1 » Former Florida Gators forward/center David Lee posted the second triple-double of his career Tuesday night, scoring 25 points (on 9-of-19 shooting) with 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Golden State Warriors in a heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma City. Lee’s triple-double and Monta Ellis’s career-high 48 points were simply not enough to propel the Warriors to victory. In 21 games this year with Golden State, Lee is already playing better than he did a year ago, averaging 18.7 points (+2.2) and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 50.8 percent from the field.

2 » No. 1 Florida women’s tennis (4-0) swept the South Florida Bulls (3-2) 7-0 on Tuesday, winning their 98th consecutive home match at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, FL. Junior Allie Will (No. 3), senior Joanna Mather (No. 4) and sophomores Sofie Oyen (No. 34) and Alexandra Cercone (No. 41) each won their singles matches in straight sets while junior Lauren Embree (No. 25) took three sets to win her singles tilt. The No. 10-ranked team of Oyne/Will and No. 15 duo of Embree/Mather each won their doubles matches handily. The Gators will travel to California over the weekend for back-to-back contests on Friday and Sunday against Pepperdine and Stanford. Florida topped Stanford 4-3 for the 2011 NCAA Championship on May 24.

Check our two more BITS (including a video)…after the break!

3 » Two of the Gators’ four current 2013 verbal commitments have been placed on the initial Rivals100 released on Wednesday. Linebacker Daniel McMillian (Jacksonville, FL) and defensive tackle Caleb Brantley (Crescent City, FL) were each given four-star designations by the site and have been ranked at No. 53 overall and No. 82 overall, respectively. McMillian is listed as the No. 10 player both at his position and in the state of Florida, while Brantley is considered the No. 7 defensive tackle and the No. 15 player in the state. You can check out the entire list, for free, by clicking here.

4 » Currently training for the trials for the 2012 London Olympics, former Florida swimmers Ryan Lochte and Conor Dwyer have been working out extensively with Gators assistant director of strength and conditioning “Mad Dog” Matt DeLancey. Below is a video from GatorVision.com showing some of the workouts he is having them do in the rough-and-tumble streets of Gainesville.

Eight former Florida Gators basketballers competed in five of the seven NBA games played on Tuesday and most ended the night with praiseworthy performances.

Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee posted a team-high 29 points (on 13-of-20 shooting) with nine boards (four offensive) and three assists in a team-high 35 minutes as Golden State went on to upend Cleveland 105-95.

Similarly dominant, Denver Nuggets forward Corey Brewer played a team-high 34 minutes off the bench, scoring a team-best 22 points (on 8-of-14 shooting) with four rebounds, two steals and a block. Denver defeated Milwaukee 105-95.

Click to expand and read the remainder of this post.

Al Horford, F/C, Atlanta Hawks
- 2010-11: Averaging career highs in points (15.3), field goal percentage (.557), assists (3.5) and minutes (35.1), Horford also contributed 9.3 rebounds and 1.0 block per game last year. He led his team to the second round of the playoffs for the third-straight season; nlike the previous two years, the Hawks were not swept but rather fell 4-2.
- 2011-12: The Godfather was named a captain in Atlanta one year ago and wound up earning his second-straight NBA All-Star nod as a reserve. The Hawks resigned him to a five-year, $60 million extension in Nov. 2010, and he enters this season as one of the team’s two best and most popular players.

Joakim Noah, C, Chicago Bulls
- 2010-11: Averaging a double-double with career highs in points (11.7), field goal percentage (.525), assists (2.2) and minutes (32.8), Noah was also good for 10.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. He only played in 48 games due to having two surgeries for ligament damage in his hand and a right thumb injury but helped lead Chicago to the conference finals where the Bulls lost 4-1 in five games.
- 2011-12: Noah was rewarded by Chicago for his hard work with a five-year, $60 million extension last offseason. His defense and shot blocking makes him an elite big man in the league and he will be a key piece for the Bulls this season as they hope to earn a spot in the NBA Finals.

David Lee, F/C, Golden State Warriors
- 2010-11: Falling just short of a double-double average aver accomplishing that feat in consecutive seasons with the New York Knicks, Lee contributed 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game in 36.1 minutes on average last season. He shot 50.7 percent from the floor and 78.7 percent from the line in 73 games after missing nine due to an elbow injury that got infected.
- 2011-12: Lee agreed to a six-year, $80 million contract with Golden State after being traded from New York before last season and shined as a efficient big man in an up-tempo offense. His numbers fell because he was not relied upon as heavily with the Warriors, but he should have ample opportunities to showcase his talent.

Read the rest of OGGOA’s 2011-12 NBA Preview…after the break!

Udonis Haslem, PF, Miami Heat
- 2010-11: Averaged 8.0 points and 8.2 rebounds on 51.2 percent shooting in 26.5 minutes; did not start a single game for the second-straight year and only participated in 13 regular season contests before suffering a Lisfranc fracture in his foot. Haslem was named a team captain for being a veteran leader in Miami who accepted a reserve role and turned down significantly more financially lucrative contracts to remain with his hometown team. He was able to return for the playoffs and played 24.2 minutes per game averaging 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds.
- 2011-12: Haslem returns in a reserve role and is expected to be named a team captain once again. The Heat are looking to return to the NBA Finals and capture their first title since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the team.

Mike Miller, G/F, Miami Heat
- 2010-11: Averaged 5.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting the worst he has in his career (40.1 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from downtown, 67.6 percent from the free throw line). Started two contests in 41 games played, missing 41 contests throughout the season with a nagging thumb injury that was fractured and torn during the preseason.
- 2011-12: Fully healthy over the summer and hoping to be a big-time contributor for Miami this year, Miller had hernia surgery just as the NBA lockout was ending and is expected to miss the first few weeks. He will join the team in a reserve role, serving as a three-point specialist who the Heat hopes will help spread the floor.

Corey Brewer, G/F, Denver Nuggets
- 2010-11: Averaged 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 56 games (22 starts) while playing 24.3 minutes per contest with Minnesota before being traded to New York as part of the deal for Carmelo Anthony. Brewer was then waved and signed by the Dallas Mavericks, where he played in 13 games (two starts) and averaged just 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 steals in 11.4 minutes per game.
- 2011-12: Brewer was traded to Denver in the offseason and is still trying to find his groove in the pros. He has continued to work on his consistency both from the field and downtown while playing solid defense and being an effective player when he gets on the court. Brewer won a NBA title with the Mavs last year and joins a Nuggets team that lost 4-1 in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

Marreese Speights, C, Philadelphia 76ers
- 2010-11: Averaged career-lows in points (5.4), rebounds (3.3) and blocks (0.3) while playing five fewer minutes per game (11.5) than he did in 2009-10. Speights shot 49.5 percent from the field and 75.3 percent from the line and only played in 64 of 82 games being deactivated often on coach’s decisions.
- 2011-12: There was talk that Speights might be traded in his fourth year with Philadelphia, but the 76ers wound up retaining him with hopes that he continues to develop. Speights was showing some promise early in the 2009 season before a knee injury slowed him down and diminished his contribution level with Philly.

Matt Bonner, F/C, San Antonio Spurs
- 2010-11: Averaged 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from three and 74.4 percent from the line in 21.7 minutes – all numbers improved from the previous season.
- 2011-12: Bonner signed a four-year, $16 million contract with San Antonio prior to the 2009-10 campaign and continues to serve as a reserve for the Spurs, which fell 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Chandler Parsons, F, Houston Rockets
- 2011-12: The No. 38 overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft, Parsons spent some of his offseason in France playing for Cholet Bakset before returning to the United States to join his team. He signed a four-year, $3.7 million contract with Houston with the first two years of the deal guaranteed and additional conditional guarantees available in the final two seasons. The 2011 SEC Player of the Year, Parsons averaged 11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 34.1 minutes per game with the Gators while shooting 48.0 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from downtown. He will have to work hard for time at forward with the Rockets seeing as there are currently five players in front of him for playing time.

Vernon Macklin, PF, Detroit Pistons
- 2011-12: The No. 52 overall pick in the second round of the draft, Macklin signed a standard rookie contract with Denver and was able to spend the entire shortened offseason practicing with the Pistons. He averaged 11.6 points and 5.4 boards in 24.5 minutes per game with Florida while shooting 59.3 percent from the field and a paltry 45.1 percent from the line. Macklin will be at the end of the bench for Detroit, which features a deep frontcourt, and may not see much playing time in his rookie campaign.

Through the 2011 NBA Draft, Florida Gators forward and 2011 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Chandler Parsons will be keeping fans up-to-date on his Path to the Draft via a weekly blog entry exclusively here at OGGOA.

Noah, who was relaxed and focused between games of the Eastern Conference Finals, is about an hour away from the city where Parsons will work out for all 30 NBA general managers from Wednesday until Saturday.

After I spoke to you on Monday, I spent the rest of the week continuing to workout in Los Angeles, CA, doing the same stuff and working on my conditioning. David Lee actually came out there and was working with all of us, and the trainer and I were just putting on some finishing touches and sharpening a few things up before I left.

I headed over to Oklahoma for my first workout, which went really well. The Oklahoma City Thunder invited 12 players to the Sunday workout and split us up into two groups of six. They held it at 9 a.m. on the day the team played game seven [of the Western Conference Semifinals].

Right when I got in there Saturday, there was a room in the hotel where a bunch of people who work in the front office for the Thunder interviewed me. [They asked] typical questions about my game, upbringing and childhood – basically every question you could imagine they were asking just to get to know me better. There were also a lot of questionnaires and surveys and a background check.

On Saturday night before the workout, the GM [Sam Presti] took me to dinner. There were 12 players there, and I was the only one to go to dinner, so that was pretty special.

Click to expand and read the remainder of Parsons's Path to the Draft.

Forward Chandler Parsons went through a lot in his four years playing for the Florida Gators. From finding early success to being locked out of the gym by head coach Billy Donovan to becoming the first basketball player school history to win the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year award, Parsons reflects on his college career fondly but is equally excited looking ahead to his future playing in the NBA.

One of 54 players invited to the official 2011 NBA Combine in Chicago, IL from May 18-22, Parsons is currently in California working on refining his game and improving in any way he possibly can to get prepared for workouts, individual team meetings and the 2011 NBA Draft on June 23. After completing a rigorous day of workouts on Monday, Parsons sat down with OGGOA for an extensive interview about his future playing professionally and career in the orange and blue.

ADAM SILVERSTEIN: Let’s start off by talking about what is going on for you now that the season is over and you are preparing for the draft. What have you been doing recently to get ready and how is it going?
CHANDLER PARSONS: “I’ve been in L.A. [since May 1] working out at 360 Health Club with Don MacClean, who’s the all-time leading scorer at UCLA. It’s me, Jon Leuer from Wisconsin and Malcom Thomas from San Diego State. And then there’s some pros like David Lee comes here [Tuesday]. Paul George with the Pacers has been working out with us. J.R. Giddens, who was at Kansas, transferred to New Mexico and got drafted by the Celtics, he’s been working with us. It’s been a combination of two-to-six guys every day just working really hard. We work out on the court for about an hour and a half and then you lift for about an hour with the guys and Steve Campbell who is the strength coach here. The facilities are beautiful. It’s right up in the valley in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles. It’s a really good setup and we’re just working on all aspects of our game – two-on-two, pick-and-roll, offense, defense. The main thing is just getting in shape, being in the best condition of your life going forward for these NBA workouts.”

AS: What specifically are you working on and trying to showcase at the combine? Has your post game been a specific focus?
CP: “I’ve been working off the ball, catching the ball at the post when I get a smaller three or two on me. I measured at 6’10 1/2” in shoes, so I’m going to have a lot of mismatches at the next level. I’m going to be able to take some guys down on the block. I’ve been working on my post game, my handle, being able to create and still facilitate just like I did at Florida. And then there’s the difference with the NBA three-point line, which I’m very comfortable shooting with, but it’s about getting a lot of reps up, same form, becoming more of a consistent three-point shooter from that distance.”

AS: What have you heard from your agent in regards to a projection for the draft?
CP: “When I first signed with my agent, who is Mark Bartelstein, he told me anywhere from mid-first round to early second round. Now, after this week of working out, my trainer Don MacLean told Mark, ‘I don’t know what kind of workouts you’re scheduling, but you need to start scheduling Chandler with teams with picks in the teens.’ He sees me going a lot higher than people are projecting me with how good I’ve been doing out here – anywhere from the teens to mid-first round to early second round.”

Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Chandler Parsons…after the break!

AS: ESPN’s Chad Ford had some high praise for you after watching you in workouts recently. When you read praise like that, do you block it out or do you use it to reinforce what you’re doing so you work harder?
CP: “It’s flattering. For a guy like Chad Ford, who has so much respect and power, to come in and watch me work out, it’s impressive and I like it. But at the same time, just because he saw me work out and thought I was really good, that’s not going to make me stop. I’m going to keep motivated. I’m trying to prove everybody wrong. I’m going to go in there, and I’m just trying to get drafted as high as possible. It was good from the standpoint that he came, he saw how far along I’ve come. He told my agent it was one of the best workouts he’s seen in five years. To hear those kinds of things from a guy with his power is great. At the same time, I’m not content with just one article. I want to keep going. I want to be drafted as high as possible.”

AS: Let’s go back to your senior season at Florida. You went through a rough patch in the beginning of the year and said your goal was just to stay confident and keep taking shots. How tough was that game against Central Florida for you seeing as you did not perform your best in front of friends and family in your hometown?
CP: “It was difficult. Obviously going back home, there’s a lot of family and friends that you grew up with at that city. You want to play well. Ultimately I was more heartbroken because we lost the game to a team I feel like we were a lot better than and we should have won the game. From a selfish standpoint, I obviously wanted to play better. I had a terrible shooting night, but if you look back I did some other things. I got some assists, I rebounded the ball; I just shot horrible. Everybody can have games like that, but it was definitely frustrating to do it in my hometown when I had hundreds of people there and ultimately we lost the game. It was definitely a frustrating point for me and honestly one of the lowest points of my career.”

AS: Once you were able to put some solid scoring efforts together in January, did the shooting hiccups just work themselves out?
CP: “I’m very competitive, so no matter who the game was against or where it was, if I played bad I’m not sleeping well that night. I’m going to the gym. I’m getting a lot of shots up. I’m watching film and looking at things I can do differently. I don’t think one game really can change my season. That was definitely a low point, and I never wanted to play like that again. From that point forward, we really grew as a team. Obviously we had the bad [Jacksonville] loss and the UCF loss but after those it really humbled us as a team. It definitely humbled me as a player playing the way that I did. We really took off from those two games.”

AS: Had you ever played in a game before like that road contest at Auburn? How difficult was that for the team to fight through when nothing was falling for anyone?
CP: “It was difficult. There’s no easy games in the SEC. Obviously Auburn didn’t have the best record, didn’t have all these NBA guys, but it’s hard to go anywhere and beat a team on their home floor. That was one of those nights where nothing was falling for any team. They seemed to be hitting more shots than us, and I think it showed some resiliency of our team just how bad we played to still pull out a road win on someone else’s home floor against a SEC competitor. That was definitely frustrating. The games are going to be ugly like that. At the end of the day we look back and say we won the game.”

AS: You suffered a deep thigh bruise against Tennessee. Were you in a lot of pain the rest of the game or were you running on adrenaline and it hurt more after it was over?
CP: “It hurt. I had no lift. I couldn’t have that first step where I could get by my guy, get in the lane and facilitate. It happened like the third play of the game…and it hurt. I went back in the locker room and there was no way I’m not playing against Tennessee my senior year. There was no way I wasn’t playing. I had to do what I had to do to get back in the game. It was a grind; it hurt a lot. After the game, I rehabbed all week long. The trainer Dave Werner, who has been doing it for like 30 years, said it was the worst thigh contusion he has ever seen. It was terrible. I had never been hurt, and I had never had to miss a game. Thank God we had a week off to prepare for LSU, but I was unable to play against LSU which was real frustrating.”

AS: You only missed that one game and came back in the win against Georgia. How tough was it to play through the injury at that point as well as through rest of the year? I know it lingered for you at least through the beginning of March, right?
CP: “It was tough. Our trainer told me it’s not going to go away, the pain’s not going to go away. ‘You just have to grind it out this last month.’ The only way really to help it is to rest it and keep rehabbing it. I was in the training room more during this time period than I had ever been the last four years. I was doing everything I could to get back on the court. Ultimately he was saying how only rest was going to really stop it from hurting. The rest of the season I was playing, I wore those protective tights; I wore that huge shell over it just in case I got hit again. It was definitely uncomfortable, and I definitely was not at 100 percent the rest of the year. I’m a senior; I was willing to do whatever it took for our team to be successful. Once we got into the tournament, I think I was pretty close to 100 percent. Even right now I lift up my leg and I don’t feel it anymore. So it’s definitely gone by now.”

AS: You guys prevailed against Kentucky in the first meeting at home, had the hard-fought game on the road against them and then fell for the second time in the finals of the SEC Tournament. What did they do differently that allowed them to prevail in the latter two games?
CP: “They’re a great team. Obviously Kentucky has a tremendous amount of talent with all of their guys. They have guys that can score at all five positions. I think it was just us guarding their dribble-drive offense and obviously going into Rupp [Arena] is one of the hardest places to play in the country. Not a lot of people win games there. Looking back on it, we swept Tennessee, we swept Vandy, Kentucky we got one at our place. They’re just a really good team and their personnel is tough to match-up with.”

AS: Obviously you were happy to win SEC Player of the Year, but how did you and the team feel about being able to bring home the SEC Coach of the Year award that Billy Donovan had deserved numerous times but not yet received until this year?
CP: “It was huge. He deserved it. He’s deserved it in years past also. We don’t control the voting and the judging and stuff like that. All the expectations we had at the beginning of the year with the seniors and the team that we had coming in, he really brought the best out of us. We were really happy for him to get it. Me, on the other hand, I definitely couldn’t have done it without my teammates. Looking back, 92 years there’s never been a player at the University of Florida to win [SEC] Player of the Year. That was really impressive and something I’ll cherish the rest of my life.”

AS: As the NCAA Tournament came to a close, he was criticized for his strategy and some of his play calls when games were close or tied. A lot of people don’t take into consideration that just because a play is called or you want to do something on the court, it doesn’t mean the other team will let you accomplish your goal. Looking back on some of those situations, how much of it was coaching versus execution?
CP: “First of all, people who stand on the outside, they’re not in practice everyday. They don’t know what goes on between the lines and in the [practice] facility for four hours a day. We know our offense. We know our personnel. Looking back on it, I’m sure there have been a lot of possessions throughout the year where we wanted to get something different or we didn’t necessarily take the best shot we could get. Those shots you’re referring to… Erving Walker has hit a lot of those shots throughout the season. The one at Georgia he hit was unbelievable. Just because one of the shots or two of the shots doesn’t go down, you can’t blame a game [or a coach] for that. Although I’m sure that we would have liked a better look at the basket and get something driving to the hoop, it was just one shot that [Walker] felt comfortable taking and it just happened. You can’t do anything about it now, but he had been huge for us all year.”

AS: During the press conference after the tournament, the seniors were obviously depressed and it was quite visual in everyone’s mannerisms and expressions. Did the three of you ever get a chance to sit back and appreciate what you accomplished or is it one of those things where it just continues to hurt knowing what could have been?
CP: “We did. After the season, obviously, we were heartbroken and we were crushed. It was hard to even watch the tournament continue on. We were proud; we were happy. We did some special things this year though it didn’t end the way we wanted it to end. We wanted to make a run; we wanted to go to the Final Four and compete for a national championship and we fell short. We were up 10 points with five minutes to go and we [should have been] cutting down the nets, going to Houston for the Final Four. It was definitely sad and it was definitely heartbreaking at the time, but as time went on we really looked back and realized we made history this year. No one has ever swept Vandy; no one has ever swept Tennessee. Coach has never got Coach of the Year; no one has ever got Player of the Year. We really did some special things as a team together this year, looking back on it and making it to the Elite Eight.”

AS: There is always talk about the close relationship the Oh Fours had at Florida and continue to have now that they have left. How close did the three of you get, and was bringing Vernon Macklin into the fold a natural fit?
CP: “It was. Vernon Macklin took his visit when no one was on campus and I had driven up from Orlando to host his visit. It was just me and him. Right off the bat, me and Vern got a great connection, he will be one of my best friends for the rest of my life. We really just bonded. Alex [Tyus], obviously he’s married and didn’t spend as much time with us off the court because he has a family. Us three, we’ve been through a lot together, especially me and Alex those first three years. Us three have done a lot together, and we’re still rooting for each other. Vern is in Boston right now working out for the draft. Alex is at Tampa working out at IMG. We’re all over the map right now, but we’re going to communicate for the rest of our lives.”

AS: Tyus has had good games in his career, but his performances in the tournament were inspired. How did he handle the success he had at such an important time?
CP: “You won’t see any facial expression differently on Alex whether he had two points or 15 points or six rebounds or 20 rebounds. His whole thing is just bringing energy, doing whatever he can. He is just a guy who was all about the team and just wanted to be successful.”

AS: Looking ahead to next year for the Gators, you won’t be there but Florida has plenty of young guys hoping to build on the success your team had last year. Can you talk a little bit about the team’s potential for the upcoming season?
CP: “Even though I’m not there, I’m going to be a Gator fan for the rest of my life, so I’m going to be watching those guys. It’s going to be interesting because obviously I’m not going to be there everyday, so sometimes I’ll be scratching my head like, ‘Why are they doing that?’ or ‘Why are they doing this?’ Coach Donovan is going to know what he’s doing. We’re going to have so many guards next year with Erv, Kenny [Boynton], [Mike] Rosario, Scottie [Wilbekin], Casey [Prather] and Brad Beal coming in. I can see us at times even going in a four-guard set. We’re going to score a lot of points. Those guys can really shoot the ball. From what I’m hearing about Brad Beal, I hear he’s an absolute monster. And I’ve seen Mike Rosario in practice absolutely light it up. Those guys really put the ball in the basket.

“Obviously Patric Young is getting better. Will [Yegeute], Casey [Prather], Erik [Murphy] are getting better. I can see them making some noise next year if they just stick together and worry about the defensive end. The biggest thing is, with all those guards, they still have to run the offense and get good shots. Coach Donovan is going to have them doing the right things.”

AS: Rosario is a player who some casual fans may not know about because all he’s been able to do is practice with you guys while he sat out this season [transferred from Rutgers]. What kind of role do you see him playing for Florida next season?
CP: “I’m never good at guessing who is going to start. I would be shocked if he’s not one of the leading scorers in the SEC. He can literally get it up and change the game. He’s one of the best scorer-shooters I’ve ever seen. He obviously played at Rutgers; they didn’t win a lot of games but he was their best player and every other team’s defense was designed to stop him and he still got 18 [points]-a-game as a freshman and 17 as a sophomore in the Big East. Now he’s coming to Florida. There’s a lot of freedom. Coach Donovan’s offense is set for guards to get a lot of looks. He’s going to be really successful here. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t one of the top scorers in the country.”

AS: As the regular season ended and you were heading into postseason action, Donovan lauded you with a lot of praise and couldn’t stop talking about your development over the last four years both as a player and teammate. How hard was he on you those first few years, and how has your relationship developed since then?
CP: “When I came in as a freshman, I had the total wrong mindset. I had everything figured out. This class just won two national championships; our class is going to come in and be just as good. And we weren’t. Coach made it clear that he was going to put our backs against the wall. He was going to challenge us and get the best out of us. The first two years were extremely tough. You know everything that happened – getting kicked out of the gym and all that. Never in a million years would we have thought the years would have went like that. On the same hand, we were I think 8-8 in conference and then 9-7 in conference and we were on the bubble every year for the tournament. Obviously that’s not the standard we want to have at Florida, but other schools have had a lot worse records and a lot worse years than we did my first two years. We still won a lot of games; we still beat some impressive teams.

“Looking back on it now, as a junior, he understood my role was going to change. I was going to be more of a leader. And then last season, I was the leader – me and Vern really were the vocal guys. It was like a trust relationship. The bond me and Coach Donovan have is great. He trusted me to talk to the younger guys, make sure they were doing the right things on- and off-the-court. And on the court, understanding what I can do, what our team needs. It was just different. It was night-and-day our relationship from my senior year to our freshman year.”

» OGGOA INTERVIEWS:
C Marreese Speights | LB Mike Peterson | PG Taurean Green | 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 | DE Justin Trattou | DT Terron Sanders | F/C Chris Richard | DE Lynden Trail

Photo Credit: Associated Press

1 » Florida Gators sophomore athlete Trey Burton may be limited in the 2011 Orange & Blue Debut on Saturday after suffering an undisclosed injury during practice recently, according to the Palm Beach Post. With coaches and players being unavailable to the media from Tuesday evening until the conclusion of the game this weekend, no further information is currently known. Burton, who is/was expected to see snaps in the backfield behind redshirt senior running back Chris Rainey due to Florida’s injury problems, may put the Gators in an even bigger hole offensively during the public scrimmage.

2 » Head coach Will Muschamp and his staff surprised the team on Thursday by cancelling scheduled team meetings and weight lifting to take the entire group on a paintball trip. In addition to squaring off in paintball action, the team played cornhole and tug-of-war in what Muschamp referred to as “team building exercise[s].” Joining in on the fun was Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper, who has been in Gainesville, FL all spring. The players all seemed to have a fantastic time at the event, and OGGOA has learned that the vibe was great on-site. Below is a team picture (courtesy of UF Sports Information’s Scott Carter) of the group after the festivities concluded.

3 » Though the difference is marginal, Gators incoming five-star guard Brad Beal was moved up from No. 7 to No. 4 on ESPNU‘s Top 100 rankings for basketball players in the 2011 recruiting cycle. Beal was named the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year this week and can next be seen participating in the Nike Hoops Summit on Saturday at 10 p.m. The game will air live on FOX Sports Network, so be sure to check your availability if planning to watch.

4 » Golden State Warriors center David Lee is on a bit of a hot streak right now, having scored 20 or more points in five of his last seven games with four double-doubles in that time. In six games since March 27, Lee is averaging 22.7 points and 13.5 board. Even more impressive is his last two performances, where he put up totals of 29 points/20 rebounds and 22 points/17 rebounds. Unfortunately for Lee, he won’t have much time to continue that streak as Golden State is 9.5 games out of playoff contention with only three more to play in the regular season.

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

F/C AL HORFORD`, Atlanta Hawks: 16.0 points [56.8% shooting – team-best], 9.8 rebounds [team-high], 3.6 assists, 0.85 blocks, 1.06 steals, 82% FT …in 35.4 minutes with 51-of-55 starts [51 games played*]

C JOAKIM NOAH, Chicago Bulls: 14.0 points [51.4% shooting], 11.7 rebounds [team-high], 2.7 assists, 1.63 blocks [team-high], 1.17 steals, 73% FT …in 36.8 minutes with 24-of-54 starts [24 games played*]

F/C DAVID LEE, Golden State Warriors: 15.9 points [49.2% shooting], 9.4 rebounds [team-high], 3.4 assists, 0.37 blocks, 0.89 steals, 77% FT …in 36.2 minutes with 46-of-55 starts [46 games played*]

G/F COREY BREWER, Minnesota Timberwolves: 8.6 points [38.4% shooting, 26.3% downtown], 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.25 blocks, 1.59 steals [team-high], 71% FT …in 24.1 minutes with 22-of-56 starts [56 games played]

F/C MATT BONNER, San Antonio Spurs: 7.3 points [48.4% shooting, 50% downtown (team-best > 5 mpg.)], 3.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.38 blocks, 0.30 steals, 73% FT …in 22.0 minutes with 0-of-56 starts [40 games played*]

G/F MIKE MILLER, Miami Heat: 5.9 points [41.1% shooting, 38.7% downtown], 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.32 steals, 78% FT …in 19.3 minutes with two-of-56 starts [22 games played*]

C MARREESE SPEIGHTS, Philadelphia 76ers: 5.4 points [50.8% shooting], 3.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.22 blocks, 0.11 steals, 75% FT …in 11.6 minutes with 1-of-56 starts [45 games played*]

PF UDONIS HASLEM, Miami Heat: 8.0 points [51.2% shooting], 8.2 rebounds [team-high], 0.5 assists, 0.23 blocks, 0.54 steals, 80% FT …in 26.5 minutes with 0-of-56 starts [13 games played*]

PG JASON WILLIAMS, Memphis Grizzlies: 1.9 points [35% shooting, 32% downtown], 1.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.42 steals …in 10.2 minutes [19 games played, two teams~]

PG ORIEN GREENE, New Jersey Nets: 1.0 points [50% shooting], 0.3 assists, 0.33 steals …in 1.7 minutes [three games played~]

NOTES
` Horford was named to his second-straight NBA All-Star Game this season.
* Horford missed four games with a back injury.
* Noah missed 30 games with an injured thumb (torn ligament).
* Lee missed nine games with an infected elbow.
* Bonner missed 16 games with an injured knee (marrow edema).
* Miller missed 34 games with a broken thumb.
* Speights did not play in 11 games (coach’s decision).
* Haslem has missed 43 games with an injured foot, is thought to be out for the entire season but has an outside chance of returning.
~ Williams was traded from the Orlando Magic to Memphis and has yet to step on the court for the Grizzlies.
~ Green was recently called up by New Jersey from the NBDL.

Photo Credit: Atlanta Hawks

Former Florida Gators forward/center Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks has been named a reserve for the Eastern Conference in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.

His second-straight All-Star selection, Horford also played in the 2010 game along with then-New York Knicks F/C David Lee. He scored eight points on 4-for-5 shooting and accounted for four rebounds in 12 minutes of action in the game.

“It’s a real honor to be nominated to that game,” he told OGGOA in an exclusive interview last year. “The coaches really have a lot of weight into that decision, and I felt really special that they picked me over a lot of other guys.”

Horford continues to improve each year and is currently riding career-highs in points (16.1), rebounds (9.9), assists (3.6) field goal percentage (56.7) and free throw percentage (81.3). He has 24 double-doubles on the season and is fifth in his conference in field goal percentage.

The No. 3 overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, he was named a team captain this season and signed a five-year, $60 million contract extension in November 2010.

Al Horford for ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive

Photo Credit: Unknown

10 » FIVE BECOME A PART OF THE GATOR NATION IN THE SKY
It would be difficult to recount everything that Gator Nation has gone through in 2010 without remembering those close to the University of Florida who left us for a better place in the past year. Young and old, these Gators departed too soon and suddenly in all but one case. Lamar Abel (21), a walk-on defensive lineman, suffered cardiac arrest while volunteering at a roadside cleanup event with his fraternity in Gainesville, FL. Former safety John Curtis (24) committed suicide in Bellvue, WA. Hall of fame safety Jarvis Williams (45) passed away after an acute asthma attack. Former Gators basketball player and friend to the program Augie Greiner (76) died in his home. And long-time donor and Bull Gator George Steinbrenner (80), most famously known as the owner of the New York Yankees, passed away in a Tampa, FL, hospital. OGGOA once again sends our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these men.

9 » ERIN ANDREWS GETS JUSTICE, STARS ON TV, RE-SIGNS WITH ESPN

Former Florida dazzler and ESPN reporter Erin Andrews had a much better go of it in 2010. Though her stalker plead guilty to his charges in court in December 2009, she spent a good portion of 2010 making sure he was brought to justice (27-month prison term) while also spreading word across the country that violence against women from sexual predators cannot and should not be tolerated. Simultaneously, Andrews participated in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and even dropped a few Gator Chomps along the way. She ended up finishing third in the competition but parlayed her talent on the sidelines into an enhanced gig with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Andrews signed a new two-year deal with ESPN, which included a role hosting the first hour of College GameDay live on ESPNU, appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America and more of a presence on the family of networks. She also spoke with OGGOA on two occasions, first in a wide-ranging interview that received significant publicity and later to share her thoughts on the resignation of head coach Urban Meyer.


8 » LEGAL ISSUES/EMBARRASSMENTS HANG OVER FOOTBALL PROGRAM
Like 2009, Florida football could not escape its share of unfortunate arrests and embarrassing incidents in 2010. It started just as the year began with former cornerback Wondy Pierre-Louis and defensive lineman Gary Brown being arrested in January and February, respectively. Things calmed down until the summer when San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald and former fullback Eric Rutledge were charged in June. Making more of an impact to the team was redshirt sophomore wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr.’s June arrest for driving under the influence, something that hung over the program’s head through the start of the season. Piling onto Hammond’s mistake were allegations in July that former Gators center Maurkice Pouncey, who just began workouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had received $100,000 from the runner for an agent while still a student at UF. Pouncey denied the report wholeheartedly and no proof has been found connecting him in any way. It was later revealed that freshmen safety Matt Elam and wide receiver Solomon Patton were also arrested over the summer for underage possession of alcohol, minor offenses for which they did not receive much punishment. Florida thought it was out of the rough waters once again until redshirt junior WR Chris Rainey was arrested in September on counts of aggravated stalking and suspended for the first half of the season. As if all of these legal issues were not enough, New England Patriots draft choices tight end Aaron Hernandez (marijuana use in college) and linebacker Brandon Spikes (streaming sex exploits on the Internet) also made the news for unsavory reasons. All-in-all, for every positive thing accomplished by the Gators in 2010, there always seemed to be something negative about the program just around the corner.

7 » AL HORFORD NAMED TO NBA ALL-STAR TEAM, BIG DEALS FOR GATORS
Drafted No. 3 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, expectations were high for Atlanta Hawks forward/center Al Horford. In only his third year in the league, Horford was selected to the NBA All-Star team after averaging 13.6 points and 9.8 rebounds during the first half of the 2009-10 season. Then-New York Knicks F/C David Lee, who was not honored initially, ended up participating in his first All-Star game as well after being selected as a replacement. When the season ended, Horford, Lee and Chicago Bulls C Joakim Noah were all in the position to receive new contracts. And boy did they. Horford and Noah each agreed to similar five-year, $60 million extensions with their respective clubs, while Lee agreed to six-year, $80 million sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors. Guard Mike Miller and power forward Udonis Haslem both signed with the Miami Heat; Miller for five-years, $29.8 million and Haslem for five-years, $20 million.

6 » PERCY HARVIN NAMED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, COLLAPSES AT PRACTICE

Though his rookie season included injuries and the continued peskiness of his chronic migraine headaches, former Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin performed at a high level for the Minnesota Vikings, who selected him No. 25 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. Harvin played so well, in fact, that he was named as the starting kick return specialist for the NFC in the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl and won the 2009 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year…in 2010. Things were not so cheery for Harvin in August, however, as he was rushed to the hospital after he started vomiting and then collapsed while observing practice from the sidelines. It turns out Harvin had a number of factors complicating his collapse including an adverse reaction to medication, dehydration and low blood pressure. He was able to recover after undergoing some tests and – as of press time – has already out-performed his 2009 numbers with 63 receptions for 799 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games (three missed due to migraines/injury).

5 » GATORS HAUL IN TOP RECRUITING CLASS, THREE SIGNEES ON ONE DAY
With Meyer stepping down for the first time just before the 2010 Sugar Bowl, the Gators’ coaching staff and recruits rallied to keep the incoming signing class together. Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, filling in as interim head coach as Meyer took a sabbatical, was instrumental in retaining many of Florida’s recruits, but Elam was bothered my Meyer’s resignation and flipped to Florida State. Everything would change back in Florida’s favor on January 9 when Elam, along with five-star defensive end Ronald Powell and five-star defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, all committed to the Gators during the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Florida would go on to corral arguably the No. 1 recruiting class in the country including 11 early enrollees – the highest number in school history. The class included four 2010 Parade High School All-Americans, both MVPs from the 2010 Under Armour All-American Game, the 2009 National High School Player of the Year and the 2009 Gatorade Football Player of the Year and Mr. Football for the state of Florida.

4 » RYAN LOCHTE EMERGES AS NATION’S WORLD’S BEST SWIMMER
Coming off two gold medals in the 2008 Olympic Games, former Gators swimmer Ryan Lochte has climbed the mountain as not only the best in the United States but the best in the world in 2010. Lochte’s journey between Olympics has been marred with some injuries and obstacles, but he began breaking through in August when he captured the 400-meter individual medley title at the 2010 ConcoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships with the fastest time in the world this year. He would go on to compete in the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships where he would win six gold medals (200m freestyle, 200m IM, 400m IM, 200m backstroke, 400m free relay, 800m FR) in the biggest international meet of the year. Named Male Athlete of the Year for the second-straight year during the 2010 USA Swimming Foundation’s Golden Goggle Awards in November, Lochte hoped to end the year on a roll. Competing at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in December, Lochte set two world records (200m and 400m IM), won six gold medals and earned a silver medal, too. He is expected to compete in eight events with hope of matching 2008’s big victor Michael Phelps at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England where he will be led by current Florida head coach Gregg Troy, who was tabbed to lead the 2012 U.S. Olympic Men’s Swimming Team.

3 » EMMITT SMITH INDUCTED INTO PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, SNUBS UF

Gator Nation stuck its collective chest out with pride when Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February. It felt the same way in August when Smith was officially inducted. That is until Smith gave his enshrinement speech, one which completely skipped over his time at Florida. Et tu, Emmitt? Gators fans everywhere were instantly enraged, especially considering almost every player inducted always thanks his college and at the very least his fans. Rumors started that Smith’s omission was purposeful, though others believed it was accidental. The next day, Smith apologized to Gator Nation via his Twitter account and then later on television during an interview with Al Michaels.

2 » NINE FLORIDA STARS SELECTED IN 2010 NFL DRAFT, THREE IN FIRST ROUND
In addition to winning plenty of football games and two BCS National Championships, Meyer has excelled at sending his players to the NFL during his tenure as Florida head coach. That trend continued as nine Gators – the most of any program this year – were selected in the 2010 NFL Draft including three in the first round. UF set a school record with six players taken in the first two rounds and tied its record with three first-round picks. Florida’s draftees included CB Joe Haden (Cleveland Browns, No. 7 overall), Pouncey (Pittsburgh, No. 18 overall), quarterback Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos, No. 25 overall), DE/LB Jermaine Cunningham (New England, 2nd round No. 53), DE Carlos Dunlap (Cincinnati Bengals, 2nd round No. 54), Spikes (New England, 2nd round No. 62), S Major Wright (Chicago Bears, 3rd round No. 75), Hernandez (New England, 4th round No. 113) and WR Riley Cooper (Philadelphia Eagles, 5th round No. 159). After the draft, kick returner Brandon James (Indianapolis Colts) and WR David Nelson (Buffalo Bills) were picked up and eventually signed as undrafted free agents.

1 » URBAN MEYER RESIGNS, WILL MUSCHAMP HIRED

There is no questioning what Meyer has accomplished as head coach of the Gators. After six seasons in which he won two National Championships, three BCS games and two SEC Championships while posting three 13-1 seasons in four years, Meyer resigned from his position for the second time on December 8 in order to spend more time with his family. Though there were rumblings that Meyer would be leaving the program all season long, his retirement still came as a shock to Gator Nation, especially after promising numerous times throughout the year that he would be back in 2011 with hopes of turning the program around. Promising to act fast in replacing Meyer, athletic director Jeremy Foley delivered by bringing Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp into the fold just 72 hours later. With many fans expecting an experienced head coach to take over, Muschamp’s hiring was certainly a surprising one. How the program’s future will unfold is something to look forward to in 2011…

Photo Credits (in order of appearance): Patrick Fraser/Vanity Fair, Unknown, Unknown, Erica Brough/Gainesville Sun