Gator Clause

UF assistant scouts Broward hoops star

Florida men's basketball associate head coach Larry Shyatt watched prospect Brandon Knight win a state title.

LAKELAND -- In our ongoing effort to provide a wide variety of news on the Gators, the editorial board of Gator Clause, Inc. took a road trip to Lakeland on Friday for the FHSAA Class 3A boys' basketball state championship game. The reason behind the trip to The Lakeland Center? Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest hoops star Brandon Knight, of course.

[PICTURED, Brandon Knight (left) didn't break a sweat on Friday.]

Knight, a 6-3 junior point guard, is at the top of the Gators' recruiting wish list for 2010. Among the many college coaches in attendance on Friday was UF associate head coach Larry Shyatt. Pine Crest won its second state title in a row on Friday. CLICK ME for a photo gallery. Knight had a game-high 27 points. He was sloppy at times on Friday but there is no doubting his talent. He runs the floor with confidence and quickness. His arms are long and his court vision is considerable.

EMAILS I GET: Player with a heart of gold

Now presenting the random acts of kindness of University of Florida receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. of Hallandale

GAINESVILLE -- As many of you know, the editorial board here at Gator Clause often publishes the emails that fill our inboxes. This latest email comes to us from Justin Mayor, a student at the University of Florida. The subject of the story is Florida freshman receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. Full disclosure, Gator Clause happened upon Mayor's story while surfing the message boards over on Gatorbait.net. We asked him to email us the story so we could share it with everybody. The story is simple and insightful. Those are the best kind...

BUZZ: Calathes' selfish play; C. Johnson's status; Donovan vs. Coach K today

Let's see what's buzz'n around campus these days ...

GAINESVILLE -- Florida guard Nick Calathes played poorly on Wednesday in the Gators' loss to Mississippi State. It got so bad that Florida coach Billy Donovan eventually benched his best player in the final two minutes of the most important game of the year.

Donovan became unhappy when Calathes hoisted up an ill advised three-pointer instead of running the Gators' offense. Donovan has tried to teach this team many things, but the talented coach's most ingrained lesson is always teamwork. Remember the '04's? Each player averaged double figures in scoring. That didn't happen by accident.

"At the end of the game, he needs to understand how to incorporate other people, and there were a couple plays there where we needed to do a better job of running the offense," Donovan said. "I just felt like in that situation it may have been better for our team for him just to watch and see what's going on."

If Calathes refuses to play "Billy Ball," then he just won't play, apparently. When your best player, who used to be known as "Little Billy," goes rogue, that's when you know the season is officially circling the drain.

ALEX TYUS: 'NCAA Tournament starts now'

Tennessee likely played its way into the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. For rival Florida, its Tournament mindset must begin early, says UF forward Alex Tyus.

GAINESVILLE -- Well, in the end, it was always Tennessee.

The Volunteers clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division on Thursday night with a convincing 89-70 victory against South Carolina. Predicted to win the East before the season, the Vols (19-10, 10-5) certainly made things interesting -- at one point losing five times during an eight game stretch -- but when it mattered most, they did what good teams do: Played like a champion.

[PICTURED, Alex Tyus is excited! Brian Williams is big!] 

Meanwhile, the Florida Gators are still trying to find that elusive late-season team chemistry. UF (21-9, 8-7) has lost three consecutive games and five of its last seven.

Florida ends its season on Saturday with a 2 p.m. home game against Kentucky (19-11, 8-7), which is threatening Florida for the league's Flop Award. [PICTURED, Flop Award, presented to Satuday's loser!] Kentucky is 3-7 in its last 10 games and most recently lost to Georgia at Rupp Arena.

What does all this mean? Well, three things. 1. I'm searching for flip-flop images on Google in the middle of the night. 2. It means the SEC's two traditional powers likely will not receive at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. That's pretty shocking. 3. UF's and Kentucky's season finale should be an extremely competitive match-up. 

On Thursday, Florida forward Alex Tyus put a positive spin on the Gators' postseason outlook. Tyus, by the way, is playing the best basketball of his career despite playing out of position. Forced to match-up with opponents' biggest players because the Gators' have no other option, Tyus is averaging 12.4 points per game.

"It's exciting, just thinking that basically our NCAA Tournament is starting now," Tyus said.

NCAA granted no waiver but worked with Tebow family to allow for donations

Financial separation of Bob Tebow's orphanage and his non-profit association paved the way for Tim's return.

GAINESVILLE -- The NCAA helped make Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's decision to return to school for his senior season a little easier.

The governing body of collegiate athletics said on Thursday in an email to The Miami Herald that it has worked with the Tebow family, the University of Florida and the Southeastern Conference in the last few months "to help interpret and apply our bylaws," making it possible for Bob Tebow to accept donations for his orphanage in the Philippines.

[PICTURED, Tim Tebow says hooray for the NCAA! Meanwhile, the NCAA says hooray for Tim Tebow! Meanwhile, orphans in the Philippines say hooray for college football in America!]

On Thursday morning, it was reported that UF coach Urban Meyer told state politicians during a breakfast in Tallahassee that UF was granted a waiver by the NCAA, allowing for the donations. The NCAA said that no waiver was involved, but indicated in its email that the NCAA helped the Tebow family within the parameters of the existing rules. According to the NCAA, Bob Tebow's orphanage in the Philippines, known as Uncle Dick's Home, is now a separate financial entity of the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association.

"All donations to Uncle Dick's Home go directly to the orphanage and not to the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association or the Tebow family, and no member of the Tebow family serves on its board of directors or staff," the NCAA said. "As a result, donations to the orphanage (or any other nonprofit entity) from the university or its boosters are allowed under our bylaws."

Meyer: Tebow stayed because of waiver

Speaking to state politicians, UF coach Urban Meyer said that the NCAA is loosening restrictions for the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association.

Florida coach Urban Meyer told state politicians on Thursday morning in Tallahassee that UF quarterback Tim Tebow chose to stay for his senior season only after the NCAA approved a waiver allowing Tebow's father, Bob Tebow, to accept donations for his orphanage in the Philippines, according to this.

"He would not be our quarterback any longer if that did not happen," Meyer said.

Meyer, Tebow, linebacker Ryan Stamper and UF president Bernie Machen attended a breakfast on Thursday in Tallahassee honoring the Gators' 2008 national championships.

[PICTURED, Tim Tebow wants to help people, but probably not Florida State.]

"My reason for coming back wasn't to win another championship, which we're tying to do, or to go higher in the draft," Tebow said. "It was to have an impact on today's youth, something that most athletes don't ever take the time to think about.

"It's not about me. It's about, who can I help?"

DT John Brown expected to transfer

Urban Meyer said on Thursday that he doesn't expect John Brown to be enrolled at UF much longer.

Florida coach Urban Meyer doesn't expect John Brown to be on his team next season. Meyer told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday morning in Tallahassee that he expects Brown to transfer. Spring practice begins on March 25.

Meyer was in Tallahassee on Thursday morning to celebrate the Gators' 2008 national championship with Florida governor Charlie Crist, a Florida State grad. Quarterback Tim Tebow and linebacker Ahmad Black also flew to Tallahassee for breakfast with the governor and many other state politicans.

[PICTURED, John Brown is probably a goner.] 

Always an academic risk, Brown has struggled with the rigors of being a full-time football player and a full-time student since high school. He needed summer school for several core courses after his senior year of high school at Lakeland just to qualify for admittance to the University of Florida. Reading between the lines on this one, Brown probably isn't going to be academically eligible to compete with the football team next season.

Gators' NCAA hopes on life support

Florida likely played its way out of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday with a loss to Miss. State.

It was never really exciting. It was never even really that close. In the end, it never really was much different than last season.

Florida lost to Mississippi State 80-71 on Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum in a game the Gators desperately needed to win to improve their chances of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Florida senior Walter Hodge led the Gators with 20 points. Forward Alex Tyus scored 16 points in defeat and had seven rebounds. Guard Nick Calathes had 11 points.

[PICTURED, Walter Hodge scored 20 points on Wednesday, becoming the 44th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.]

Hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament after winning back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, Florida (21-8, 8-7 SEC) has lost three-straight games and five of its last seven. Last season, the Gators lost six of their final eight regular-season games and failed to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

In Starkville, the Gators make their final stand

Florida's hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament hinge on tonight's game against Mississippi State.

GAINESVILLE -- Nothing more can be learned in practice. Nothing more can be learned in defeat. Nothing more will come of this season unless the Florida Gators find a way to win a road game tonight in Starkville, Miss. This is it.

Florida (21-8, 8-6 SEC ) plays at Mississippi State (17-12, 7-7) at 8 p.m. Win, defeat Mississippi State, and a glimmer of hope remains that the Gators can somehow wiggle their way into an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

[PICTURED, Dan Werner is pumped about playing Mississippi State! He went 0-6 against the Bulldogs last season.]

A loss would be the Gators' third in a row and fifth in their last seven games. That's a weak hand of poker, considering the Gators gambled away most of their chips on a bunch of cupcake non-conference games a loss to Georgia and a loss at home to Tennessee. Florida's RPI stands at 50, according to RealTimeRPI.com.

"There's no option but to win," said UF forward Chandler Parsons.

LB Brandon Spikes on award watchlist

GAINESVILLE -- You know what we need? We need more college football awards. There are just not enough college football awards these days. If only we could come up with something to give away in March....Some kind of gimmick to keep these crazy fans happy.

Ummm. Oh, wait. I think I've got it! What about the Rotary Lombardi Award? It's never too early for a preseason Rotary Lombardi Award watchlist. Brandon Spikes, accomplished angler, made the cut. Duh, right? He was a semifinalist for the award last season and is a returning All-American.

--In this photograph, which appeared in The Gainesville Sun, Spikes is recreating his famous 2008 tackle of UGA running back Knowshon Moreno. Spikes is projected as a top-five pick in the 2010 Bassmasters Super Draft.

OFFSEASON UPDATE: Frankie Hammond Jr.

With little practice, Florida receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. showed up to the SEC Indoor Championships and took third in the high jump. Now his ankle is hurting.

GAINESVILLE -- Frankie Hammond Jr.'s stint with the track team certainly was short lived.

A receiver on the Florida football team, Hammond Jr. competed in the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend. He finished third in the high jump but apparently aggravated an ankle injury in the process. What does that mean? No more track and field for Frankie.

"We take him when we can get him," UF track and field coach Mike Holloway said.

Instead of competing with the track-and-field team this weekend in a "last-chance meet" to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship in College Station, Texas, Hammond Jr. will now focus his energy on getting healthy for spring football practice. Practice begins on March 25.

"He has a bad ankle and he had a phenomenal performance," Holloway said. "It was just really great watching him compete this weekend but his ankle is a little sore and we think it's just best that he gets ready for spring ball now."

UF's Dancing shoes might not fit

Some people are predicting the worst, but UF guard Nick Calathes is confident the Gators can still make the Tourney.

GAINESVILLE -- Dirty Dancing conjecture, anyone? Oh, I thought so.

OK, it has already been established that we think the basketball team's current magic number to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament stands at three wins. The whole magic number thing started about three weeks ago, before the Gators lost four of their last six games, before the Gators lost to the worst team in the league and before the Gators lost their first game at home.

Now comes along this prediction by the ESPN predictor guy. As it stands right now, he says the Gators are one of the first four teams to be left out of the Tournament, giving the Southeastern Conference just four teams in the field of 64. The four SEC teams in the Tournament, according to ESPN, are LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. I've got to agree with that projection for now.

(Keep reading to vote in the poll.)

CALCULATED CONFIDENCE

UF freshman Ray Shipman appears to be breaking out of his shell. Can he be the vocal leader the Gators need?

GAINESVILLE -- We here at Gator Clause hate to interrupt the non-stop bashing of the men's basketball team with good news, but that's what we're going to do in this blog post.

It's time to offer proof -- even now in what seems like the darkest of hours -- that there is in fact something positive to take away from Tennessee 79, Florida 75. It might seem fairly insignificant to some, but freshman forward Ray Shipman of Miami Monsignor Pace appears to be turning into a success story in his first season with the Gators (21-8, 8-6).

Shipman, the state of Florida's 2008 Mr. Basketball, played 20 minutes against Tennessee and had five points, including a three-pointer. He played with more confidence than he has shown all season and offered proof to those that might not be too familiar with his game that there is plenty of unlocked potential in his 6-4 frame.

"My shots before haven't been confident," Shipman said. "That [3-point] shot was confident basically because I have been shooting more in practice. I felt like I was back in high school just playing ball again."

Urban Meyer's all-seeing eye

Florida's football coach was at the Gators' basketball game on Sunday but he wasn't there to watch hoops.

GAINESVILLE -- Got to give it to Florida football coach Urban Meyer. He sure knows how to come off as a pretty cool guy for 17-year-olds. He stands next to Tim Tebow during Florida basketball games.

Urban is apparently a pretty cool guy. He likes Jimmy Buffet, after all, which is worth a top-shelf margarita and cheeseburger in paradise in my book, but being a Parrothead doesn't exactly translate well in the realm of recruiting. It's a bizarre realm, that place. Case in point: The practice of grown men on Internet websites fanaticizing about underage boys is usually frowned upon by the general public, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and most religions. But that's what goes down on recruiting websites! Dream away, weirdoes.

Anyway, Meyer and the Florida football team entertained a bunch of high school juniors on Sunday with tickets to the basketball game and a few other activities. (Meeting assistant coaches, watching film, eating together, making fun of recruiting websites, etc...) During the basketball game, Meyer stood (the entire time) courtside for all to see. And guess who was strategically positioned next to Meyer (the entire time). That's right. Sir Timothy. Such a savvy recruiter, that Urban Meyer.

Gators swept by Miami

'The wheels fell off' on Sunday for the Gators. UF lost to Miami 16-2 and Riley Cooper was ejected.

By Mike McCall

GAINESVILLE -- I was at all three games this weekend to see the No. 12 Florida baseball team get swept by No. 10 Miami, and the main thing I came away with was this: Louisville was overrated.

The Gators [PICTURED] started getting some hype after they swept the then-No. 8 Cardinals last weekend, but the smackdown from the Hurricanes is a clear message that UF has a little work to do before people start scoping out flights to Omaha.
Here's a quick recap of the three games:

Friday: Miami wins 8-5. The Gators touch up UM ace Chris Hernandez for four runs in five innings, but the 'Canes get six against UF's Patrick Keating. Miami's No. 9 hitter, Jonathan Weislow, hit his first two career home runs -- a two-run shot in the third and a three-run blast in the sixth -- off Keating to get the win.

Saturday: Miami wins 2-1. I started this day by watching a 0-0 tie between Arsenal and Fulham in soccer, and I rounded it out with a 2-1 baseball game. What an exciting sports day, right? If only I had squeezed in some hockey. Anyway, UF got a great performance from freshman starter Alex Panteliodis, but Weislow came through again, scoring both of the 'Canes' runs. UM Starter David Gutierrez held UF scoreless through seven innings.

Sunday: Miami wins 16-2. As UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan put it, "Today, the wheels totally fell off." It's hard to argue with that, as Florida gave up 20 hits, a seven-run inning, had a player ejected and didn't have any bright spots on the afternoon. The loss was the Gators' worst since 2006, and it was the first time UM coach Jim Morris has ever swept UF in Gainesville.

Florida Gators are Rocky stopped

The Gators lost to the Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday for the seventh time in the two teams' last eight meetings.

GAINESVILLE -- Not even the O'Connell Center can save this Florida men's basketball team now.

Florida lost to Tennessee 79-75 on Sunday. GAME STORY HERE. It was Florida's first home loss of the season and a devastating blow to the Gators' hope of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Florida (21-8, 8-6) is now tied with Kentucky (19-10, 8-6) for second place in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. Tennessee (18-10, 9-5) is tied with South Carolina (20-7, 9-5) for first place in the East.

The magic number to insure the Gators' at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament still stands at three. (Just my opinion). That means Florida needs to win at Mississippi State (17-12, 7-7) on Wednesday and then defeat Kentucky at the O'Connell Center next Saturday in the regular-season finale. In addition to those two wins, a few victories in the SEC Tournament couldn't hurt. At least one win in Tampa is absolutely necessary.

Of course, if Florida loses to Mississippi State on Wednesday, then everything changes. Florida will more than likely have to make the finals of the SEC Tournament to earn its at-large bid. Can Florida win the SEC Tournament? What are the chances? Anything is possible in the SEC this season, as far as I'm concerned. Florida, playing in its home state, has just as good a chance of winning the SEC Tournament as any other team.

Orange you glad March is here?

Tennessee (17-10, 8-5) and Florida (21-7, 8-5) kick off March Madness in style today with a battle for first in the East.

GAINESVILLE -- There's a pretty important basketball game in a few hours at the O'Connell Center. It's Tennessee vs. Florida for a share of first place in the SEC East with South Carolina.

Gotta give credit to the Southeastern Conference for this match-up. As far as storylines go, it couldn't get much better. Is this a must-win game for Florida? If Tennessee knocks off the Gators at home, will it lock up an at-large bid for the Vols? I can't think of a better way to kickoff March Madness than this home game today.

Bruce Pearl will be animated [PICTURED]. Billy Donovan will pace. The Rowdy Reptiles will be OUT OF CONTROL! I'm actually thinking about bringing ear plugs. It's that kind of morning at the Goodman house.

For the preview story of today's game in The Miami Herald CLICK ME! I chose an angle focusing on UF freshman point guard Erving Walker and how first impressions mean little in college basketball. It's all about what happens in March. For anyone wanting more information on Walker's resisting arrest citation, I'll explain it a little better here in the blog.

Last September, Walker had only been at Florida for a month or so when he was busted for resisting arrest without violence. It's pretty silly what the guy did and he seemed overly embarrassed about the incident when I asked him to explain the scenario earlier this week.

ANYWAY, Walker was pulled over by campus police for not having lights on his scooter and received a warning. About 15 minutes later, the same cops attempted to stop Walker but the freshman from Brooklyn hopped a curb on his get-away ride and ditched the scooter behind the UF Law School building. (Irony, right?). Walker then took off on foot. (Make the pig chase you. That is what he secretly wants!) The chase didn't last long. Another cop was waiting for Walker on the other side of the building.

Walker has played well at home in the last month. He scored 18 points against South Carolina on Feb.3. He had six points, four rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals against Alabama on Feb. 18. In the Gators' last home game, Walker scored 11 points against Vanderbilt, including 3 of 3 from three-point range.

How will Tennessee's defensive length affect Walker today? It might be one of the keys to the game.

-jo- 

Gators pick up another non-binding half-promise from a recruit. Do you care?

By Mike McCall

Last week, Charlotte Independence High cornerback Victor Hampton (left, photo from Scout.com) announced his verbal commitment to play for Florida. He's 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, from former UF quarterback Chris Leak's alma mater, and I'm sure he's really fast and athletic.
That's all great, but here's what's not: Hampton told The Gainesville Sun that he has never visited UF. He said he'll check it out sometime this month, and he doesn't plan on visiting any other schools. Also, an Independence coach told The Sun that Hampton's recruiting process only took two weeks.
Especially in light of losing Greg Reid (committed to UF in Feb. 2008) to Florida State and Nu'Keese Richardson (committed May 2008) to Tennessee this year, do Gators fans really feel good about this?
Signing Day for the 2010 recruiting class is still 11 months away, but there are already five verbal commits: