Florida: The Magic is Back
College basketball fans got used to seeing Billy Donovan’s face on television and their computers over the last decade. They should have. Donovan teased what was to come in 2000 when he took his Florida Gators all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to Michigan State. It took six years to return to that level, but once Florida did, it could not be stopped for two straight years. The Florida program of 2005-2007 may rank as one of the best in modern memory.
Players like Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer made it fun to watch the NCAA games, and knowing the entire team returned to make a run at another championship in 2006-07 was a victory for those who decry college athletes seeing green and defecting to the NBA.
Over the last few years, the magic seemed to fade once again. Last year, it came back in a flash. After the back-to-back seasons of 33-6 and 35-5 in 2005-06 and 2006-07, Florida slipped to 24-12 the following year and wasn’t invited to the Big Dance for the first time since 1998. The Gators then had a 25-11 season in 2008-09 and a 21-13 finish the following year.
It was looking like Donovan’s days as an elite coach capable of 30-win seasons may be over. Then came last year, when Florida went 29-8 and went back to the NCAA Elite Eight before losing to Butler 74-71. It was the most victories in a season for Donovan since 2006-07. It was the farthest a Florida team had advanced in the NCAA tournament since… wait for it… 2006-07.
The interesting thing about this Florida squad is the players that turned pro aren’t necessarily the best on the Florida squad. Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin were selected 38th and 52nd, respectively, in the 2011 NBA draft. Both were seniors whose eligibility was up, but they were not the leading point scorers. That honor went to senior guard Erving Walker and junior guard Kenny Boynton, whose respective scoring averages of 14.4 and 14.1 were tops.
Sure, Parsons and Macklin’s contributions will be missed, and the team is quite young. Coaches and media are buying into the 2011-12 lineup, however.
The magic is back in Gainesville.
Read the in-depth preview for Florida basketball
