For 2010-11 Gator Basketball Team, Less Could Mean More
Thursday, October 14, 2010 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Near the end of his Media Day press conference on Wednesday, Florida men's basketball coach Billy Donovan called on the past when talking about the future.
Donovan enters his 15th season at UF with his deepest team since the Gators won their second consecutive national title in 2007. All five starters return from a year ago, including the senior frontcourt trio of Alex Tyus, Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin.
But for the Gators to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and advance past the first round, Donovan said they'll have to play like the 2006-07 team that featured five NBA draft picks, led by Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer.
“We have depth. When I say we have depth, we have bodies, we have numbers,'' Donovan said. “But can we really carve out some roles? For us to be a better team, some of our veteran guys are going to have to take less.
“That's what really made that 2006-07 team special. Because you know what, Noah could have scored more points, Horford could have scored more points, Brewer could have scored more. They understood less is better for the team.''
After failing to make the NCAA Tournament for two seasons, the Gators finally made it back to March Madness last season, losing to BYU in double-overtime in the first round.
The quick exit burned all summer.
“It was not a good feeling,'' said sophomore shooting guard Kenny Boynton, who led the Gators in scoring as a freshman with 14 points a game. “You feel like you made it and anything is possible. We want another chance. This summer we've been talking about it and we've been working hard. We now know what it feels like and know what kind of work we need to put in.”
Donovan is optimistic this team has the pieces to be a contender in the SEC and perhaps more. Not only do all five starters return – point guard Erving Walker joins Boynton in the backcourt – but a strong freshman class appears capable of making an immediate impact.
The most notable freshman is 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward-center Patric Young, a McDonald's All-American who has a linebacker's build and has earned instant respect from his teammates for his work ethic and team-first attitude.
While the Gators look like a tournament team on paper, Donovan wants to see it on the court before dishing out too much praise.
“I was certainly very proud of the strides and progress they made a year ago, but the reality is that we're a team that got knocked out in the second round of the SEC tournament [and] first round in the NCAA Tournament,'' Donovan said. “The reality is that this group has a lot to prove, a lot to accomplish, and a lot to get done. I think that if they're going to rest their laurels on what preseason rankings say, then I think we'd be making a mistake.''
Parsons and Macklin are two players Donovan said have taken on more of a leadership role. Parsons improved as much as any player on the roster as a junior, becoming somewhat of a folk hero on campus for hitting two game-winning shots at the buzzer.
Parsons said this year's team has a different feel.
“Our goals are a lot higher,'' he said. “I love this team. I think our chemistry is great. I think we have a chance to be great.''
As for playing unselfishly and perhaps taking on a lesser role if needed for the team's best interest, Parsons said he is open to that approach.
“That's part of being a team,'' he said. “If it's going to take me or Vern averaging less points for us to win more, I don't think any of us have a problem doing that. We have a whole bunch of guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful.''
Shortly after last season ended – the Gators finished 21-13, 9-7 in the SEC – Tyus entered his name into the NBA draft. He later changed his mind, becoming the first player under Donovan to put his name in the draft and then withdraw.
Tyus talked Wednesday about spending his summer working on his ball-handling and rebounding and outside shooting touch, whatever it took to become a better player. He wants to be part of something special in his final season.
With Young and other talented freshmen such as Casey Prather and Scottie Wilbekin joining the mix, Tyus sees the Gators accomplishing more than they have his first three seasons.
“I feel like we'll be more of a complete team having back-ups who can come in and help the starters,'' Tyus said. “We're going to need them a lot. I feel like good teams have good benches where there is not a drop off in play. We've got that now.''
