Florida Gators

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Historical Thread One: aolcfboutcasts.proboards.com/thread/72/florida-gators-football

Historical Thread Two: aolcfboutcasts.proboards.com/thread/4914/florida-gators-sports

Start posting Florida all-sports here. I'll ask Walter to change the name on the sub board header.

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Holloway honored as national men's track & field coach of the year:

www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=25883

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Gators offer in-state DE at Buck position:

recruiting.blogs.gatorsports.com/15992/gators-offer-in-state-de/

Add another target to Florida’s board at the Buck position.

Clearwater Central Catholic defensive end Justus Reed camped at UF on Thursday and earned an offered from the coaches afterward.

For someone who grew up rooting for the Gat0rs, it was a special moment for him.

“It’s been my school since I was in like sixth grade,” he said. “I was real excited, really happy and it’s definitely one of my top schools.

“They appreciated that I came down and worked out because a lot of kids, they don’t want to come and compete. They just want to get an offer. Being that I came, and I worked hard, they offered me a scholarship.”

Prior to receiving the good news in the football offices, Reed enjoyed his interactions with UF coach Will Muschamp and defensive line coach Brad Lawing during camp.

“I got a lot of attention from the coaches, and they coached me up pretty good,” he said. “I talked to Coach Muschamp and all the coaches, and it was a good experience. I really liked it. Coach Lawing knows what he’s talking about. He’s a really good dude. I really liked him.”

The 6-foot-3, 216-pounder hopes to return to Gainesville for Friday Night Lights and a game in 2013.

“I definitely want to come back,” he said. “The program speaks for itself. I’m pretty happy with what I saw and what I see all the time when I come up here. I like it a lot.”

With the fan factor and his familiarity with the Gators, is Florida in front?

“I’m leaning towards it kind of,” responded Reed, who named Florida State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky as other schools of interest.

He’ll be visiting some of them in the coming weeks as well as Miami and Virginia.

“There’s not really a day or a time that I’m going to make my decision,” he said, “but whenever the time is right, basically.”

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Thank you Walter.

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Florida to finish second in Directors' Cup standings

By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer



Published: Friday, June 14, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, June 14, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.


Final standings won't be released until after the College World Series, but Florida appears headed for a second-place finish in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings.


The Directors' Cup announced Friday that Stanford clinched its 19th straight title with 1261.25 total points. Florida is just 41.5 points behind in second place.

Of the top five in the Directors' Cup, only UCLA (fourth) remains in College World Series play. The Bruins are 92.5 points behind UF.

The Gators captured national titles in women's gymnastics and men's outdoor track and field in 2013. In addition, Florida reached the national semifinals in women's tennis, reached the College World Series in softball, appeared in a BCS bowl game in football and had Elite Eight finishes in women's lacrosse and men's basketball.

Overall, Florida won SEC regular-season titles in eight sports this season — men's basketball, women's soccer, women's tennis, gymnastics, softball, men's swimming, women's cross country and women's gymnastics.

Florida is one of three SEC programs currently in the top 10 of the Directors' Cup standings. Texas A&M is sixth and Georgia is ninth. Florida State currently ranks 14th while Miami ranks 71st out of 288 Division I programs listed.

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From Gator Country:

Florida Gator 2012-2013 Recap

Nicole Boyett | June 14, 2013

UF has just won its 5th straight SEC All-Sports award, making it 13 total for the Florida Gators since the award’s inception. The award was well deserved as the Florida Gators had a fantastic athletic season in the SEC. The Gators were regular season SEC Champions in Men’s Basketball, Women’s Cross Country, Gymnastics, Soccer, Softball, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Women’s Tennis and Volleyball and ALC Champions in Lacrosse. The Gators were also SEC Tournament Champions in Soccer and Softball. While Florida’s athletic program recorded an impressive 2012-13 athletic season, the achievements were coupled with disappointment for every sport except the ones in which the Gators reached the pinnacle: both the gymnastics and men’s outdoor track & field teams brought home NCAA National Championships to Gainesville.

Football

After a 7-6 season in which the Florida Gators football team struggled to find an offensive identity under Head Coach Will Muschamp, the team made a complete 180 degree turn as they finished the regular season 11-1 and earned an appearance in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Gators fans have a lot to be thankful for as the team arguable overachieved and pleasantly surprised those who spend their Saturdays in The Swamp. The Gators didn’t let LSU or South Carolina steal wins in The Swamp as the Tigers and Gamecocks did two years before.


Instead, this team relied on a defense littered with NFL talent and a solid running game to mentally and physically wear down its opponents so only orange and blue were left standing in the 4th quarter. Gators rejoiced as this team – the one that was one game away from Atlanta – acted like they had something to prove. And with the added controversy over which SEC team deserves the Sugar Bowl bid, you would have thought the team and fans would have taken that “Florida Never Breaks” attitude to New Orleans.

Instead, New Orleans brought disappointment and confusion. Florida became part of the smallest crowd in Sugar Bowl history as the University Athletic Association lost over $800k due to lack of ticket sales. And where the fans failed to show up, so did the team. The Gators started the game with a turnover and any hopes of a comeback were squashed early on as Teddy Bridgewater, an all but guaranteed Heisman finalist in 2014, picked the touted Florida defense apart on his way to way to bringing the Cardinal’s first BCS bowl win back to Louisville.

SEC Coach of the Year Will Muschamp apologized to fans after the game, as he was also disappointed with the team’s performance in New Orleans. Sugar Bowl withstanding, the Gators had an incredible year as they beat three top-10 opponents for the second time in school history and recorded Florida’s first undefeated season at home since 2009. But even after an unbelievable season for the Gators, fans are thirsty for Boom’s first win in Jacksonville over his alma mater and hoping to end on a better note than last season.

Men’s Basketball

Men’s Basketball won the SEC regular season title and recorded their third-straight Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but the Gators can’t seem to get over the hump and into the Final Four. Florida didn’t lose a game by more than single digits as they finished the regular season 24-6 overall and 14-3 in the SEC. The Gators also never lost a game in the O’Connell Center on their way to clinch the SEC regular season title with a win over Vanderbilt. Billy Donovan even won SEC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years. But the Gators’ second-half disappearing act came to life in the postseason as they lost the SEC Championship to Ole Miss by three. Although the Gators rebounded in the NCAA Tournament with a win over Northwestern State and smashed Dunk City’s glass slipper in a Gators vs. Everyone battle for the Sweet Sixteen, the team fell flat for minutes at a time in every game on their way to a fight for the Final Four in a game they didn’t even seem to show up for.

Billy Donovan is without a doubt one of the best coaches in college basketball as he led the Gators to back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007. But those seasons were followed by two NIT appearances in 2008 and 2009. The Gators were knocked out of the NCAA tournament early in 2010 but bounced back with two Elite Eight appearances in 2011 and 2012. Both of those Elite Eight games were lost in heartbreaking fashion with double digit leads blown in the last ten minutes – one in overtime to Butler and the other to this year’s national champion Louisville. 2013 was supposed to be the year the Gators overcame their deficiencies, but Florida’s leading scorer, senior point guard Kenny Boynton, didn’t show the leadership on the floor the Gators needed. Erik Murphy played his best when he was hurt. Mike Rosario once punted a ball into the student section. Patric Young was a necessary inconsistency at best. Will Yeguete missed games – again – and is now recovering from knee surgery. Scottie Wilbekin broke team rules and did so again this year, warranting his current indefinite suspension.

But there is a silver lining - Casey Prather came back despite two concussions earlier in the season and Michael Frazier II became a valuable piece of our offensive attack. Kasey Hill and Chris Walker are supposed to come and electrify this team (although there are rumors circulating about Walker’s admission to UF). Along with transfers poised to play, the Gators could still make another run for the SEC regular season and tournament championships in 2013-14, but how far they go will be determined by their ability to stay focused and productive for all forty minutes on the court.

Although the football and men’s basketball teams fell short of national glory, Florida’s gymnastics and men’s track and field proved ready to pick up the pieces and bring home the hardware for Gators fans.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics won the SEC Championship, edging out Alabama for the second year in a row. But Alabama took the NCAA National Championship home last year by .075 and it looked like the Crimson Tide would again this year after the No. 1 seeded Gators had to count a miss on the balance beam as both Ashanee Dickerson and Kytra Hunter fell in Florida’s first exercise. But the Gators didn’t let that get them down as they repeated, “We’ve got this” to each other in the locker room and on the floor as they continued to perform almost perfectly the rest of the meet. A little luck fell Florida’s way, as Alabama also had to record a miss on the beam with two members of the Crimson Tide falling.

Florida put up a record score in the NCAA Championships on the floor exercise (49.725) allowed the Gators to beat runners-up Oklahoma and defending national champion Alabama to join a club of only five schools to ever win the NCAA Championships in gymnastics. Following the team’s success, Bridget Sloan and Alaina Johnson were able to capture individual championships in uneven bars and balance beam, respectively. Sloan also earned the NCAA All-Around Championship before the meet. With a brand new practice facility at the O’Connell Center and six-time SEC Coach of the Year Rhonda Faehn (2006-2007, 2010-2013), the Gators have a great chance to defend their title in the 2013-14 season.

Track & Field

After a second place finish in the SEC in both indoor and outdoor track & field, the men’s team won a share of the national championship as the team poised to win, Texas A&M, dropped the baton in the last relay, forcing the Aggies to take 8th place in the relay and tie for the title. The women’s team finished in 4th place in the SEC and NCAA Indoor Championships and tied for 11th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Head Coach Greg Holloway snagged some honors as well, as he won National Coach of the Year for the fifth time. This marks the second year in a row Holloway has won COY for outdoor track and field. He previously won COY each year of the indoor track and field team’s three-peat as NCAA National Champions (2010, 2011, 2012).

Baseball

The Florida Baseball roster was gutted by the 2012 MLB Draft as the Gators lost a lot of talent from their roster and recruiting class. Gators fans knew baseball was going to be rebuilding after such a big loss. After a rough start to the season and an injury to pitcher Karsten Whitson, Florida battled their way back to .500 and into the NCAA Tournament. But the Gators lost both games in the NCAA Regional in Indiana and they finished the season one game under .500. The Gators hope to bounce back in 2014 as Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan has a great track record with three-straight College World Series appearances and two SEC Championships in the last six years.

Softball

Softball was also supposed to be in a rebuilding year after losing at home in the NCAA Tournament in 2012 as the Gators played without three of their starters. The Gators started five fresh faces this year and ended up being the first team in the country to reach 50 wins as they captured both the SEC regular season and tournament titles. The No. 2 seed Gators started the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City with a loss to Tennessee but rebounded with a marathon 15-inning win over Nebraska. The Gators’ run ended the next day as they were shut out for the first time this season in a loss to Texas. The team returns home with a young roster and high hopes of making 2014 Florida’s 6th WCWS appearance over the last seven years under Head Coach Tim Walton.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse began this season with “unfinished business” after a heartbreaking overtime loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament. Florida won the ALC regular season but the Gators were ousted again by Syracuse in the Carrier Dome to end the season and send Florida’s inaugural class of seniors off with two regular season ALC titles (2011 and 2012) and one ALC Tournament title in 2012. Head Coach Amanda O’Leary coached many ALC Players of the Year in their respective categories and even received Coach of the Year honors in 2012. She has eclipsed 200 wins as a Division I head coach and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon. The women’s lacrosse team is poised with great coaches and some of the best facilities in the nation to attract the top recruits in pursuit of that elusive national championship.

Tennis

Women’s tennis also had a stellar regular season followed by a disappointing postseason, as they seemed poised for a three-peat for the NCAA National Championship. The Gators had an incredible comeback from down 3-0 to Stanford after losses from senior Lauren Embree in both her doubles and single matches to tie it 3-3 as the Gators’ fate came down to the last match. Unfortunately Florida was left to watch Stanford celebrate their victory over the Gators on their way to beat Texas A&M for the title. Despite the team’s first post season loss since 2010 (to Stanford), the Gators walk away from the 2012-13 season with a lot to be proud of: these seniors finished their careers undefeated at home and have won the SEC title four years in a row. The tennis team has a lot to live up to next season, but Gators have every reason in the world to believe in the successful Head Coach Ronald Thornqvist. As for the men’s tennis team, Head Coach Brian Shelton led the Gators to a third place finish in the SEC and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season at Florida. The Gators lost to Denver in the first round but hopes are that the team will be more settled in next year to make a deeper run in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.

Swimming and Diving

Men’s Swimming and Diving were finally able to dethrone the Auburn Tigers and win the SEC Championship. The Tigers took the title for sixteen straight years, but four individual championships and one relay championship sealed the deal for the Gators. Florida Gators Head Coach and 2012 USA Men’s Olympic Swim Team Coach Gregg Troy led both the men and women’s teams to sixth place finishes in the NCAA Championships. The men’s team captured the national championship in the 800 Free Relay and broke four school records. Their top-10 finish marks the fourteenth consecutive for the men. The women’s team finished 3rd in the SEC but broke three school records in the NCAA Championships. Olympian Elizabeth Beisel also won the national championship in the 400 IM in the women’s twelfth consecutive top-10 finish.

Soccer

Soccer won its 10th SEC Tournament in 2012, as the Gators were able to complete the regular season and tournament sweep for the fifth time. Head Coach Becky Burleigh led the Gators to their16th NCAA Tournament appearance (out of 18 seasons of the program’s existence) but lost to Notre Dame in the NCAA Round of 16.

Volleyball

The Florida Gators Volleyball team won the SEC for the 19th time, returning to glory after the team’s 18th consecutive SEC titles streak came to an end in 2008. The Gators finished 25-4 overall and 19-1 in the SEC on their way to Florida’s 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, one under every year Head Coach Mary Wise has been at Florida.

Cross Country

Women’s Cross Country won the SEC Championship for the third time in four years and sixth time overall. The men finished 4th in the SEC. The teams had a less-than-stellar national performance as the women finished 23rd in the NCAA Championships and the men failed to finish ranked at the end of the season.

Golf

Both Men’s and Women’s golf made it to the NCAA Championships but failed to place in the top 20. The Women’s team is entering its second season with Emily Bastel as head coach whereas Buddy Alexander enters his 27th season with the Gators this year.

Women’s Basketball

Women’s basketball finished 23-15 overall and 6-10 in the SEC in Amanda Butler’s sixth year as Florida’s head coach. The Gators finished 8th in the SEC and missed their chance at an NCAA Tournament appearance but accepted an invitation to the WNIT, where they lost to Drexel in the semifinals.

Although the 2012-13 season was full of many what ifs for Gators, Florida’s overall athletic success transcends the minor disappointments of teams from season to season. Under the leadership of athletic director Jeremy Foley, the Gators return a lot of great talent and even greater coaches going into the 2013-14 athletic season. Florida’s quest for a 6th straight and 14th overall SEC All-Sports title begins Friday, August 23rd with a soccer game against Florida Gulf Coast.

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It would be nice to have just one offseason where no football players are arrested. Antonio Morrison, you need an attitude adjustment:

Morrison arrested for punching bouncer


By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer



Published: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 12:49 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 12:49 p.m.


Florida rising sophomore linebacker Antonio Morrison was arrested Saturday night on charges of simple battery.


Morrison, a projected starter in 2013, had 34 tackles and one sack as a freshman.

Morrison, 19, was arrested after he punched a Gainesville nightclub bouncer, according to the Gainesville Police Department. He was booked into Alachua County Jail at 6:03 a.m. Sunday.

According to the report, Morrison was about to enter the Kava Lounge in Gainesville when he asked the bouncer about the cover charge at the club. The bouncer said Morrison became upset when he was told he had to pay full price, telling him “Do you know who I am. I am a UF football player. I'm Antonio.”

Florida did not have an immediate statement about the arrest Sunday morning.

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More on Antonio Morrison from Gator Country:

The offseason had been going by smoothly. Players were staying out of trouble and other than a comment from an assistant coach that stirred up some controversy, Will Muschamp was enjoying a nice, quiet offseason.

That quiet offseason was broken up last night by the sound of a police siren. According to the arrest report that Gator Country obtained from the Alachua County Police Department, linebacker Antonio Morrison was arrested last night and charged with simple battery. The charge is a misdemeanor and the first time Morrison has had a run in with the law while in Gainesville.

According to the report, Morrison and a group of males were waiting in line at Kava Lounge located on 1007 W. University Ave. around 2 a.m. this morning. Morrison allegedly walked up to the bouncer at the front door to inquire about a cover charge to get into the bar and hookah lounge. When the bouncer and alleged victim Omar Al Ajlani told Morrison the price he wasn’t happy.

According to the police report, Morrison began to argue with the alleged victim about a discount and started yelling “Don’t you know who I am? I’m a football player! I’m Antonio!” Morrison reportedly hit the alleged victim with a “closed fist on the top of the left side of his head.”

After being read his Miranda rights, Morrison admitted getting into a “scuffle” with the alleged victim but that it “wasn’t a big deal.” Morrison also stated that he didn’t remember much of the incident because he was intoxicated at the time.

Morrison was booked into Alachua County Jail at approximately 6 a.m. this morning and has yet to be released.

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Breakfast With The Gators started the reruns of the 12 season this morning with the Gators win over Bowling Green.

Be sure to watch next Sunday morning for the UF at aTm game which was one of the best games of the college football season.

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5 star OT meets with Billy D - Wants to play football and basketball:

recruiting.blogs.gatorsports.com/15963/sharpe-meets-billy-donovan/

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June 12th, 2013 10:47pm

UF makes cut for nation’s No. 1 DE, other top talent

by Zach Abolverdi

Da’Shawn Hand, the nation’s consensus No. 1 defensive end, shocked the recruiting world Wednesday.

The Woodbridge (Va.) five-star recruit named Alabama, Florida and Michigan as his Top 3 and eliminated South Carolina and Virgina Tech, which was thought to be leading for his services.

But since the school doesn’t offer a degree in sports management, Hand’s desired major, he dropped the Hokies from consideration. The 6-foot-4, 248-pounder said he didn’t connect with the professor in the undergraduate program at South Carolina.

Hand, who Rivals.com ranks as the top overall recruit, will officially visit his three finalists in the fall and go to LSU and Southern Cal on his other two officials. However, he insists the Tigers and Trojans are on the outside looking in.

The Wolverines are now believed to hold the edge for Hand, but the fact that UF is one of his favorites and he hasn’t even visited yet bodes well for the Gators. If he’s serious about academics, Alabama may be the odd man out considering the reputation of Florida and Michigan. And if it comes down to those two, UF has the SEC prestige and Sunshine State weather working in its favor.

Lewisville (Texas) Hebron safety Jamal Adams trimmed his Top 12 to a half-dozen Wednesday. The Gators made the cut for the 6-foot, 199-pounder along with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas and Texas A&M (no leaders). The Rivals100 and ESPN150 member is the godson of UF receivers coach Joker Phillips and visits Gainesville this weekend. His recruitment is expected to come down to Florida and the Texas schools.

District Height (Md.) Bishop McNamara offensive tackle Damian Prince, a five-star prospect according to Rivals, released a Top-10 list Tuesday of Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt (in alphabetical order). The Gators are making a move for the 6-foot-5, 292-pounder and will receive a trip from him in July. FSU is the school to beat at this time.

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Toledo has a nice little stadium. I hope we play Toledo better than what we did Bowling Green last season winning only 27-14.

www.toledoalumni.org/s/897/images/editor/Fish_Bowl_Football_Field_View.jpg

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June 16th, 2013 03:16pm

5-star LB visits Florida, will return next weekend

by Zach Abolverdi


McMillan made a surprise stop in Gainesville on Saturday and plans to return next weekend.

Florida appears to be climbing the ladder for five-star linebacker Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County).

He made a surprise trip to Gainesville on Saturday and spoke to head coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin about their vision for him in UF’s defense.

“It was a great visit,” McMillan said. “Haven’t been here in a while, so I came back down here to talk to coach Muschamp and coach Durkin again. We just talked about coming to play here, filling Jon Bostic’s role, stepping in as the next middle linebacker to play under him.”

The Under Armour All-American likes that Muschamp is a defensive guy and Durkin coaches his position.

“You always wants your linebackers coach to be the defensive coordinator because he builds the defensive around you,” McMillan said.

As for Bostic, who was selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, McMillan believes he can similar success with the Gators.

“It’s real intriguing,” he said, “because the job (Bostic) is taking is a real prestigious job for Brian Urlacher. I think Jon Bostic is going to pan out great. And I think that if I came here I could do the same thing that Jon Bostic did.”

The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder is also drawn to Florida by its current linebackers, Antonio Morrison and Michael Taylor.

“That’s my guy, man,” McMillan said of Morrison. “Last time I visited I chilled with him and Mike (Taylor). They’re real cool guys and I could see myself playing here because those are the type of guys I like playing beside.”

From players to coaches, McMillan just enjoys the UF environment.

“It’s a great staff, campus is beautiful,” he said. “But the people here, man, they are great people.”

McMillan plans to be back at Florida again this coming Saturday, which will be his fourth time in Gainesville and last recruiting trip of the summer. He’ll then take officials in the fall, and the Gators could receive his final visit.

“I want to see a game,” he said. “Last year I came to the Missouri game, but they don’t really pack out Missouri games. So this year I’ll probably make the Florida State game to see a packed house.”

McMillan, who is ranked the No. 1 inside linebacker and a top-20 recruit by every recruiting site except Scout, will be an early enrollee and wants to make his decision in mid-December or at the Under Armour All-America Game. His Top 5 schools (in no particular order) are Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Ohio State, his presumed favorite.

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By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer



Published: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 5:26 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 5:26 p.m.


Florida rising sophomore guard Michael Frazier II survived the first cut at Team USA's 19-under tryouts and is one of 16 finalists to make the roster.


Florida coach Billy Donovan is coaching the U.S. 19-under team with assistants Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Shaka Smart (VCU). Together, the three coaches trimmed the tryout roster from 26 to 16 on Sunday. Final cuts will be made following Monday's practices in Colorado Springs, Colo.

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By Chris Harry
GatorZone.com Senior Writer



GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- His increased role and profile in USA Basketball is something Billy Donovan takes very seriously.



It’s also something he absolutely loves.



“Being able to coach basketball, talk basketball, meet with these coaches and talk about different situations and philosophies, it’s just great,” Donovan said this week. “You’re starting a team basically from scratch then taking these guys into a competitive situation to represent the United States. And it’s serious basketball.”



A whirlwind process, too.



Last week, Donovan did a teleconference with some European media in advance of the U19 World Championships, set for June 27-July 7 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Florida coach, who will be assisted by VCU’s Shaka Smart and Virginia’s Tony Bennett, was asked questions about his team’s personnel and chemistry, plus potential tournament opponents and what to expect.



Donovan’s best answer: “I don’t know.”



That’s because Team USA will be selected from a group of 26 invitees -- including UF sophomore guard Michael Frazier III -- during a three-day tryout that begins Friday in Colorado Springs, Colo. The squad will go from there to Washington for three days of workouts and scrimmages next week at the NBA headquarters of the hometown Wizards before flying to Prague on June 22.



In other words, Donovan is about to immerse himself in hard-core offseason hoops in June, which for him is about as good as it gets. In addition to Frazier, he’ll have some friendly faces along for the ride, with Gators trainer Dave “Duke” Werner and assistant to the head coach Mark Daigneault helping round out the Team USA support staff.



“You really have to be organized,” said Donovan, who already has had a series of teleconferences with Smart and Bennett to lay the groundwork for how they’re going to coach this team. “We’ve talked about what we want to get in as far as offense, defense, style of play, philosophy, but you also have to come up with 10 or 12 things you have to get in; underneath out of bounds, end of shot clock, those kinds of things. I talk to each coach, hear what they like to do and we compile and put it all together.”



And then there’s the matter of putting together the actual team.



Among the 26 players trying out this weekend are Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart, Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes, Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon and Louisville forward Montrezl Harrell.



Donovan is familiar with a good core of the players trying out (including Smart, Stokes and Sulaimon) because he had them on the U18 team he coached to the gold medal at the FIBA Tournament of the Americas last summer in Brazil. Because that team finished in the top four of that event, it qualified to compete this summer in the world championships.



The schedule shows one practice Friday, two Saturday and one Sunday morning, then a selection committee meeting Sunday afternoon when a panel of coaches – Donovan and his staff, plus a group that includes Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Matt Painter (Purdue), Bruce Weber (Kansas State) and Lorenzo Romar (Washington) – will vote on the first nine players for the roster. Donovan, Smart and Bennett will select the final three “wild-card” players, based on team and position makeup.



Frazier, according to his coach, has a decent chance to make the squad.



History could be a factor in Frazier’s favor.



“We shot 18 percent from the 3-point line last year,” Donovan said. “That team won games by overwhelming teams with our athleticism, quickness and speed.”



Those won’t be enough to win at the world level, so Team USA will need not only to be well-rounded, but built to match up against the trends of international play.



Frazier was one of the best long-distance shooters in the nation as a freshman at 46.8 percent.



In 2011, Team USA lost 79-74 to the Russian team that buried 12 of 29 shots from arc. The Americans went 0-for-9 from distance.



UF center Patric Young was on that team.



“It’s a different kind of basketball,” Young said. “But it’s still basketball.”



Really good basketball.



Team USA, in fact, has won the U19 World Championships only once in the 10 stagings of the event, which dates to 1979. The 1991 squad, led by then-Gators coach Lon Kruger and starring Vin Baker, Wesley Person and UF’s Craig Brown, went 8-0 and won the gold.



In the two-plus decades since, USA teams armed with some outstanding players --Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, Nick Collison, Deron Williams, J.J. Redick, Michael Beasley, Stephen Curry, DeAndre Jordan, Klay Thompson, Seth Curry, Jeremy Lamb, Doug McDermott, to name a few -- have gone to the U19 Worlds and failed to bring home the gold. It’s been by far the toughest age group to win because some of the best American players opt to bypass the event to prep for the NBA draft.



Donovan wants this time to be different.



Not long after the players report Friday, they’ll see a motivational video put together by USA Basketball that not only emphasizes the honor of wearing the uniform -- showing some of those magnificent Olympic Dream teams -- but also the history behind what this age group has done.



More specifically, what it hasn’t done.



“They’ll know what’s expected of them and what they’re up against,” Donovan said. “USA Basketball does a great job with that.”



Donovan, in turn, is honored to have the task of doing his best for basketball in his country while abroad.