TWO BITS: Beal on Donovan, Wambach honored

1 » Former Florida Gators guard Bradley Beal, now with the Washington Wizards, appeared on The Dan Patrick Show Friday and discussed whether he believes Florida head coach Billy Donovan will be successful in the NBA should he choose to leave the Gators. “I think he’d be great. I agree with the rumors. I think he’ll definitely leave. He won’t pass that opportunity up too many times,” Beal said. “And I think he’ll be a tremendous coach. He loves playing the pick and rolls. He loves to space the floor and he loves to give his players freedom. I definitely think he’ll excel in the league.”

Read without context, that can be taken as Beal suggesting he knows Donovan will leave Florida; however, in the context of the question, it is more of an assessment of his former coach’s ability to succeed in the league, especially since the “rumors” are not guaranteeing he is leaving the Gators but rather citing it as a possibility.

2 » Former Gators striker Abby Wambach was placed on Time Magazine‘s list of the world’s 100 Most Influential People for 2015. The U.S. Women’s National Team captain, who will lead the Americans in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer, was placed alongside leaders of industry, groundbreakers and the like. For her entry on this list, Wambach was represented by former United States forward Mia Hamm, whom she beat out as the world’s leading goal scorer for either men or women.

Abby Wambach has always been fearless. Even as a rookie on the U.S. women’s national team, she would score goals that made me say, “Gosh, if she doesn’t win the ball, she’s probably going to get crushed.” She never blinked. If it is what her team needed, it is what she was going to do. How can you not cheer for that?

As Abby has developed into a star, scoring more international goals than any other player in history, she has embraced being a leader. There are times when Abby just throws the team on her back and wills it to victory when that looks almost impossible. Abby is also a great role model for young fans and recently led the charge to get FIFA to use grass for this summer’s Women’s World Cup, as it does for men. Though she lost the battle, the fight sent a powerful message about equality in sports. Whether inspiring her team on the field or taking on important issues off it, Abby uses her passion and fearlessness to lead by example.

Team USA is poised to do amazing things at the World Cup. While I can’t predict what will happen, I know that under Abby, they will never quit.