with their teammates. We all loved playing together.”

AS: Bringing the whole starting five back – and basically the entire team with the exception of Adrian Moss – put a ton of outside pressure on you guys. Did you feel that pressure internally and, if so, how did you handle it?
TG: “We knew it was going to be tough. We knew, coming back, that it was going to be even tougher than the previous season. The best thing about the group of guys that we had is we didn’t get complacent. We were happy with what we did the previous year, but we knew we had a big opportunity to come back and do it again. We were all humbled. Coach Donovan did a great job of motivating us. We were motivated, but he let’s us know. He didn’t sugar coat things for us. He kept it real for us and gave us that edge.”

AS: Not to diminish the difficulty of winning each game, but 2007 was pretty much smooth sailing until the end of the regular season when you guys lost three-straight road games before beating Kentucky, dominating the SEC Tournament and eventually winning the second-straight title. Was that just a switch that had to be turned on?
TG: “I believe we went through that in 2005-06 as well. [Editor’s note: They did.] It was just that stretch where we were on the road…we weren’t playing good. I know my dad [Sidney Green] came down after the loss at LSU. He came down and just talked to us and said, ‘Man, you guys are playing tight. You aren’t playing loose. It looks like guys are not having fun out there like you usually do.’ We watched film – two games. It showed on film; we were playing tight, not playing loose. It was good to see that on film. That was good for us. We just got back, Coach Donovan gave that edge back to us, helped us be aggressive. Coming down to the SEC Tournament, we turned it up. That win at Kentucky – that last regular season game – was kind of a momentum shifter for us.”

AS: After the second title you left with the other Oh Fours and were drafted in the second round by the Portland Trail Blazers. Why did you make the decision to try your hand at playing in Europe rather than bouncing around the NBA until you found a permanent landing spot?
TG: “My agent [Andy Miller], he’s really good. He knows what he’s doing. For me, I’m still young. For a professional career, the main thing he emphasized with me is that I’m still young. By me bouncing around, I could have bounced around and played on NBA teams, but I would not be getting that much playing time or experience. The main thing he wanted to do for my career was keep me playing. Keep the rhythm of the game and get better. The Spanish league I’m playing in right now is the best league other than the NBA. There’s a lot of NBA talent here. He wants me to get better. I don’t think I would have gotten better being the third point guard and just sitting on the bench in the NBA. The main thing was just getting over here and playing games, running a ball club and getting better at running the team. Just working on my game.”

AS: You’ve been playing in Europe since 2008 in both Spain and Greece. How do you like playing over there, and what has been the biggest difference you’ve noticed in the European style of play compared to that in the NBA?
TG: “I like it. The main difference is just spacing. The NBA is more about spacing – more space. You’ve got the defensive three seconds [there], while here it is a lot of help. It’s tougher to get in the lane, there’s not a lot of one-on-one. It’s more about the team here, a lot of ball movement and pick-and-rolls. This league is physical, there’s a lot of talent.”

AS: You’re one of the top players on C.B. Gran Canaria and your team is in the top half of the ACB. Talk a little bit about how things are going for you and the team this year.
TG: “Things are going really well. In Greece I averaged 16 points and five assists. Coming here, I’m averaging around nine points and like 3.5 assists. We have a great scorer on our team in Jaycee Carroll. He leads the league in scoring [18.8 points per game] and is our two guard. This is one of the best years I’ve had in terms of that I set the tempo for the game. The rhythm of the game is good, I’m getting guys shots. I’m real comfortable out here now, feeling better each game. I’m doing a lot of stuff I haven’t done in college and my first couple of years out [in the NBA]. I feel like I’m getting better. The main thing is that we’re winning, so it’s all positive.”

AS: How’s your Spanish?
TG: “[Laughing] My Spanish is alright. When people speak Spanish, I understand it, but it’s more difficult for me to talk. When I order food, I’m legit.”

AS: How did you wind up playing for the Georgia national team, and what was that experience like for you?
TG: “When my season was over in Greece last year, I came back and was working out in Chicago with Joakim. My agent called and asked what I thought about it. I was up for it. It gives me better options. At the same time, it allows me to make more money, having a passport. It gives me experience to play on that Georgia national team and get exposure. We qualified for the EuroCup Challenge – a chance to get to the Olympics, so that’s a plus. A lot of scouts will be there. My agent set that all up. He had it all figured out and asked if I wanted to do it.”

AS: How have your relationships with some of your former teammates and coaches changed and/or developed since you left Gainesville, FL? Are you still close with the guys and Coach Donovan? Does everyone speak often?
TG: “It’s tough to talk everyday. Those guys are always traveling. I’m over here in Spain. Lee [Humphrey]’s over in Germany. I talk to those guys at least twice to three times a week. My cousin lives with Jo, so I talk to my cousin and he keeps me updated with Jo. You know Jo, Jo is probably the toughest person to get a hold of. The relationship is still there. We’re still close. I’m getting married this summer [to former dazzler Kristen Youngblood] and [the Oh Fours] are going to be my best men. I talked to Coach Donovan before the SEC Tournament, just catching up and wishing him good luck. The relationship is still there. We’re still together.”

AS: It’s funny you mentioned how hard it is to get in touch with Noah, because I tried to reach out to Brewer when he got traded to the New York Knicks and was told a few times he is the toughest to get a hold of…
TG: “Corey is the worst. I’ll put Corey up there now. Corey is the most impossible person to get a hold of. I had to hunt Corey down on Twitter a little while back. I’m like, ‘Man, what is your number.’ He’s always changing his number.”

AS: Back to Donovan. Fans get to see portions of his pre- and post-game speeches, but what is he like at halftime when the team does not perform well in the first half?
TG: “I’m sure Erving [Walker] gets hit the most out of anybody because he’s the point guard. That’s how it was with me. If you’re not playing well or you’re not doing what you need to do to help the team, he’s going to get on you. It all starts with Erving because he’s the point guard and he has the keys to the team. There were some games that we played where we were winning by 10 [at the half] and he was getting on us because he expects the best out of everybody. If you’re winning by 10, you should be up by 20; winning by 25, he’s going to get on you. That just makes you play at a higher level.”

AS: I know you’ve had a lot of coaches. And I’m not necessarily asking if he’s the best…
TG: “Oh, hands down. Hands down, he’s the best coach that I’ve ever had!”

AS: …in addition to that, how good is he at making halftime adjustments? It seems that – especially this year – the team can go into the half down six or eight points and still end up winning decisively. How proficient is he at making those adjustments and seeing what is being done wrong in the first half?
TG: “He’s the best at that. You see him over there calm during the game. He’ll get fired up sometimes during the first half. But that’s what he’s doing – he’s just watching how the game is, watching how the other team is playing defense, what they’re doing. For me, he’s the best at adjusting at halftime. That all comes from practice because in practice our offensive sets have a lot of options. That way the players know if the team does this, this is what you have to do. For me, he’s the best in terms of X’s and O’s in general.”

AS: You’ve been a huge supporter of the Gators even though you’re a bit removed overseas. Have you had the chance to watch some of their games this season?
TG: “Yeah. I catch them on ESPN3.com. I watched both NCAA Tournament games so far. I watched the SEC games except for Kentucky because I had a game. The only thing that scares me about this team is their first halves. They dig themselves in a little hole in the first half and always come out in the second half and turn it up.”

AS: What are you seeing from this team – both things you like and things you think they can improve on going forward?
TG: “The ball movement is good. Chandler [Parsons] is a mismatch out there for a lot of teams. Chandler has a variety of skill sets so he can shoot it, pass it. The main thing that’s going to push them to the Final Four is the bigs: Vern [on Macklin] and Patric [Young] and Alex Tyus. I think the X-factor, for me, is Alex Tyus. When Alex is playing good, that pushes the team.”

AS: I’ve been critical of Walker throughout his career but especially the last two seasons because he’s had more experience but is still making some of those careless mistakes that bother Coach Donovan. He’s obviously a great player and is absolutely a clutch shooter but continues to make some of the same mistakes you grew from. Like you said, Donovan gives him a lot of freedom but with that comes the responsibility to make the correct decisions. Most glaringly are the times he drives to the hole on much taller defenders and proceeds with the shot rather than controlling his dribble and rolling out. What do you see from his game overall?
TG: “I know what Coach Donovan’s killing him on. What you just said. When he drives down there with the trees, gets caught in the air and he either throws it up and gets blocked or turns it over. Just being too careless. I know that drives Coach Donovan nuts. The thing that I feel he is doing a real good job in is…if he messes up, he forgets about it. He has a short memory and will move on to the next play. He may mess up one or two plays, but he’ll come back with a big play. Coach wants the guards to be aggressive. Erv is only 5’8”, so Erv can be aggressive, but once he gets down in the lane, I think he has to keep his dribble. If he knows he can’t get a clear layup, keep his dribble, let the defense shrink in and kick it out to the shooters.”

AS: The current team is seeing its first real postseason success this year. How do things change as you get deeper in the tournament and reach the Sweet 16?
TG: “The media gets a lot crazier. You get a lot of attention, but honestly I felt that was the only difference. Other than that, the referees are going to let a lot of things go on the court – a lot of things they’d usually call during the regular season or the first few rounds. It’s more physical and you just have to play through it.”

AS: Let’s go back to some of the things you mentioned earlier. Why was Coach Grant so important to your development and those title teams?
TG: “The best thing about Coach Donovan in practice is he’ll get on you. He’s on you, he’s on you, he’s on you. Coach Grant was a good balance. Coach Grant was kind of quiet, but at the same time, he demanded that you compete. So if Coach Donovan is on you, Coach Grant would pull you to the side [and say], ‘This is what you need to do. Come on, just forget about it. Keep playing.’ They were a good balance.

“I’m going to tell you a story…

“He told me during the first championship run…he told me in the SEC Tournament, ‘You know, there’s going to be a game where you’re not going to shoot the ball well and you’re going to win us a ball game just off of your assists and running the team.’ I looked at him like, ‘For real?’ And he said, ‘I’m telling you. Watch.’ That championship game against UCLA, I didn’t make a shot. I probably made one shot. I was one-for-nine with eight assists and one turnover. Right after the game, he told me, ‘Hey, I told you!’ [Laughing] Him and Coach Donovan were key in my development, Corey’s development, Al, Joakim, Lee and Big Chris [Richard]. I think he helped Big Chris out the most.”

AS: The Oh Fours got a lot of praise, but Humphrey and Richard were also huge factors in those title runs. Can you discuss how important they were to the team dynamic?
TG: “Lee was the perfect fit at the two spot for us. We’d get mad at Lee if he didn’t shoot. Lee had the most freedom out of everybody. Our motto was: Layups, dunks, fast breaks and Lee Humphrey. Sometimes Lee would feel bad if he was shooting and wasn’t making [his shots]. He’d feel bad. We’d be like, ‘Lee, so what? If you get a crack, just let it go.’ He was that good of a shooter.

“I feel that it was so tough to guard us because if you doubled down on Al and Jo, they were such good passers that they would kick it out to either me or Lee for a three. You had Corey slashing and even Corey would knock down threes. Chris would come in, say Al got in foul trouble, Chris could start on a lot of other teams. He could have started on any other team in college. He would come in and bang, rebound. Just to have those guys come in, rotate and give us good minutes made us even tougher to prepare for.”

AS: It’s well-known how much of a character Noah is off the court. Is there anything he did while you all were in college that really sticks out in your mind as hysterical?
TG: “There’s too many. One of the funniest things that I remember was our first year on campus. It was during the summer. Me and Jo had the same classes and Corey and Al had the same classes, but we would all walk together around Turlington. Jo would bring his boom box – this boom box that he had – and would just play reggae. He carried the boom box and played it real loud. I was like, ‘Is he seriously bringing this boom box?’ Everybody would be watching. I’d be like, ‘Jo, can you please turn that off?’ He’d be like, “[Mimicking a Jamaican voice] Nah B, I’m getting the vibe. They’re getting the vibe. They love it.’ I always thought that was funny. That’s the thing with Jo, he just doesn’t care.”

AS: Looking back on your career at Florida, what is the one moment you will always remember – either on the court or off the court?
TG: “It’s not just one moment. It’s just every memory that I had with all my roommates, all my teammates, the coaches. My whole three years at Florida was probably the most fun I’ve had playing basketball.”

Photo Credits: Chris Graythen/Getty Images, Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated, Unknown, Andres Cruz, Unknown

» OGGOA INTERVIEWS:
DE Justin Trattou | DT Terron Sanders | QB Tim Tebow | QB Danny Wuerffel | ESPN’s Erin Andrews | ESPN’s Erin Andrews II | DE Alex Brown | WR Percy Harvin | F/C Al Horford | WR David Nelson | QB Shane Matthews | TE Cornelius Ingram | DE Jermaine Cunningham | S Major Wright | LB Earl Everett | F/C Chris Richard | DE Lynden Trail

Many successful head coaches in a variety of sports are praised as having extensive coaching trees of former assistants who have gone on to succeed with other teams. Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan normally escapes such praise but was questioned about three of his former assistants who led major programs in 2010-11.

Not only did the two compete for the Southeastern Conference regular season title, Donovan and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant were also the leading candidates for 2011 SEC Coach of the Year. The coaches and the Associated Press recognized him with the honor while Grant was given the award by SportingNews.

One thing Grant – and more specifically his team – did not receive was a berth to the 2011 NCAA Tournament, a development that confuses Donovan.

“I feel bad for Anthony, and I feel bad for our league because I really thought we had an opportunity [to get six teams in],” he said on Monday. “Everybody talks about the difference between the East and the West, and with Georgia getting in as a 10 seed. […] Alabama had more wins against the East than Georgia did, and they beat Georgia twice in head to head competition. I just thought not that they should have gotten in over Georgia. I think Georgia should be in. I thought Alabama should have gotten in.”

Click to expand the remainder of this post.

Fresh off of receiving individual awards from the Southeastern Conference coaches, Florida Gators forward Chandler Parsons and head coach Billy Donovan doubled up their accolades on Monday. The Associated Press named Parsons its 2011 SEC Player of the Year and Donovan its 2011 SEC Coach of the Year.

A double-digit point scorer and team leader in rebounding and assists, Parsons swept the SEC Player of the Year award as he was also given the honor by SportingNews. He is the first University of Florida student-athlete to ever win the award for basketball and was a unanimous selection by AP voters.

Parsons is one of only two active Division I college basketball players with over 1,300 points, 800 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals. He also leads the SEC among active players in rebounding, is No. 3 in points and assists, and comes in No. 4 in steals.

Donovan finally picked up his first SEC Coach of the Year award after being held without one for 15 seasons. Unlike Parsons, the AP is only the second organization to honor him as Alabama’s Anthony Grant took home the SportingNews version of the award.

This season, Donovan took a team that was projected to win the conference but saw itself unranked when SEC action began to a 13-3 league record, East division championship, SEC regular season championship, berth in the title game of the 2011 SEC Tournament and No. 2 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Parsons, who the AP also picked as a member of the 2011 All-SEC First Team, was one of three Florida players the organization honored. Gators junior point guard Erving Walker earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team, and sophomore guard Kenny Boynton was given All-SEC honorable mention.

OGGOA RELATED: Parsons named 2011 SEC Player of the Year
OGGOA RELATED: Billy Donovan named 2011 SEC Coach of the Year
OGGOA RELATED: Parsons, Walker recognized with more honors

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Fresh of winning the 2011 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year award from the league’s coaches, Florida Gators senior forward Chandler Parsons earned additional recognition on Wednesday.

SportingNews tabbed Parsons as it’s SEC Player of the Year and selected him as one of the five member of its 2011 All-SEC First Team. The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Parsons to their 2011 All-District 21 First Team.

Also honored Tuesday was Gators junior point guard Erving Walker, who was given 2011 All-SEC Second Team honors by SportingNews and 2011 All-District 21 Second Team recognition by the NABC.

SportingNews chose former Florida assistant and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant as the 2011 SEC Coach of the Year, an award the conference coaches presented to Gators head coach Billy Donovan.

The NABC’s District 21 is an area that covers the states of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

1 » Like his former boss and close friend did for him a few days ago, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant expressed plenty of positive thoughts and warm wishes toward Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan upon learning he was voted 2011 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year. “It’s a great honor – 15 years in the league and the success that he’s enjoyed,” Grant told The Birmingham News. “It’s really, really hard – the expectations were extremely high for his team this year. They may have surpassed those expectations with what they’ve done. […] There is not a more deserving recipient because of the way he approaches what he does and the passion that he has. I’m really happy for him and their program.”

2 » As OGGOA tweeted about Monday, Florida basketball was not the only sport to pull in high praise from the SEC. Gators track and field head coach Mike Holloway was named the 2011 SEC Coach of the Year for his sport on Monday, and junior jumper Christian Taylor earned 2011 SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Year honors. Also awarded by the conference were hurdler Eddie Lovett and Cory McGee, who were each named 2011 SEC Freshman Runner of the Year for their respective gender.

3 » The 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships begin on Friday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, TX, and Florida track and field will be represented by 15 student-athletes (13 men, two women) at the event. The Gators men’s team is looking to defend its title after claiming the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championship. Sophomore sprinter and defending champion Jeff Demps will compete in the 60-meter dash, while defending champion Taylor will try to once again win the triple jump. Junior Will Claye and sophomore Omar Craddock will also compete in the triple jump. Other Florida athletes participating in the NCAA Indoors include Clay (long jump), junior runner Dumisani Hlaselo (mile), junior Gray Horn (heptathlon), Lovett (60-meter hurdles), McGee (mile), sophomore Tony McQuay (200-meter dash, 400-meter dash), senior Kemal Mesic (shot put), senior Terrell Wilks (60-meter dash). The Gators will also field men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay teams.

4 » Former NFL head coach Mike Ditka, speaking with Chicago Sun-Times, provided his opinion on the future of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Ditka only had good things to convey about the second-year pro. “People talk about the combine, about body fat, 40 times, bench presses, how high you can jump. That’s great, but how do you measure heart?” he said. “People talk about Tim Tebow like he can’t do this or he doesn’t have this throwing skill. But all that matters is can he lead you from Point A to Point B. I like him. You cannot coach character. You cannot coach leadership.”

In 15 seasons with the Florida Gators, head coach Billy Donovan has won two NCAA National Championships, coached in three national title games, been victorious in three Southeastern Conference Tournaments and captured four SEC regular season championships. He was even presented the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2010 to honor his many accomplishments.

On Tuesday, Donovan received an award that has escaped him his entire Florida career as he was finally selected as 2011 SEC Coach of the Year by his peers.

This season, Donovan took a team that was projected to win the conference but saw themselves unranked when SEC action began to a 13-3 record, No. 12 ranking and their first East division and SEC regular season championships since 2007.

“I am extremely humbled to be named SEC Coach of the Year by my peers. This league has outstanding coaches and a number of deserving candidates to win the award,’’ he said in a statement. “I’m fortunate and blessed to have a great group of players, assistant coaches and staff – this honor is more a reflection of their work and effort than anything that I have done.’’

His main competition for the award, former Gators assistant and current Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant, also completed a fantastic year. With Alabama projected to finish third in the SEC West during the preseason, Grant fueled his team to a 12-4 conference record and their first division title since 2005.

“When there is a team that maybe exceeds expectations or maybe a team that comes out of nowhere or nobody thought they would be what they end up being, immediately that’s the Coach of the Year,” Donovan said last week. “If you’re asking me, Anthony Grant’s the Coach of the Year.”

Always complimentary of his fellow coaches and former assistants, Donovan in many ways would have been just as happy to see Grant take home the award. In fact, individual honors are not in Donovan’s wheelhouse, he prefers to win championships.

When Donovan eventually hangs it up, he will likely be ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in all major SEC coaching categories to Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp. Tuesday he lost his lead in one category – being the longest-tenured and most successful head coach in the conference who had not previously earned a SEC Coach of the Year award.

OGGOA RELATED: Chandler Parsons named 2011 SEC Player of the Year

Photo Credit: Unknown

The subtext of Tuesday’s de facto 2011 Southeastern Conference regular season title showdown between the No. 14 Florida Gators (23-6, 12-3 SEC) and Alabama Crimson Tide (19-10, 11-4 SEC) was the competition for SEC Coach of the Year between Florida head coach Billy Donovan and Alabama head coach Anthony Grant.

Yet while plenty has been said about Donovan having been snubbed for the honor on three previous occasions (2000, 2006, 2007), little has been mentioned about why his team’s accomplishments should earn him the award over Grant this season.

The Orlando Sentinel looked at the history of the award and how it is usually given to coaches who “either a) overachieve [...] or b) dominate,” a trend Donovan recognizes.

“When there is a team that maybe exceeds expectations or maybe a team that comes out of nowhere or nobody thought they would be what they end up being, immediately that’s the coach of the year,” said Donovan of how voting for the award normally goes. “I told Anthony Grant before the season started I thought he had a chance to be really, really good because those guys were going to be a year older.

“If you’re asking me, Anthony Grant’s the coach of the year, because I don’t think anybody ever expected his team to walk in here 11-3, especially with the way they started. I’m not here politicking for Alabama, but I’ve watched enough film. They’re definitely one of the 68 best teams in the country. The job that Anthony has done with a team that lost to St. Peters and Iowa and some of the losses in November and December… For him to reel off what he’s done in this league…

“They’ve taken care of their job and their schedule. Sometimes that’s what kind of sticks out. When somebody has a year that is, ‘Where did they come from?’ The other thing, here at Florida, the expectations were [that] we’re supposed to be good. We definitely this season, at this point in time, have exceeded expectations in my own mind. For a lot of other people, we were picked to win the league.”

Grant’s accomplishments this season have been impressive, but Donovan is simply being modest and complimentary to one of his best friends.

If the SEC handed out a coaching award for the last decade, Donovan would have won it hands down. Yet nothing he has done before the 2010-11 season has anything to do with this year’s team. His past accomplishments and prior snubs should not and will not automatically earn him the honor this season.

“It’s unbelievable. The things he’s done, the players that have come through here, it’s really shocking to me. It’s definitely crazy that he’s never got it,” UF senior forward Chandler Parsons commented when asked about Donovan winning the award in 2011.

What is being overlooked is one simple fact: Donovan has earned the honor this year, regardless of how humble he wants to be in propping up Grant for the award.

Let’s take a look at the facts:

	Donovan/Florida	Grant/Alabama
Conference record	12-3	11-4
vs. SEC East	7-2*	3-2*
vs. SEC West	5-1	8-2
vs. Ranked Opp.	3-2*	1-3
vs. RPI Top 25	4-2	1-3
vs. RPI Top 50	9-3	2-3
vs. RPI Top 100	14-3	3-6
Conference RPI	11th	28th
Conference SOS	58th	93rd

* Remaining game to be played.

Overall performance: Across the board, Donvoan’s team has proven to be more impressive and dominating than Grant’s. Florida’s record in the SEC East will either be equal to or one game short of Alabama’s in the exponentially weaker West. There is also the little fact that Donovan did not just defeat but rather routed Grant head-to-head.

Conference scheduling: The Crimson Tide compiled its impressive SEC record by beating up on a division that may not send a single team (including the Crimson Tide themselves) to the NCAA Tournament. Donovan accomplished the same feat in a division that could send up to four to the big dance. The Gators’ conference RPI and strength of schedule showcase this disparity quite glaringly.

Expectations: There is no denying that, before the season, Florida was picked to win the East and the SEC outright. However, they did not receive a unanimous vote in either of these categories. In fact, if you re-polled the respondents before the conference slate began (after the Gators were 11-3 out of conference including losses to Central Florida and Jacksonville), chances are that Kentucky or Vanderbilt would have been favored.

Alabama, on the other hand, was chosen to finish third in the West and is instead leading the division. That being said, five teams in the East are over .500 in conference while only two in the West hold the same distinction.

Unlike 2000, 2006 or 2007, Donovan’s team reached this level without a single projected NBA first-round pick. He built this squad from the ground up over the course of four years and has done an exemplary job getting Florida prepared week-in and week-out.

He took a team that was weak defensively and turned them into one of the best in the conference. Donovan stopped using the press defense that won him two national titles but teams were exposing this year due to UF’s smaller backcourt and went to more of a halfcourt set. Since doing so in the middle of January, only one conference opponent (Georgia in a double-overtime game) has scored 70 or more points. UA accomplished a similar feat but, once again, did so against a weaker schedule.

Donovan fixed the Gators’ free throw shooting problem and taught them how to spread the ball around and trust each other. He instilled a confidence in them that had been absent since the Oh Fours departed and constantly demands discipline; so much so that Florida is fouling their opponents so infrequently that they are the only team in the nation not to have a single player foul out of a game.

His second half (and numerous overtime) adjustments are unmatched in conference this season, and the team’s 5-2 road record (including a loss at Kentucky, which is undefeated at home) proves that he has done plenty to enhance the team’s overall maturity even with a bench almost entirely filled with freshmen.

Grant has done a spectacular job with the Crimson Tide in 2011, but what Donovan has accomplished with the Gators should undoubtedly win him SEC Coach of the Year.

“I hope he gets it. I really hope he gets it,” redshirt senior center Vernon Macklin said of the possibility. “That’s a great guy. I love his intensity; I love him as a coach. If he gets it, we’re going to be so happy as a team and a university.”

Photo Credit: Unknown
 
 

ANOTHER TALE OF TWO HALVES

Before waxing poetic about his senior class and how much they deserved the win on Tuesday, Donovan spoke about the disparity in how the Gators played in the first and second halves of the game. Though Florida showed plenty of energy and intensity from the start, the production simply wasn’t there at the beginning.

“To start the game, our guys were very emotional with it being Senior Night and what we were playing for. We played really hard; we played really aggressive,” he said. “As a coach, when you’re sitting over there and every time you shoot the ball it’s a little bit long, you kind of know that they’re a little bit too excited. Our press was good in the first half. We caused some turnovers that helped us, and we had a nice run to close out the first half.”

That being said, there is absolutely no denying what the Gators did after the break. Florida played perhaps its most impressive half of the season, especially when you consider the points they put up and the lead they generated against perhaps the best defensive team in the conference.

“The second half was as about as good of a game that we’ve played in the second half all year,” Donovan said. “Anthony [Grant]’s team is a terrific defensive team, as everybody knows. For us to play the way we did in the second half on both ends of the floor…we guarded them very well and then we were really efficient on offense. We put together a half there that was really incredible.”

He continued, “When you talk about a team [Alabama] that’s holding their opponents to 38 percent from the field and their last five games in the second half they’ve held teams to like 28 percent, these guys shot 70 percent from the field against them. What our team did for that 20 minutes against arguably the best defensive team in our league was pretty impressive.”

Donovan summed it up pretty succinctly. “I see signs and glimpses of ‘really special.’ As a coach, you’re always trying to pull that out of them to do it more consistently. [...] We played special in the second half.”

Read more on Donovan’s emotional night…after the break!

A NIGHT FILLED WITH EMOTION

Locking his now-seniors out of the team’s practice facility four years ago, Donovan has indicated all season – especially this week – that he never thought a night like Tuesday would be possible. With at least a share of the SEC regular season title now in his pocket and the team having come together to form a cohesive unit during conference play, he took a moment to reflect on what his seniors have achieved.

“For [Alex] Tyus, [Vernon] Macklin and [Chandler] Parsons to play the way they did on a night like tonight, the last game they’re ever going to play in the O’Dome, and for them to go out the way they did, and to walk out with at least a share of a SEC Championship, I don’t think it could have been scripted any better for those three guys. And for that, I’m really happy,” Donovan said. “They have come such a long, long way as players and as people and as teammates and having an understanding of what it takes to compete. It really has been incredibly rewarding for me, the process with these guys.

“I’ll tell you, I did not enjoy the process two years ago with them, but to see them figure things out and start to have an idea and an understanding. What those guys did tonight is extremely significant in the history of Florida basketball. Ninety-two years and there’s only been five [SEC titles], so those guys are going to leave with something so significant. I give them credit because they really showed a lot of fortitude, resiliency, and they battled through a lot of adversity to try to figure it out and be the players they are today.”

BEATING HIS “SON” FOR A CONFERENCE TITLE

Donovan’s emotional reaction after the game was not 100 percent focused on his seniors, even though he realized their accomplishment was by far the most important part of the evening. Reflecting on the game, he was obviously felt a sense of remorse that he had to take (at least a portion) of the SEC title away from a good friend in Grant.

“For me emotionally, I can’t imagine how our team feels, but I’m emotionally drained. You’re playing for an SEC Championship, and it would be like me coaching against my son to try to win a SEC Championship and he’s doing the same thing,” Donovan said. “It was a hard game for me because I love our seniors and our team and coaching those guys, but also the guy at the other end of the bench has had a lot to do with the success that has happened in the past for this program. And that was hard for me, especially with so much on the line. It was just a hard game.”