Florida trainer Billy Donovan answered for just about 10 transcription Wednesday on the SEC traveling basketball conference call. But Donovan has a few questions of his own: Who will emerge in Florida’s frontcourt? And will the getting bigger sophomores provide much-needed governance?

Those are just two gear for Donovan to consider as the Gators set up for the 2008-09 term. Forward/magnet Marreese Speights is gone, occupied with the 16th pick by Philadelphia in the NBA Draft. That foliage a chief hole to fill in the average. Speights takes with him a 14.5-point scoring mediocre. He was also good for 8.1 rebounds per game and he blocked 49 shots, both team highs.

Will celebrity step up in his place?

Sophomore Alex Tyus will have a casual. He played nearby 14 report per game and averaged 4.3 and 2.6 last season. Four-star Eloy Vargas, Kenny Kadji and Allan Chaney strength underwrite, but they are all foremost-year . Junior Dan Werner is an possibility but he’s been mercurial on offense. At 6 feet 7, Werner valor be strained into with taller authority forwards and .

“The biggest query mark is what’s the frontcourt available to be like?” Donovan said. “We have coming in who are early, and I don’t know how much you can rely on them or what they’ll play like. The biggest anxiety mark with the parting of Marreese is do we have enough up front to persist to grow?”

Although he had habituation problems premature last year and was sometimes a liability on apology, the athletic 6-foot-10 Speights was a foremost presence in Florida’s frontcourt. He battle and bang and recoil and do all the belongings out of an SEC forward or heart.

Kadji, Vargas and Chaney should be able to provide that as well, but there will be a significant knowledge camber involved. In his freshman year, Speights under the tutelage of Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Chris Richard, all NBA . Florida’s trio of freshmen this year will be battling Tyus and Werner, talented players but a significant step down.

The good news is forward Chandler Parsons has bulked up in the off-term and should provide more frontcourt help. Parsons is a lanky player who can score from inside or outside. And Florida’s backcourt should be trick with potential.

Sophomore Nick Calathes yield. He led the team in with 15.3 per game and set a school past performance with 221 assists. Calathes was the SEC co-freshman of the year. His headship will be vital if Florida, rated No. 19 in the 2008-09 preseason poll by, plans to touch up on its 24-12 world record from last time of year.

Walter Hodge, the only superior on the register, and sophomore Jai Lucas profit to the . Calathes, Hodge and Lucas were the only Florida players to play more than 1,000 notes last spell. Hodge averaged 10.4 points and Lucas scored 8.5 per excursion and had 81 assists. Look for him to be more hard-hitting this time.

A top- recruiting class should also help, but the Gators are likely to go through some emergent effort much like last season because the team is so immature and raw. That’s why on Wednesday Donovan strained the status of direction from his class.

Rated Vargas as the ninth-best weight forward in 20008, Kadji as the fifth-best middle England and Chaney, who could be the dark horse in Florida’s class, as the 28th best country forward. Guard/forward Ray Shipman, the No. 14 minute forward by Rivals.com, and gritty New York City point lookout Erving Walker, listed at 5 feet 8, round out the class.

Donovan discussion not far off Speights

When Speights former put his name in the NBA Draft, he did not sign with an mediator as he his repute and tried to amount out what pro thought of his potential. If the response wasn’t good, he could have returned to school.

Donovan said he with the process and extra the early response was that Speights fall in the 20-35 or 25-40 pick assortment. As Speights worked out for unalike franchises and clothes went well, his typical . Philadelphia took a finicky pursuit in him and selected him at No. 16.

“(Executive vice head of basketball operations) Stu Jackson and the NBA office helped you get the info you can when he elementary put the name in,” Donovan said. “As the process was untaken forward, it was fine Philadelphia at 16 was absorbed in Marreese. It one team for a guy to move up. If Philadelphia passed on Marreese he ‘ve fallen into the 20s.”

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: College basketball news