From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. In these instances, or when stories fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» The New York Jets finally decided to bench quarterback Mark Sanchez after a five-turnover performance on Monday night. Despite the fact that Tim Tebow had been Sanchez’s back-up all season long, the team decided to promote third-stringer Greg McElroy to starter, leapfrogging Tebow and breaking a promise the team made to him when they traded for him in the offseason. When Denver was shopping Tebow and had equal offers from New York and Jacksonville, the player evaluated the situation to determine which would be his best destination. Sources close to the player told me at the time that Tebow chose the Jets for two reasons. New York told him that they would utilize him in a number of roles right away and that he would also get a legitimate chance to start for the Jets should Sanchez either be injured or benched. While the team did put him in occasionally as Wildcat quarterback and as a punt protector, he was barely used in the offense and never correctly. He was inactive the first time New York replaced Sanchez during a game and has now been jumped over by McElroy for the starting job this week.

» Sports Illustrated’s Peter King summed up the situation well Wednesday on Twitter: “I think what happened w/ Jets is they saw Tebow have some bad practices, then he wasn’t electric on early touches, and they gave up on him.” Putting it another way was ESPN’s Ed Werder, who tweeted: “Jets traded 2 draft choices, paid Broncos part of Tebow’s signing bonus, ignored Bronco performances, never gave him chance” With all of that being true, ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian O’Connor went off on the franchise in his latest column. “The Jets used Tebow, and then abused him,” he wrote. “They used him to sell tickets and PSLs and steal a few more headlines from the local big-boy franchise that had just won another Super Bowl title. They abused him Tuesday by declaring that a seventh-round pick who has been inactive for 13 out of 14 games gives the Jets a better chance to do something they fail to do: win.” O’Connor also looked to Tebow’s record, noting that he was 8-4 last season before falling to New England in the playoffs and is 9-7 in 16 career starts, which included three with an interim coach and did not include last year’s victory in Miami when he came in for Kyle Orton. “How is he less qualified to face San Diego than McElroy, who has one moderately successful relief appearance behind him and who has eternal backup written all over him?”

Check out NINE more Gator Bites…after the break!
Continue Reading » 11 Gator Bites for Thursday, December 20

Tags: baseball, Billy Donovan, Brian Jeroloman, Chicago Bulls, Chris Rainey, Cleveland Indians, Jabari Parker, Joakim Noah, Maurkice Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, Mike Pouncey, MLB, NBA, New York Jets, NFL, Olympics, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rashon Burno, The Bowerman, Tim Tebow, Tony McQuay, Toronto Blue Jays, track, USA

Florida Gators head basketball coach Billy Donovan appeared on The Dan LeBatard Show on 790 The Ticket in South Florida on Wednesday and spent 15 minutes on the air discussing a wide variety of topics with host Dan LeBatard, co-host Stugotz and special guest co-host Stan Van Gundy. Below are the topics that the interview touched on and what Donovan had to say about each.

On if he came back to Florida in order to not screw up being happy

“I don’t really think it was about being happy or trying to be happier. The University of Florida has been great to me. It was just one of those things, deep down inside of my gut, that just did not feel right after I did it. I felt terrible going that far down the road. I was very happy that Orlando could get a quality coach like Stan to go in there. There was just something that just did not sit well with me. I can’t put my finger on it. It was just kind of one of those gut feelings.

“Obviously it’s a tough decision when you make the decision and commit to do it and then all of a sudden you retract. I knew in my heart that it just didn’t seem right for me. I don’t know what it was. That’s really what I did. Obviously it was difficult to make that decision when you’re that far down the road.”

On if doing the about-face on Orlando was embarrassing for him

“I think I put Orlando in a very difficult situation. That organization, they’re great people, they treated me very well. For myself to put them in that situation, I felt bad about that. But I was very excited because I know the quality of coach [that] Stan is, I know how respected he is. You look at the job he did in Orlando. At the end of the day, it ended up working out well for both parties. Surely, going through what I went through, embarrassed or felt bad, you just don’t want to put somebody through that. I don’t think Orlando deserved to go through that, and I felt bad about that.”

Read the rest of what Donovan had to say on the air…after the break!
Continue Reading » Donovan speaks on Orlando, Noah, Williams, NBA

Tags: Billy Donovan, Jason Williams, Jeremy Foley, Joakim Noah, NBA, Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy

1 » The NCAA on Tuesday chose to recognize some of the top players and teams that have participated in NCAA Tournaments, as well as many of the top moments to occur in those events, over the last 75 years. The organization picked the 2006-07 incarnation of the Florida Gators as one of the top-25 teams and also recognized center Joakim Noah as one of the top-75 players ever to participate in the tournament. Noah was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 tourney after he registered a then-record 29 blocked shots in the event and averaged 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Both Noah and the 2006-07 UF team are finalists in their respective categories, which will be voted on before awards are presented at the 2013 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, GA.

2 » Florida junior middle back Chloe Mann, who put together an impressive 2012 campaign for a Gators volleyball program that exceeded its preseason expectations, was named a First Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Wednesday. Mann was honored along with outside hitter Ziva Recek, who was named Freshman of the Year by the organization. Florida as a team lasted until the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament where it fell to three-seed Texas. The Gators concluded the season with a 27-5 record and their first SEC Championship since 2010.

CLICK TO EXPAND and read two more BITS in this post.

Tags: All-American, AVCA, Buffalo Bills, Chloe Mann, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jeff Dillman, Joakim Noah, Mike Mularkey, MOP, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, NFL, SEC, SEC Championship, volleyball, Ziva Recek

Five of the six former Florida Gators basketball players that participated in NBA games on Friday put together incredibly strong performances with Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah’s historic evening undoubtedly leading the way.

Noah, playing a team-high 43 minutes, went 12-for-19 from the field and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe to lead the Bulls with career-highs of 30 points and 23 rebounds for his fourth double-double in the last five games. He became just the sixth player since 1985 to hit those scoring and rebounding marks while dishing six assists in a single game.

Noah also added two blocks and two steals to his total as he put together the single best all-around game of his career.

By the time the night was over, he was one of three former Gators to post double-doubles and one of five to score double digits on the evening.

CLICK TO EXPAND and read the rest of this post.

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Corey Brewer, David Lee, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Joakim Noah, NBA, Washington Wizards

Now one month into the 2012-13 NBA regular season, there are 10 former Florida Gators basketball players spread over nine teams.

A total of 10 players participated in the first month action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performances.

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

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
F/C DAVID LEE, Golden State Warriors: GP/GS (14/14), MIN (37.2), PPG (18.2), RPG (10.9), APG (3.9), SPG (1.1), BPG (0.1), TPG (2.7), FPG (3.5), A/TO (1.1)
» Shooting: FG% (.522), 3P% (.000), FT% (.750)
» Highlights: Eight double-doubles (three 20-10) in 14 games; 31 points, nine rebounds, six assists vs. Denver on Nov. 29; 17 points, 19 rebounds at Dallas on Nov. 19

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NBA played this month…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NBA: Nov. 2012

Tags: Al Horford, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Corey Brewer, David Lee, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights, Matt Bonner, Mike Miller, NBA, Udonis Haslem

1 » As those that follow Florida Gators basketball are well aware, senior forward Erik Murphy’s perfect shooting performance on Wednesday came very close to not even being a possibility due to a number of incidents that happened over his first three years of college. Murphy had considered transferring on two different occasions (with a push coming from his father), obviously deciding to stay both times, and faced third-degree felony burglary charges after allegedly breaking into a car in April 2011. A feature on Murphy by CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman notes that two of those incidents happened one after another with both being major reasons why the player is better than he has ever been. “It made me grow up overall in my life,” Murphy said. “I realized I wasn’t really that focused on anything.”

2 » The NBA 2012-13 season began two weeks ago (more on that at the end of the month), and a pair of former Gators have most certainly been turning heads with their respective performances. Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is averaging 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals in 39.8 minutes per game (all career-highs) and has registered 17 or more points in five of eight games with four double-doubles. His best performance came Wednesday night when he sunk two late baskets to lead Chicago over Phoenix 112-106 in overtime. In a similar fashion, Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons is averaging career-highs in points (12.4), boards (6.4) and dimes (3.6) in a career-most 38.3 minutes per game. He also registered a career-high 25 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three against Miami on Monday and hit the last basket in a 100-96 win over New Orleans on Wednesday.

3 » It only took nine games for the cowardly New York Jets’ anonymous player sources to rip quarterback Tim Tebow with them doing so Wednesday in a story for the New York Daily News. In the story, “more than a dozen Jets players and members of the organization painted a sobering picture” of Tebow with one defender coming out and saying “he’s terrible.” Left guard Matt Slauson, months ago, went so far as to refuse to name him a quarterback, calling him “an athlete” while a member of the organization said recently that “it would take extremely poor play … like a five-interception game … something where it was just ridiculous” for Tebow to even get a legitimate shot behind center. Another player said “nobody” on the team wanted Tebow to be the starter with yet another laughing that the question was even asked. All anonymously, of course.

Read three more BITS (two on Tebow)…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Murphy, Noah, Parsons, Tebow, cheer

Tags: Chandler Parsons, cheerleaders, Chicago Bulls, Erik Murphy, Houston Rockets, Joakim Noah, NBA, New York Jets, NFL, Tarin Moses, Tim Tebow

1 » Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, with his team up six and the clock ticking down, took a three-pointer during a game Tuesday in an effort to eclipse 100 points and earn the fans in attendance a free Big Mac. Though his team was up a comfortable margin when he took the shot, Noah received a stern talking to from head coach Tom Thibodeau and said Wednesday that he regretted the move. “You have to respect the game because you never know what can happen in a game,” he said, according to ESPNChicago.com. “I just got caught up in the moment and I was trying to get the people a Big Mac. They really wanted a Big Mac [judging by how loud the crowd was getting] and I felt like, not only did I take the shot and miss the shot, we didn’t even get the Big Mac. Next time, I won’t take that three-pointer.”

2 » The Florida Gators’ 2013 basketball recruiting class is already filled with talent – two five-stars and top-10 players to be exact – but the Gators may very well add at least one more big piece before all is said and done. UF is very much involved with four of best players left in the class in five-star forward Julius Randle (Plano, TX), five-star F Jabari Parker (Chicago, IL), five-star center Dakari Johnson (Montverde, FL) and four-star C Joel Embiid (Gainesville, FL). In fact, as far as Parker, Johnson and Embiid are concerned, Florida seems to be in a very good spot for each. Parker visited the Gators over the weekend, Johnson reclassified to the 2013 class this week and has Florida in his top five, and Embiid on Wednesday night cut his list to three with UF making the cut.

Embiid is the closest to making a decision and will do so shortly. The Gators being the local team is certainly a bonus as is the fact that Florida has junior point guard Scottie Wilbekin on the roster and is recruiting his brother 2014 PG Mitchell Wilbekin. (Both are also from The Rock School, where Embiid is attending.) UF also has a connection with Parker, who head coach Billy Donovan coached and won a gold medal with over the summer, and Johnson, who is set to play for Monteverde Academy this season, which is where five-star PG commit Kasey Hill (Clermont, FL) is currently attending.

Read the two more BITS (and an extra BIT) in this post…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Noah, recruiting, Chaney, Wambach

Tags: A.J. Mobley, Abby Wambach, Allan Chaney, Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls, Dakari Johnson, Jabari Parker, Joakim Noah, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Kasey Hill, Mitchell Wilbekin, NBA, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC, soccer, University of Florida

1 » Earlier this week, ESPN‘s Kirk Herbstreit broke down Saturday’s game between the No. 2 Florida Gators and No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks on the network.

2 » After releasing a star-filled injury report earlier in the week, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said Thursday that it looks like almost all of his big-name players will be in action on Saturday against Florida. The one exception, of course, is defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles, who has an injured shoulder but will also be suspended for punching a player during last week’s game against LSU. Running back Marcus Lattimore (hip) is still not slated to start but is expected to play after going through a full practice on Thursday. Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (foot) is also good to go, as are a number of players who were hit with a flu bug over the course of the week, Spurrier said.

Check out four more BITS in this post…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: ESPN, Lattimore, Steelers, Henry, Noah

Tags: Chas Henry, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Indians, Jadeveon Clowney, Joakim Noah, Marcus Gilbert, Marcus Lattimore, Matt LaPorta, Maurkice Pouncey, MLB, NBA, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, SEC, South Carolina Gamecocks, Steve Spurrier, Washington Redskins