Eight of the 10 former Florida Gators playing in the NBA during the 2012-13 season moved on to the playoffs. With the first round of action in the books, five of those eight remain alive as their teams compete for a chance at an NBA title. Below is a summary of how these Gators performed during the first round.

* Players names highlighted in orange have advanced to the second round.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND
C JOAKIM NOAH, Chicago Bulls: GP/GS (7/7), MIN (30.9), PPG (11.4), RPG (9.9), APG (2.3), SPG (0.6), BPG (3.1) | FG% (.450), 3P% (.000), FT% (.421)
» Highlights: Four double-doubles (one 20-10 game); game-highs of 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks (Game 7)
» Notes: Noah missed eight games in April with plantar fasciitis and should not be active during the playoffs. Instead, he led the Bulls to a big Game 7 victory and led the team in rebounding three times during the series.
» Playoffs: (5) Chicago beat (4) Brooklyn in seven games and advanced to face (1) Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which begin on Monday.

Check out how the rest of the Gators in the NBA played in the first round…

Continue Reading » Former Gators in the 2013 NBA Playoffs – Round 1

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Corey Brewer, David Lee, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Joakim Noah, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, NBA, Playoffs, San Antonio Spurs, Udonis Haslem

With the 2012-13 NBA regular season concluding on Wednesday, 10 former Florida Gators basketball players spread over nine teams participated in the sixth month of action (16 total days), many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performances.

For the first time, OGGOA is 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 season.

* Players names highlighted in orange have advanced to the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
F/C DAVID LEE, Golden State Warriors: GP/GS (8/8), MIN (37.9), PPG (18.1), RPG (11.9), APG (2.1), SPG (1.0), BPG (0.5), TPG (2.0), FPG (2.5), A/TO (1.1)
» Shooting: FG% (.560), 3P% (.000), FT% (.742)
» Highlights: Seven double-doubles (four-straight); 23 points, 16 rebounds, four assists vs. New Orleans on April 3; 22 points, 14 rebounds, two assists at Phoenix on April 5
» Top 10 ranks (season): Double-doubles (No. 1); defensive rebounds per game (No. 2); defensive rebounds (No. 3); rebounds per game and total efficiency points (No. 4); total rebounds and efficiency ranking (No. 5); field goals made and efficiency ranking per 48 mins. (No. 9); triple-doubles and defensive rebounds per 48 mins. (No. 10)
» Playoffs: The Warriors are the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and will take on the No. 3 Denver Nuggets beginning on Saturday.

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NBA played this month…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NBA: April 2013

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Corey Brewer, David Lee, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, NBA, Playoffs, San Antonio Spurs, Udonis Haslem, Washington Wizards

Now five months 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 fifth month of 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 AL HORFORD, Atlanta Hawks: GP/GS (16/16), MIN (38.4), PPG (19.0), RPG (10.9), APG (3.2), SPG (1.6), BPG (0.9), TPG (2.1), FPG (1.9), A/TO (1.6)
» Shooting: FG% (.519), 3P% (.667), FT% (.732)
» Highlights: 11 double-doubles (10 in an 11-game stretch, five 20-10 games); career-high two threes at Phoenix on March 1; 21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists vs. Philadelphia on March 6; 22 points, 13 rebounds, five assists at Boston on March 8; 26 points, 15 rebounds vs. Milwaukee on March 20
» Top 10 ranks (season): Double-doubles (No. 4), total efficiency points (No. 7), efficiency ranking (No. 8), defensive rebounds and defensive rebounds per game (No. 8), field goals made (No. 9), total rebounds (No. 9), rebounds per game (No. 10)

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NBA played this month…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NBA: March 2013

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Corey Brewer, David Lee, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, NBA, San Antonio Spurs, Udonis Haslem, Washington Wizards

Now four months 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 fourth month of 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 AL HORFORD, Atlanta Hawks: GP/GS (11/11), MIN (36.5), PPG (21.5), RPG (11.3), APG (3.0), SPG (1.3), BPG (1.8), TPG (2.0), FPG (2.7), A/TO (1.5)
» Shooting: FG% (.621), 3P% (.500), FT% (.658)
» Highlights: Seven double-doubles (three-straight, 30-10 game, 20-20 game, three 20-10 games); career-high 34 points [career-high 14 field goals made], 15 rebounds, three assists, five blocks at Utah on Feb. 27; 23 points, career-high 22 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, two steals at Detroit on Feb. 25
» Top 10 ranks (season): Double-doubles (No. 5), defensive rebounds per game (No. 6), efficiency ranking (No. 6), rebounds per game (No. 9), field-goal percentage (No. 9), defensive rebounds (No. 10)

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NBA played this month…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NBA: Feb. 2013

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Corey Brewer, David Lee, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, NBA, San Antonio Spurs, Udonis Haslem, Washington Wizards

1 » Some important dates have recently been released for Florida Gators football. The school will host Pro Day – where NFL scouts get the opportunity to watch draft-eligible players (and some free agents) perform inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – on Tuesday, March 12. The event is open the public, which can sit in the stands and watch the proceedings on the field (in the past, concession stands have not been open). One day later on Wednesday, March 13, the Gators will hold their first spring practice of the new season. Florida claims to have additional announcements to make in regards to spring practice but has not done so as of press time. Finally, the 2013 Orange & Blue Debut has been set for Saturday, April 6 at a yet-to-be-announced time.

2 » It’s official. San Antonio Spurs (and former Gators) forward Matt Bonner will be participating in the Three-Point Shootout at NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 16. Bonner is the second former Florida player to ever shoot in the event (Mike Miller participated twice) and has a fantastic chance of winning the whole thing. He will go up against New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Indiana’s Paul George, Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and New York’s Steve Novak. The Gators also have Warriors power forward David Lee and Bulls center Joakim Noah participating in the All-Star Game and Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Rockets forward Chandler Parsons going head-to-head in the Rising Stars Challenge featuring rookies and sophomores. Former Florida guard James White (Knicks), who transferred to Cincinnati after one season at UF, will be participating in the Slam Dunk Contest.

Read two more BITS on Billy Donovan…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: football, Bonner, Donovan, NCAA

Tags: All-Star, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, David Lee, James White, Joakim Noah, Matt Bonner, Mike Miller, NBA, NCAA, NFL, Orange & Blue Debut, Pro Day, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Three-Point Shootout

Now three months 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 third month of 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 (38.4), PPG (28.1), RPG (11.2), APG (4.6), SPG (0.8), BPG (0.1), TPG (2.7), FPG (3.0), A/TO (1.7)
» Shooting: FG% (.472), 3P% (.000), FT% (.774)
» Highlights: 11 double-doubles (four-straight [2x], six 20-10 games); 15 points, season-high 20 rebounds, nine assists vs. Dallas on Jan. 31; 20 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists at Cleveland on Jan. 29
» Awards: Selected as NBA All-Star reserve (Western Conference), finalist for Western Conference Player of the Month

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NBA played this month…

Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NBA: Jan. 2013

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

1 » No. 7/8 Florida Gators basketball has been getting a lot of love since dismantling Missouri on Saturday. Florida has plowed through the first four games of its Southeastern Conference schedule and is starting to look like one of the most dominant teams in the country. Enter John Gasaway of Basketball Prospectus (via ESPN Insider [$]), who contended over the weekend that the Gators are “the real No. 1” team in the country at this point. As he wrote on Jan. 20, Florida is putting forward “an unheard-of 0.42 points per possession [differential]” statistic during SEC play, which is double what some former national title teams have been able to achieve. Despite the Gators playing against some talent-poor teams in the early going, Gasaway notes that “we’ve never seen a number as silly as 0.42 after 254 possessions of conference play.” In other words, when all is said and done, UF may have found the offense necessary to go along with its impressive defense, a combination that could send it blasting its way through the SEC and into a top seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. KenPom.com certainly thinks so, as it has the team as at least a seven-point favorite in every game for the remainder of the regular season.

2 » Former Florida golfer Brian Gay qualified for the 2013 Masters on Sunday when he won the 2013 Humana Challenge by registering a birdie on the second playoff hole. The victory was his fourth on the PGA Tour and at 41-years-old, he will be back at Augusta National for just the second time in his long career. He finished with a nine-under 63 but struggled through his final round. Gay birdied nine of the first 13 holes before registering par on holes 14-18. He had a chance to win on 18 but missed a birdie putt; luckily, Gay’s two playoff hole birdies made up for the miss.

Read the rest of this post…including two BITS and two VIDEOS…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: No. 1?, Gay, Senior Bowl, Bonner (plus Haslem and Miller singing karaoke)

Tags: All-Star, Brian Gay, golf, Humana Challenge, Masters, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Mike Gillislee, Mike Miller, NBA, PGA, San Antonio Spurs, Senior Bowl, Udonis Haslem, Xavier Nixon

Now two months 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 second 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 (16/16), MIN (37.9), PPG (22.6), RPG (11.3), APG (3.4), SPG (0.8), BPG (0.3), TPG (2.6), FPG (3.0), A/TO (1.3)
» Shooting: FG% (.575), 3P% (.000), FT% (.859)
» Highlights: Third career triple-double (23 points, 11 rebounds, [career-high] 11 assists) vs. Charlotte on Dec. 21; 11 double-doubles (seven-straight, ten 20-10 games); 30 points, 15 rebounds vs. Brooklyn on Dec. 7
» Awards: Western Conference Player of the Week (Dec. 10-16); nominee for Western Conference Player of the Month

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

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