Florida Basketball Wrap Up

GAINESVILLE, FL (AP) -- Even though Dan Werner won a national title as a freshman at Florida, he never felt like part of that team.

He hardly played, rarely scored and ended up with a championship ring that seemed awkward to wear.

He's felt even more out of sorts the last two years. The Gators ended a second straight season in the NIT, losing to Penn State in the quarterfinals Tuesday night and falling short of their goal of making the NCAA tournament.

"Coach built it as one of the top programs in the country, and unfortunately these last two years we took it down a couple of steps," Werner said.

Werner and his teammates would like to get Florida back on track. They might have a realistic chance, too.

If point guard Nick Calathes returns for his junior season, the Gators could have four starters and most of their reserves back.

Throw in the return of Adam Allen, the debut of Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin and a signing class that includes dynamic guard Kenny Boynton, and the Gators will, at the very least, be deeper and more athletic than the team that finished 25-11 this season.

But will it be enough to get Florida back in the NCAA field?
"I think we have a long way to go to get there," coach Billy Donovan said. "We really do. That's kind of the reality of it. I think there's a lot of aspects that go into getting to that point, but I still think that we've got a ways to go in terms of development, getting better, adding more pieces."

Donovan believes his team overachieved this season, pointing to the loss of center Marreese Speights (NBA draft), the unexpected departure of guard Jai Lucas (transferred to Texas) just before the opener and injuries to Allen (knee) and big men Eloy Vargas (ankle) and Allan Chaney (heel).

The Gators had depth issues and were forced to play Werner, Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons out of position much of the season. The result was that they were overmatched down low, especially in Southeastern Conference play, and were forced to trap, press and play zone defense to try to hide their deficiencies.

"You've got to play with what you've got," Werner said. "You can't complain because guys are undersized or playing out of position. We are what we are. We just tried to make the best out of it."

Even though the Gators advanced further in the NIT last year -- they lost to Massachusetts in the semifinals -- they felt like they improved this season. Donovan said they practiced harder, didn't have the same sense of entitlement that prompted him to kick them out of the facility last March and had a better understanding of what it takes to win at this level.

Still, he said he would like to see more toughness and competitiveness. The Gators lost eight games by six points or less, six by four points or less. A couple more wins and Florida's postseason outlook probably would have been much different.
"We've just got to take a couple more steps and I think we'll be OK," Werner said. "You feel a lot better when you come in compete at least. ... So on one hand, we've gotten better. We're moving in the right direction. We just have to keep moving."
The four newcomers should help.

Macklin played sparingly in two years at Georgetown, but the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward could give the Gators a strong post presence. Incoming freshmen Erik Murphy, a 6-10 forward from Southborough, Mass., and DeShawn Painter, a 6-9 forward from Chatham, Va., should help inside, too.

But the gem of the class is Boynton, one of the nation's top recruits last year. The 6-2 guard starred at American Heritage in Plantation, averaging 31.4 points as a senior, and chose Florida over Duke, Texas, Southern Cal and Georgia Tech.

"What kind of impact do they make? I don't know," Donovan said. "I think they're going to be good players. There's certainly some pieces we need to add, a different element that we need to add, there's no question."

Calathes' decision could changes things dramatically, though. He carried Florida through the early part of the season and was the only player in the country to average at least 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Calathes hasn't set a timetable for announcing his plans.
"When it's time, I'll sit down with coach and my family and decide from there," he said. "But I'm not really thinking about that at right now."

Werner started thinking about the future just after the loss and vowed to try to persuade Calathes to stay, figuring it would make getting back to the tournament more likely next season.

"I went to college wanting to make the NCAA tournament every year," Werner said. "But you can't look back and whine about it. You've just got to move forward and understand what you've got to do to get better.

"Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. This is two years in a row we're in the NIT and this isn't where coach built the program to be. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Maybe the guys coming in will help."

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