Thursday Night's Win Four Years In The Making For UF Seniors
Friday, February 25, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They came in and immediately expected the magical moments to start piling up.
Florida seniors Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus joined a program coming off back-to-back national championships in 2007. They signed as part of a heralded recruiting class that included a pair of McDonald's All-Americans: guards Jai Lucas and Nick Calathes.
Four years later, on the night they won perhaps their most meaningful game at UF – a 71-62 win over Georgia on Thursday that clinched a share of the SEC East crown for the Gators, securing the No. 1 seed in the East for the SEC Tournament – Parsons and Tyus stood alone.
Lucas and Calathes are long gone, and another player in that 2007 class – forward Adam Allen – is relegated to spectator following multiple knee surgeries.
As they talked about Thursday's comeback win over the Bulldogs – Florida played uninspired defense at times in the first half and trailed by as many as 11 – Parsons and Tyus sounded like the grizzled veterans they are at this stage of their careers.
Parsons played the grizzled part perfectly Thursday, strapping football pads around his left leg to protect the deep-thigh bruise he suffered Feb. 12 against Tennessee. Parsons missed Sunday's game at LSU. He vowed never to do that again.
“I knew the day after LSU that I was going to play and that I was going to play big minutes,'' Parsons said. “You would have to cut off my leg for me to miss another game.''
Gators coach Billy Donovan marveled at Parsons' commitment to return to the court over the past 12 days. As Donovan came downstairs from his office for a workout one day this week, he saw Parsons sprawled out asleep in the trainer's room with his left leg wrapped in treatment.
Parsons was at the team's training facility in the morning, afternoon and night. An assistant trainer even went home with him to provide additional treatment.
“It was unbelievable. I've never seen a guy work harder,'' Donovan said. “I didn't know what we would get out of him.''
The Gators got plenty.
Parsons delivered 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists, hitting 5 of 7 shots in the second half when the Gators took control on the way to their season-high sixth consecutive game. He added an impressive block and a steal and the kind of energy the Gators desperately needed in the 132nd game of his UF career.
Meanwhile, Tyus also suited up for the Gators for the 132nd time on Thursday, chipping in 12 points and four rebounds to help the Gators clinch a share of their first SEC East crown in four years. In their first three seasons in Gainesville, Tyus and Parsons finished no higher than third in the division.
And while Thursday's win was meaningful, it's not the kind of magical moment they have waited on since getting here. They envision something that includes cutting down a net.
“We never once talked about winning the East,'' Parsons said. “We have bigger goals than that. We want to win the entire conference. It's definitely not going to come easy for us, but we're definitely ready to take on the challenge.''
As Parsons sat on a folding medal chair with his sore left leg stretched out, Tyus stood nearby leaning up against a wall outside the Gators' locker room. He echoed the same sentiment as his longtime teammate.
“Right now, it's playing for the SEC, win the whole SEC,” Tyus said. “When we were younger, all we wanted to do was just get into the tournament. Now, the focus is winning the league and getting better every day.
“Getting into the tournament – I haven't even thought about that.''
The Gators' journey to this point has included multiple potholes, Parsons' injury the latest potential derailment. There was the early season loss to UCF, a surprising home loss to Jacksonville. and loss to South Carolina early on the SEC schedule.
However, each time they have been knocked down, the Gators get back up. They are 5-0 after losses this season. As February nears a close, Florida hasn't lost in nearly a month and can close out a perfect month with a victory at Kentucky on Saturday, while also clinching the outright SEC East title.
Donovan has tried hard to reel in expectations for this group all season. While they were picked to win the SEC East in the preseason and picked by many to win the overall league title, Donovan often reminded the media and his players that they haven't won anything since they've been here.
That finally changed Thursday night. What does an SEC East crown get you these days? The same as usual: not much other than a bye in the first round of the conference tournament next month in Atlanta.
The Gators want more, obviously. But all big moments must have smaller moments on the way.
The senior class's most meaningful win yet wasn't lost on Donovan, who pointed out that five of the six teams in the SEC East have been ranked at some point in the season. And other than for that slip up against South Carolina, the Gators haven't lost a game against their division foes.
“For these guys to go from a team that last year, the year before that, fourth, fifth – somewhere in that range – to get to where a worst-case scenario they are going to share an Eastern Division championship … it's very, very rewarding for me as a coach to see those guys have a chance to share in that, because they really earned it and deserve it,'' Donovan said.
