Former Gator Football Great Talks with WBB Team After Practice
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | Women's Basketball
After two and half hours of fine tuning their fast break, working on their transition offense and taking better care of the basketball, the Gators were rewarded with an inspirational pep talk from former University of Florida football great Errict Rhett (1990-93).
Rhett, who was in Gainesville for Homecoming festivities, extended his stay a couple of days to talk with the 2009-10 women's basketball and one of the local Gator Football Clubs.
Florida's all-time rushing leader with 4,163 yards, Rhett was the first running back in NCAA history to rush for more than 4,100 yards and catch 140 or more passes in a career. He was voted a 1993 First Team All-American and was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference selection.
Rhett shared with the Gators on Monday his story about starting his career at Florida “probably sixth on the depth chart,” but made the most of every practice and always took the field like it was the last time he would play. He helped the Gators win their first-ever SEC football title in 1991 and was captain of the 1993 squad, as he graduated with three conference title rings.
“I talked to the team about trusting and believing in themselves,” said Rhett, the 1994 NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year. “I told them that if they trust in their coaches and trust in their teammates they can collectively accomplish anything they want. I told them to challenge themselves in practice every day to get better. This is a wonderful group of players that is very coachable and together they can do great things.”
“I love my school so much,” Rhett shared about his time at UF. “People here love me regardless if I was a good football player or not. That's what I cherish the most when I think back to my time here. I love coming back to Gainesville.”
Rhett currently resides in Sunrise, Fla., where he runs the Errict Rhett Foundation, which mission is “to improve the quality of life for inner city youth through education, leadership, and mentoring. We will provide financial and community support to assist in making the dreams and ultimate potential of inner city youth become a reality.”
Baker's Dozen
During Sunday's practice, senior guard Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.) made her first appearance on the court after being held out the first two sessions due to illness.
“It just felt so good to be out (on the practice court) again and not sitting in my room,” said Mossor, who had been quarantined with flu-like symptoms since Thursday. “To be back out here with my teammates felt so good.”
Mossor, who started the first 16 games of the 2008-09 season and helped the Gators race out to a 15-1 record, tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee during the game against Mississippi State on Jan. 8, 2009, as the injury forced her to miss the last 16 games of the year. At the time of her injury, the 5-feet-9 Mossor was UF's fourth-leading scorer (9.1 ppg), had dished the third-most assists (37) and hit the third-most three-pointers (15).
Mossor participated in approximately half of Sunday's practice and was back on the court for Monday's session, bringing the number of healthy Gators to 13, as junior forward Ebonie Crawford (Decatur, Ga.) continues to rehabilitate tendonitis in her Achilles.
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