For Florida, a Stormy Start
Four Players Have Already Been Suspended
Coach Billy Donovan, whose team visits Maryland on Saturday, has had plenty to be upset about between suspensions and injuries.
By Alan Goldenbach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 13, 2002; Page D03
The Florida Gators were expected to enter this season with a roster deep enough to fill two starting lineups. But by the season's fourth game, an upset loss to Stanford, Coach Billy Donovan had to resort to putting five freshmen on the court.
This has been a tumultuous season for Florida, and it's less than a month old. Already, four Gators have served suspensions, and three have missed time because of injuries. One of the suspended players transferred, becoming the third player since the end of last season to leave the program before exhausting his eligibility.
On the court, the Gators won their first three games before an upset loss to Stanford in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT. The next night, Florida looked very strong in defeating then-No. 2 Kansas, only to come back four days later and lose at West Virginia, which went 8-20 last season.
So is it any wonder that the Gators were glad to have a break from practice Monday and Tuesday of this week?
"We've gone through a lot so far with the injuries and everything else," senior guard Brett Nelson said. "It was nice to have some time off."
Florida will have a six-day gap between its 68-52 victory over South Florida last Sunday and its visit to Comcast Center on Saturday, when the Gators will bring No. 18 Maryland the biggest threat this season to an 87-game nonconference home winning streak, the nation's longest.
The distractions began last offseason, when guard Orien Greene, who started 30 games as a sophomore last season, transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette and senior guard LaDarius Halton quit the team to pursue a pro career in Turkey.
Sophomore swingman James White started the season in Gainesville but transferred to Cincinnati after suffering an injury. White was suspended for one game last season for violating team rules. In September, he was arrested after allegedly firing a paintball gun at the ankle of a female student. Donovan suspended White for the Gators' first three practices, and the school's student judiciary committee tacked on a three-game suspension for violating the student code of conduct.
White, who is from Rockville, and played his sophomore and junior seasons at Newport School, said he has no hard feelings toward the Florida players or coaching staff, and plans to be at Saturday's game.
"I'll be there," said White, who quit the team on Nov. 9. "I've got to see how my friends are doing."
With the roster in limbo for so many games, plenty of responsibility has been thrust upon Florida's four other freshmen. It has also upped the burden on the Gators' three seniors -- Nelson, Matt Bonner and Justin Hamilton.
"Being senior captains, it's our job to keep things focused, but it's been tough to do that," Bonner said.
Nelson, who averaged 14.6 points per game last season, missed the first three games because of a stress fracture in his right foot. In his five games back, he has shot only 26 percent from the field.
"Obviously, we would have liked to have had James and [Orien]," Nelson said, "but they did what they had to do. We can't blame that for what we do on the court. We have to move on."
Junior power forward Bonnell Colas, the only Gator expected to be able to play center this season, has only played seven minutes in two games because of a groin injury.
Freshman guard Christian Drejer, the Danish League player of the year who surprised many by passing on the NBA draft to enroll at Florida, has yet to play this season. What started as an apparent sprained ankle developed into an infection and landed him in the hospital. This week, he began walking without crutches and Donovan hopes to have him in the lineup after the new year.
The freshmen "have to understand that due to those guys leaving, they don't have the opportunity to sit and watch," Bonner said. "You can throw it out the window."
Four Players Have Already Been Suspended
Coach Billy Donovan, whose team visits Maryland on Saturday, has had plenty to be upset about between suspensions and injuries.
By Alan Goldenbach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 13, 2002; Page D03
The Florida Gators were expected to enter this season with a roster deep enough to fill two starting lineups. But by the season's fourth game, an upset loss to Stanford, Coach Billy Donovan had to resort to putting five freshmen on the court.
This has been a tumultuous season for Florida, and it's less than a month old. Already, four Gators have served suspensions, and three have missed time because of injuries. One of the suspended players transferred, becoming the third player since the end of last season to leave the program before exhausting his eligibility.
On the court, the Gators won their first three games before an upset loss to Stanford in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT. The next night, Florida looked very strong in defeating then-No. 2 Kansas, only to come back four days later and lose at West Virginia, which went 8-20 last season.
So is it any wonder that the Gators were glad to have a break from practice Monday and Tuesday of this week?
"We've gone through a lot so far with the injuries and everything else," senior guard Brett Nelson said. "It was nice to have some time off."
Florida will have a six-day gap between its 68-52 victory over South Florida last Sunday and its visit to Comcast Center on Saturday, when the Gators will bring No. 18 Maryland the biggest threat this season to an 87-game nonconference home winning streak, the nation's longest.
The distractions began last offseason, when guard Orien Greene, who started 30 games as a sophomore last season, transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette and senior guard LaDarius Halton quit the team to pursue a pro career in Turkey.
Sophomore swingman James White started the season in Gainesville but transferred to Cincinnati after suffering an injury. White was suspended for one game last season for violating team rules. In September, he was arrested after allegedly firing a paintball gun at the ankle of a female student. Donovan suspended White for the Gators' first three practices, and the school's student judiciary committee tacked on a three-game suspension for violating the student code of conduct.
White, who is from Rockville, and played his sophomore and junior seasons at Newport School, said he has no hard feelings toward the Florida players or coaching staff, and plans to be at Saturday's game.
"I'll be there," said White, who quit the team on Nov. 9. "I've got to see how my friends are doing."
With the roster in limbo for so many games, plenty of responsibility has been thrust upon Florida's four other freshmen. It has also upped the burden on the Gators' three seniors -- Nelson, Matt Bonner and Justin Hamilton.
"Being senior captains, it's our job to keep things focused, but it's been tough to do that," Bonner said.
Nelson, who averaged 14.6 points per game last season, missed the first three games because of a stress fracture in his right foot. In his five games back, he has shot only 26 percent from the field.
"Obviously, we would have liked to have had James and [Orien]," Nelson said, "but they did what they had to do. We can't blame that for what we do on the court. We have to move on."
Junior power forward Bonnell Colas, the only Gator expected to be able to play center this season, has only played seven minutes in two games because of a groin injury.
Freshman guard Christian Drejer, the Danish League player of the year who surprised many by passing on the NBA draft to enroll at Florida, has yet to play this season. What started as an apparent sprained ankle developed into an infection and landed him in the hospital. This week, he began walking without crutches and Donovan hopes to have him in the lineup after the new year.
The freshmen "have to understand that due to those guys leaving, they don't have the opportunity to sit and watch," Bonner said. "You can throw it out the window."
