In The (Gator) Zone: Kent Takes Charge, Tucker a Hit, Grady Home, Graves' Memorial, Plus More
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 | Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – His official title is director of strength and conditioning. But for the next three months, Mike Kent takes on the role of team builder.
Yes, part of that process is to build bodies through weight training. However, equally important for Kent and his staff is to develop an environment during summer workouts that builds chemistry and bonds between players who continue to adjust to a new coaching staff.
“We're headed into our most important phase,'' Florida head coach Jim McElwain said. “For all teams, this summer is really where your team is made.”
The man in charge of the mission is Kent, whom McElwain describes as “blue collar and tough.”
That sounds about right to former BYU strength coach Jay Omer.
“He believes in hard work and doing things right and a real commitment,'' Omer said Tuesday from his home in Orem, Utah.
Omer first crossed paths with Kent in the late 1980s when he was head strength coach at East Carolina and Kent was just starting out.
Kent had recently been a high school coach and teacher at Miramar (Fla.) High and moved into the college ranks as head strength coach at Shepherd College in West Virginia. Looking to advance his career, Kent called Omer about a position at East Carolina.
Omer hired him as his assistant in the summer of 1988. Meanwhile, Kent hoped the price of gas didn't go up as his wife, Deena, kept her job in Raleigh, where the couple had moved. Raleigh is about 80 miles from Greenville, N.C., where East Carolina is located.
“He commuted from Raleigh every day, both ways, which was unbelievable to me,'' Omer said. “You talk about paying dues. There's not many like that anymore.”
Omer, who retired last year after 14 seasons at BYU, was immediately impressed by Kent's work ethic.
The two haven't talked much in recent years, but when Kent earned top honors from the Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association in 2013, he cited Omer as a major influence in helping launch his career.
“He's worked hard everywhere he's been,'' Omer said. “He's had to move to move up the ladder. It's been tough. I've been tickled to death that, to me, he's been able to reach the big-time.”
Kent and McElwain first worked together at Louisville and when McElwain became a head coach for the first time at Colorado State, he hired Kent and then brought him to Florida.
Kent has built a formidable staff in Florida's weight room to help the Gators during their summer workouts the next three months. He brought former Louisville standout linebacker Rashad Harris with him from Colorado State and hired former Appalachian State running back Kareem Young.
Young played at Appalachian State when during Kent's first stint as the Mountaineers' director of strength and conditioning from 1990-99, and returned to his alma mater in 2012 to lead ASU's weight room.
In addition, former Gators Mark Campbell and Mike Peterson are on staff and play a vital role in implementing Kent's techniques and developing a bond between the players and coaches.
“He's going to build those guys not only stronger, faster, bigger, he's going to develop the whole mentality that we're going to look for,'' said tight ends coach Greg Nord, who worked with McElwain and Kent at Louisville. “That's going to help us develop the team that we're thinking we can one day become.”
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TUCKER DEFIES BODY TYPE
A seventh-round draft pick in 2012 by Houston, many baseball people doubted former Gators outfielder Preston Tucker would ever make the majors. Tucker is an excellent hitter, but he is short and compact for a big-league outfielder.
Astros scout John Martin, who is based in Florida and sold the Astros on Tucker, told the Houston Chronicle he had his concerns.
“It's not the prototypical type of look,” Martin told the newspaper. “In high school, they had this agility testing called SPARQ. … It was a baseball-agility testing in whatever showcase he was at. He won that thing. When I saw him play at Florida, he played right field, he took good routes to the ball, that's the hardest corner spot to play at Florida.”
Martin has kept a close eye on Tucker during his first week in the big leagues. Tucker has not disappointed. His first major-league hit was a game-tying single in Houston's 3-2 win at Anaheim on May 8.
After starting his career 1-for-10, Tucker is 7-for-15 entering Houston's game Tuesday night against Oakland. In his Minute Maid Park debut on Thursday, Tucker went 3-for-4 with three doubles and an RBI against Toronto.
Tucker was called up from Triple-A Fresno when outfielder George Springer went on the seven-day concussion disabled list. However, when Springer was activated, Tucker stayed with Houston.
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BACK HOME
The addition of transfer Josh Grady from Vanderbilt gives the Gators an extra body who has SEC experience. Grady played receiver and quarterback for the Commodores and his role at Florida won't be determined until fall camp.
Grady graduated from Vanderbilt one week, and enrolled at Florida the next. He has one season of eligibility remaining after a modest stay in Nashville (3 of 7, 27 yards passing; 7 receptions, 89 yards).
However, Grady is returning home. He grew up in Tampa and played at Armwood High, where he was teammates with former UF running back Matt Jones for a season. He threw for more than 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior.
According to his Vanderbilt bio, Grady is related to former Florida All-American Jevon Kearse.
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SERVICE FOR GRAVES
A memorial service for former UF football coach and athletic director Ray Graves will be held at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sunday, June 7 at 1:30 p.m. for former football letterwinners and friends of the program. The service will take place in the Holloway Touchdown Terrace.
The 96-year-old Graves passed away on April 10. He led the Gators to a 70-31-4 record from 1960-69 and signed quarterback Steve Spurrier, who became the school's first Heisman Trophy winner in 1966.
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QUOTE OF NOTE I
“I'm excited that they think I can contribute to the team. I'm not really sure what kind of roles they want me to play, but I'm up for anything. But once I get comfortable, I'll be able to help us win some ballgames.'' – Preston Tucker on staying in majors
QUOTE OF NOTE II
“The fact that I actually started to suit up and put a 70s number on should tell you something. I would have gotten my tail beat. We had a pizza delivery guy, a bartender and one heckuva engineering student that came out and helped us get through spring practice.” – Jim McElwain on lack of offensive line depth during spring camp
QUOTE OF NOTE III
“Rashon is an outstanding coach, teacher and recruiter. Nebraska is getting an even better person. I will always be thankful for my time with Rashon, and I know he will be a great asset to Nebraska basketball.” – Billy Donovan on former Gators assistant Rashon Burno's hiring at Nebraska
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BALLIN' BEAL
Former Florida guard Bradley Beal became a certified NBA star during the playoffs.
In his third season with the Washington Wizards, the 21-year-old Beal joined Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history with 10 games of 20 or more points in the postseason before their 22nd birthday.
That's called keeping good company.
Washington was eliminated by Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals despite Beal averaging 23.4 points in 10 playoff games. Three days later Beal admitted he was still having difficultly dealing with the loss.
“In my opinion, we should've won 4-1,'' he told reporters Monday. “I give Atlanta credit. That's tremendous team. But whenever you're playing against me, even if you beat me, I'm a sore loser.”
Beal is known for his offense, but his defense on Atlanta sharpshooter Kyle Korver drew rave reviews. Korver shot only 31 percent from the floor and 29 percent from 3-point range.
“I've been very, very impressed with Bradley Beal. He is efficient in the way he plays,'' former NBA player Chauncey Billups said on ESPN. “I think the biggest mark on his game was defensively. He has accepted the challenge defensively and in this series here, he has pretty much single-handedly taken Kyle Korver out of the series.”
And yes, if Beal had stayed at Florida for four years, he would have been a senior on this season's team. Think about that. Or maybe not.
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EXTRA, EXTRA
Former Gators receiver Carlos Alvarez, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, received another distinguished honor Saturday night in Miami Beach. Alvarez, along with his brothers Auturo and Cesar Alvarez, received the Gran Caimán award from UF's Association of Hispanic Alumni. The three brothers are UF alums and practicing attorneys … After signing a four-year, $23.5 million contract with Jacksonville just days after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee, former Gators defensive lineman Dante Fowler Jr. made a special purchase from his $15.3 signing bonus. He bought his mom a car for Mother's Day. “That's something I always wanted to do as a kid,'' Fowler told the Associated Press … Thirty-year-old Joakim Noah (yes, hard to believe) won the Pro Basketball Writers Association's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his work with youth in violence-ridden neighborhoods of Chicago … The NBA Playoffs are down to four teams and each one has at least one Florida product on the roster, meaning a former Gator will win an NBA championship for the fifth consecutive year. Corey Brewer (Houston), Marreese Speights and David Lee (Golden State), Al Horford (Atlanta) and Mike Miller (Cleveland) remain alive in the postseason.
