Florida Gators basketball has added the final piece to its 2010 recruiting class, one which will give the team and head coach Billy Donovan a drastically different look next season. Confirming a story OGGOA first posted on April 21, the Orlando Sentinel and The Gainesville Sun are reporting that three-star 2011 point guard recruit Scottie Wilbekin (Gainesville, FL) has committed and will officially sign with the University of Florida next week.

Though Wilbekin is only a high school junior, he has excellent grades and enough credits to graduate early in order to be eligible for admission to UF as a member of the basketball team’s 2010 recruiting class. He has already completed his standardized tests, is set to receive clearance from the NCAA and plans to sign his National Letter of Intent at The Rock School on Tuesday.

“At first I was hesitant to give up my senior year,” Wilbekin told Florida Today. “[My coaches and parents] reassured me and I’m looking forward to being a Gator next year.”

Now the sixth scholarship player brought in for 2010, Wilbekin will join four-star forwards Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL) and Casey Prather (Jackson, TN), three-stars Cody Larson (Sioux Falls, SD) and Will Yeguete (Melbourne, FL) and Rutgers transfer guard Mike Rosario (Jersey City, NJ), who will not be eligible to play until 2011-12.

In order to sign six recruits to scholarships, further changes must be made inside the Florida program – especially after junior forward Alex Tyus removed his name from the 2010 NBA Draft and decided to return to school for his senior season.

Jim McKenzie, The Rock’s vice president, told the Sentinel that UF has already set aside a scholarship for Wilbekin, meaning the future of two players has already been decided.

Sophomore guard Ray Shipman has chosen to transfer, but the Gators still must clear two more scholarships to get them to the NCAA-mandated maximum of 13. The most likely candidates to be taken off scholarship are freshman point guard Rod Tisman (who would remain in Irasel or transfer) and redshirt sophomore forward Adam Allen (who would retire and be granted a medical hardship or transfer).

Tags: Adam Allen, Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Casey Prather, Cody Larson, Draft, Mike Rosario, NBA, NCAA, Patric Young, Ray Shipman, Rod Tishman, Scottie Wilbekin, University of Florida, Will Yeguete

All five starters are returning for the first time since the Florida Gators back-to-back National Championship seasons, head coach Billy Donovan has a much-needed deep and talented recruiting class coming in and not a single player declared for the NBA Draft for the first time in years. With all of these factors taken into consideration, three college basketball analysts have already declared Florida basketball to be a top 10 team going into the 2010-11 season.

ESPN‘s Andy Katz and Pat Forde and CBS Sports‘ Gary Parrish have given the Gators this distinction. But the question is: Do they deserve the love?

See what the experts and OGGOA have to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » Florida basketball really a top 10 team in 2010-11?

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, Draft, Erik Murphy, Erving Walker, Kenny Kadji, National Championship, NBA, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Patric Young, Ray Shipman, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC, Vernon Macklin

Likely against the wishes of much of his family who had been outspoken about his future, Florida Gators junior forward Alex Tyus has decided to remain with the team for his senior season, withdrawing his name from the 2010 NBA Draft.

After being evaluated by experts and working out for NBA teams (including the Portland Trailblazers on Friday), Tyus chose to stick around the University of Florida for one more season in an attempt to hone his skills and improve his stock before entering next year’s draft.

“When I began this process it was with the intent of gathering information to see what I needed to work on to one day compete at the next level, and I believe I have been successful in doing just that,” Tyus said. “I have withdrawn my name from the NBA Draft and look forward to completing my senior year at the University of Florida. We made tremendous strides as a team a year ago that I look forward to continuing to build upon.

NBA analysts projected Tyus to go undrafted this year should he have kept his name in the draft and hired and agent. Nevertheless, that is the path his father and uncle hoped he would take; both criticized head coach Billy Donovan for incorrectly utilizing Tyus, claiming he could be an “unbelievable small forward.”

Tyus will begin next season as the Gators’ starting power forward. Fellow senior Chandler Parsons will hold down the small forward job. The Florida basketball team will be returning all five starters for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

“I will be returning to Gator Nation! Let’s get ready to make a run boys!” he wrote on his personal Twitter account.

Photo Credit: Phil Sandin/Associated Press

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Draft, NBA, University of Florida

With just about 24 hours until he has to make a decision regarding his basketball future (May 8), Florida Gators junior forward Alex Tyus is currently in Portland, OR, getting ready for a workout with the NBA‘s Portland Trailblazers after spending some time preparing at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

At some point after his workout, Tyus will decide whether to return to Florida for his senior season or hire an agent keep himself eligible for the 2010 NBA Draft.

If the majority of his family has anything to say about it, Tyus will not be donning the orange and blue next year – at least that is the impression one receives according to interviews conducted by the Orlando Sentinel and Gainesville Sun.

The Sentinel spoke with his father, Thomas Tyus, who has suggested that his son leave the Gators because, in his opinion, head basketball coach Billy Donovan has been utilizing his son incorrectly since he arrived on campus.

“I don’t think he has anything to gain by returning to the University of Florida basketball-wise,” Thomas said. “I just feel he has not developed his full potential. [...] He can go back and get his degree at any time.”

Thomas believes his son could be an “unbelievable small forward” and blames Donovan for playing him exclusively at power forward and center over the last two years.

“He’s certainly capable of playing the small forward position, and he was the moment he stepped on campus,” Thomas said. “He’s never gotten the opportunity to do that. All the kid wants is an opportunity to be the best possible player he can be. [...] He tries to do everything the coach asks him to do. He also feels that, at some point, the coach should try to help him as well.”

His uncle, Charles Tyus, told the Sun that there is “no chance” Tyus plays for Florida next year, also citing issues with his nephew’s position. According to Charles, Tyus and Donovan have met extensively over the last month, with the coach explaining that fellow junior Chandler Parsons will start at small forward once again in 2010-11.

“I think right then and there, Alex made up his mind that he wasn’t coming back,” Charles said. “He’ll take his chances and go overseas if he’s not drafted.”

The only one denying that a decision has already been made is Alli Cecchini, Tyus’ finance, who also spoke with the Sun.

“We’ll sit down Friday and really, really talk it through,” she said. “He’s gotten a lot of feedback saying he should come back. […] We even talked last week quite a bit about him coming back.”

Upon entering his name in the draft, Tyus told the Sun that he would only keep himself eligible for selection if he was projected to be a first-round pick. Most NBA draft analysts have Tyus with a “second round or undrafted” grade as of press time.

However, as OGGOA noted early Thursday, it does appear that Tyus’ decision will hinge on “more than just his draft projection.”

PREVIOUS STORY: Will he stay or will he go? Tyus nears decision

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Draft, NBA, Portland Trailblazers, University of Florida

1 » Florida Gators center Kenny Kadji, who logged 45 total minutes of game time in 2009-10 before ending his season due to a nagging back injury, has been granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA, according to the University of Florida. This exemption will allow Kadji to enter the 2010-11 season as a redshirt sophomore, giving him three additional years of eligibility with the Gators. Kadji had back surgery in February to repair a bulging disk; the procedure was similar to what former Florida forward Adrian Moss had done in 2005. Reports are that Kadji has healed nicely from the surgery; if healthy, he will likely be redshirt senior center Vernon Macklin‘s primary back-up next season.

2 » Though he is now a free agent who can sign with any team in the NBA, former Gators forward/center David Lee loved his time with the New York Knicks and hopes to remain with the franchise next year. “This is where I want to be,” Lee told New York Post. “I enjoy it here. I love the city. I have a lot of friends in the franchise. I do have ties here. They say the two hardest things to deal with [in New York] are the media and the fans, but I’ve found that to be the exact opposite. Having a following here is gonna make the Knicks want to sign me more and makes me want to be in New York.” The Knicks hope to make a splash by signing two maximum contract free agents beginning on July 1, which may leave Lee by the wayside. However, New York fans and the team’s front office both love Lee, who averaged 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds in 2009-10, and there is certainly a chance that he can get his wish to remain with the franchise.

Tags: Adrian Moss, David Lee, Kenny Kadji, NBA, NCAA, New York Knicks, University of Florida, Vernon Macklin

OGGOA UPDATE: Citing position concerns, family says Tyus gone

As of press time, (former?) Florida Gators junior forward Alex Tyus has less than two days to decide whether he will leave the University of Florida for good or remove his name as being eligible for selection in the 2010 NBA Draft. Tyus submitted his name to the NBA for evaluation on April 7 without hiring an agent, allowing him the ability to return school if he so chooses as long as he makes an official decision by May 8.

One month ago, Tyus said he would not leave Gainesville, FL, unless he is projected to be a first-round selection.

“Mainly, I just want to see where I stand [with the NBA Draft Advisory Committee],” Tyus told The Gainesville Sun. “I want to go through the process, getting a chance to meet with some teams, working out against other players, trying to get better.”

In preparation for his decision, Tyus worked out at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, to get ready for NBA workouts that he completed over the last few days.

By this point, he should know exactly where he stands and have a decision made. If he chooses to leave the program, the criticism and low grades he has earned from analysts suggest that Tyus will likely go undrafted or be selected at the back end of the second round. Should he stand by his original statement, he will be wearing a Gators basketball uniform for the 2010-11 season.

Then again, there is also the possibility that his decision may be fueled by more than just his draft projection, considering he almost transferred away from Florida after the 2008-09 season before being convinced to stay by head coach Billy Donovan.

Photo Credit: Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Draft, IMG Academy, NBA, University of Florida

Florida Gators junior forward Alex Tyus submitted his name into the 2010 NBA Draft without hiring an agent earlier this month. As his final decision date [May 8] nears, Tyus will pick up next week and head over to IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, in order to physically prepare for NBA workouts given before the draft, according to The Gainesville Sun.

Tyus, who almost transferred after the 2009 season but was convinced to stay by head coach Billy Donovan, can return for his senior season should he remove his name from the draft pool prior to May 8. He has previously said that he will not leave Gainesville, FL, unless he is projected to be a first-round pick.

“Mainly, I just want to see where I stand [with the NBA Draft Advisory Committee],” Tyus previously told the Sun. “I want to go through the process, getting a chance to meet with some teams, working out against other players, trying to get better.”

ESPN college basketball analysts Chad Ford and Andy Katz have both been critical about Tyus in recent days, each saying the only decision he should make should be to come back to Florida. While evaluating those who should stay in the draft or return to school, Ford had Tyus listed in a group of players who should run back to school and did not even have him ranked in his top 100 available players (No. 116). Needless to say, Ford’s projection is that he would be picked in the second round or go undrafted.

“Tyus is an athletic, but undersized big man who will likely struggle to make the transition to the small forward position in the pros,” he wrote earlier this month. “He’s best around the basket in a blue-collar type of role, but won’t be able to do the same amount of damage in the pros. I expect him to go undrafted if he stays in the draft.”

Katz questioned if his mind was even in the right place.

“Alex Tyus can’t seriously be thinking of staying in the draft, can he?” Katz pondered. “If he returns, the Gators will have a quality team that can compete for the SEC title with guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton and forwards Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin returning to go along with recruits Patric Young and Casey Prather. The Gators would have a solid team with Tyus back. If he stays in the draft, it’s just one less experienced player.”

With just over a week to make his final decision, Tyus has some serious thinking to do.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Draft, IMG Academy, NBA

The Florida Gators basketball team will have a drastically different look in 2010 as head coach Billy Donovan has acquired his fourth commitment in as many days. Florida Today is reporting that Donovan plans to sign three-star point guard Scottie Wilbekin (Gainesville, FL) to a 2010 basketball scholarship.

Though Wilbekin is only a high school junior, he has “excellent” grades and enough credits to graduate early in order to be eligible for admission to the University of Florida as a member of the basketball team’s 2010 recruiting class. Before he can do anything, he must complete standardized testing and receive clearance from the NCAA.

Wilbekin, who is quite familiar with the program, is very much a fall-back option for the Gators after the team failed to land two of the top point guards in the country in Brandon Knight (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and Ray McCallum (Detroit, MI).

They also lost out on three-star point guard Brandon Young (Baltimore, MD), who has decided to uphold his commitment to DePaul and enroll as a freshman.

Potentially the sixth scholarship player brought in for 2010, Wilbekin would join four-star forwards Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL) and Casey Prather (Jackson, TN), three-stars Will Yeguete (Melbourne, FL) and Cody Larson (Sioux Falls, SD) and Rutgers transfer guard Mike Rosario (Jersey City, NJ), who will not be eligible to play until 2011-12.

In order to sign six recruits to scholarships, further changes are likely abound inside the Florida program. Sophomore guard Ray Shipman has already decided to transfer, many believe freshman point guard Rod Tishman may return to Israel, redshirt sophomore forward Adam Allen could retire and junior forward Alex Tyus has submitted his name for evaluation for the 2010 NBA Draft. Florida would need two of either Tishman, Allen or Tyus to leave the program or else it would exceed its allotment of 13 scholarships.

Tags: Adam Allen, Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Brandon Knight, Brandon Young, Casey Prather, Cody Larson, Draft, Mike Rosario, NBA, Patric Young, Ray McCallum, Ray Shipman, Rod Tishman, Scottie Wilbekin, Will Yeguete