Tyus is coming off a pretty good season where he averaged 11.8 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game. He got a lot more playing time this season at the forward position. Remember, after the 2009 season Tyus talked about transferring because he didn’t want to play Center anymore at Florida. Now I guess he feels he’s done all he can do at the college level. Tyus spoke with the Gainesville Sun and said:

“Mainly, I just want to see where I stand,” Tyus told The Sun on Wednesday. “I want to go through the process, getting a chance to meet some teams, working out against other players, trying to get better.”

Tyus is listed at 6′8″ 220 lbs, so he definitely has the size of a NBA player… I’m just not sure he’s ready yet.

The Gators have won 10 straight regular season meetings between the two dating back to 1999 – though Auburn did defeat the Gators last year in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Florida clearly has more talent and better coaching, we just never know which team is going to show up. Florida is 4-0 against the SEC West this year.

The Gators need big games from guys like Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus. Parsons nearly went for his third straight double-double on Saturday, leading UF with 15 points and eight rebounds against Xavier… Over his last three games he has two double-doubles and is averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. If he shows up big, I really like the Gators chances.

The Gators have a big size advantage over Auburn. The Tigers play a 3-2 and don’t have a starter over 6′8″. The Gators on the other hand have two guys over 6′8″ in Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin. If we get out-rebounded I will be pissed.

What are your thoughts on tonight’s game? Can we pull out a victory at home?

Dan Werner. I think we are all in agreement that Dan Werner is a liability on the court at any given time. Now I’m not one that concentrates too much on basketball. I try to catch every Gator basketball game I can, but I certainly have less knowledge of the game than some. But every time I have seen Werner check in this season, I get nervous. He is shooting a career-low .336 from the field, and .279 from bonus range, as well as averaging 2 turnovers a game. He was previously shooting .433 as a starter from the field, and .333 from behind the arc. And the guy simply has no confidence. I’m not bashing the man, The guy is the nicest person you can meet, I’m sure of it. But I know you are asking yourself, as am I, why does he get an average of 24 minutes a game since January 16th? As Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com has explained, Billy Donavon’s hands are tied with this situation. With Kenny Kadji out for the season, Chandler Parsons doing well in Werner’s old starting position, and freshman Erik Murphy getting 9 minutes a game, there are no more big guys on the roster to use. Parson’s is recovering from a knee injury, so you don’t want to give him extra time, and risk having him injured again. Maybe Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin should get more playing time? Just thoughts. But in my opinion, if something drastic doesn’t happen in the next few games, like maybe hitting more than 8 free throws a game, then we are a no go for the big dance in March. Most think that last loss to Xavier put the season in serious jeopardy. I wish they were wrong.

Now, to something I know a little more about(hehe). Football. I’ve listed in previous blogs who I think are going to be BIG impacts as newcomers this spring and into the season. My favorite pick to breakout is Andre Debose. Of course, his rehab is still progressing, but it has been said that he might not participate in full contact drills this spring. I’ve read on his Twitter that his hamstring is feeling much better, and that his work outs are going great. I’ve also heard that he is now able to sprint full speed on a treadmill. I know it’s unfair to compare Andre to Percy Harvin, especially since we haven’t even seen Andre on the field as a Gator, and since his injury. But I am REALLY excited to see him as a multi-position player. And I think that when the season rolls around, he will be full speed ahead. Another impact player I have mentioned is Matt Elam. Another multi-position athlete. I think we will see him start as a safety along with Ahmad Black. Going over his highlight film, It’s very easy to see that Elam will fit in on the field, no matter the spot. He should do well filling the spot of Major Wright as that hard-hitting safety.

There are multiple receivers to sort through to figure out who will be the biggest impact in the fall. And I don’t think they can go wrong with any of them. They are all very capable of being a go-to guy. The freshman that stands out the most to me is Chris Dunkley. At 5’11”, he could use a little more height, but he has very long arms to make up for it. He may need to put on a little more weight to compete in the SEC, but he certainly has the structure for it, and I don’t think it will be a problem. I also think that Dunkley will emerge as a leader, and captain of this football team for the next few years. Gerald Christian, the tight end from Dwyer High School, and a teammate of Matt Elam, I think will emerge as a go-to guy for Brantley. Much like Hernandez had been for Tebow. He has great athletic ability for his size. Ronald Powell, the monster from the left coast, Is going to be a force to be reckoned with over the next few seasons. I don’t think there is a doubt around, that this guy will make an immediate impact at defensive end. I’m looking for Powell to be a leader on this defense just as Brandon Spikes has been. Powell, along with Sharrif Floyd, and Lynden Trail I think will breakout as headaches for opposing offenses.

Looking at this class, I want to say that everyone of these young athletes will make noise in Gainesville over the next few years. Though it is very unlikely that all of them will. I think most are going to get some playing time their first two seasons. Whether it be on special teams, or their natural positions rotating in.

Many of us have questions concerning the hiring of the defensive backs coach, Teryl Austin, from the Arizona Cardinals as our new co-defensive coordinator. He has never been a defensive coordinator at any level before. Though he has been coaching in collegiate and professional football since 1991. He has been an assistant under the likes of Joe Paterno, Dick MacPherson, Lloyd Carr, and Mike Holmgren after playing college ball at Pittsburgh from 1984-87. He has no known connections to Urban Meyer, but Austin has worked with Steve Addazio during his tenure at Syracuse and with QB coach Scott Loeffler at Michigan. He has had two positions in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams reached the Super Bowl while he was coaching the teams’ secondary. One thing is for sure, Austin must have made a major impact on Urban Meyer. Teryl Austin is a big family man, and we all know that is a trait that Meyer has high on his list. Austin comes highly recommended from Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Bill Davis, a close friend of Meyer’s. While we don’t know how this move will work out until spring practice or the season begins, I rest assured that Meyer and Addazio have made a great hire. Chuck Heater being co-defensive coordinator along with Austin should make the transition of the defense a lot smoother than it would be. And with all the talent that Austin and Heater have to work with, I think the defense will be as strong as ever.

The projected 2010 Florida Gator coaching staff goes as follows…

Head Coach: Urban Meyer

Interim Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line: Steve Addazio
Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler
Wide Receivers: Zach Azzanni
Running Backs: Stan Drayton
Tight Ends: Brian White

Defensive Coordinator: Teryl Austin
Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Backs: Chuck Heater
Associate Head Coach, Defense/Defensive Line: Dan McCarney
Linebackers: D.J. Durkin

Special Teams: D.J. Durkin, Urban Meyer?
Recruiting Coordinator: Stan Drayton
Director of Player and Community Relations: Terry Jackson

Only 54 more days until 2010 Orange & Blue Debut!!!

As always, Be Well Gator Nation

p.s. The Nationally ranked number 7 Gator Baseball team will play its first game of 2010 on February 19th against the South Florida Bulls, at home in Gainesville at 6:30pm. The team will have games against LSU, Alabama, and Georgia featured on ESPN affiliated channels on May 1st, 2nd, 8th and 14th.

The Gators lost this game because of turnovers and their inability to make free throws. We turned the ball over 20 times compared to South Carolina’s 6 – you just can’t do that and expect to win ball games. Coming into the game, the Gators were the second best free throw shooting team in the SEC, but last night they shot like the worst. They were 10-23 from the line and missed every free throw when it counted. You can’t shoot 43% from the line and expect to win.

Note from the game:
- Erving Walker led the Gators with 20 points.
- Alex Tyus had a double-double for UF, notching 11 points and 15 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks
- Parsons had 13 points, 11 rebounds
- Kenny Boynton had 13 points

Florida returns home to face Xavier on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

The Gators, once again, had a big game out of point guard Erving Walker. He scored 14 points in the second half, including a jumper with 11 seconds left. Bama had no timeouts left and couldn’t go down the court and make a shot. Here’s a video of the final plays of the game for those of you who didn’t see it.

Other notes from the game:
- Erving Walker had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists
- Alex Tyus was 8-10 in FGs and led the Gators with 19 points and 7 rebounds
- Kenny Boynton added 15 points, 6 rebounds

Florida returns home to face Mississippi State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the O’Connell Center.

I’m impressed with the Gators ability to stay close to highly ranked opponent. They slowed the game down and played good defense. Moral victories don’t count for much and a win here would have been huge for this team. Hopefully they can recover and keep winning in the SEC.

Alex Tyus led the Gators in scoring with 18 points, he also added 7 rebounds. Junior Chandler Parsons scored 14 points, including a three-pointer with 30 seconds left in the game to put the Gators up 60-59. He also had eight rebounds. The Gators really missed Kenny Boynton – in 33 minutes of play he was 2-11 from the floor and 0-5 from beyond the arc.

Florida travels to Tuscaloosa on Thursday to face Alabama at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Here is a highlight recap from the game:

But I think the Gators can do it. Billy Donovan has them playing very smart, team ball. All five starters are averaging overall 10 points per game and no one is selfish with the ball. But where the Gators are really starting to shine is with their Guard play. The backcourt combo of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton has come up big in the first six SEC games, as the pair is combining for 37.2 points (nearly half of UF’s 75.3 points) and 8.7 assists per game.

Alex Tyus is also turning into a star before our eyes. Tyus has been on a tear and is averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last 11 games. He has been in double figures in 11 straight and has scored 15+ in six of those games. I’m really glad he didn’t transfer a year ago when he had thoughts about leaving. Without Tyus, this team wouldn’t be where they are.

Tennessee is a good, tough team. They have signature wins over Memphis and then No. 1 Kansas. If the Gators can pull out a win vs. the Vols on the road then this will be one of our signature wins. You need these types of wins to make the Tourney.

The Gators played some amazing ball last night against Georgia – it was never even a close ball game. The Gators were led in scoring by Alex Tyus who scored 23 points. But Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton helping out tremendously in the game, adding 21 apiece. It was a collective win by all the players. I love looking at the box score and seeing four of the five starters in double digits. Chandler Parsons was the only starter not to reach double digit points. He scored 8 points in 31 minutes of play.

It’s nice to see the Gators playing good basketball the past two weeks. After two consecutive trips to the NIT they really need to get things going and make the NCAA Tourney. You can tell Gator fans really like this team. There were over 10,000 people in attendance last night. We aren’t fair-weather hoops fans, we just want to see a team play with heart. And these guys do it.

Erving Walker was probably the player of the game. He had 21 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Walker is an amazing player – it’s be hard to find one game this season where he hasn’t played well.

You might remember that Parsons has been in this situation before. Early this month he hit a 75-foot game winning shot against North Carolina State. He’s turning into Robert Horry – always making the big shots. “I’m the most blessed player in this country,” Parsons said. “I swear to God.”

Parsons was in the starting lineup on Saturday, replacing Dan Werner – we’ve been advocating this move for over a year and I’m glad Billy Donovan finally gave it a go. Parsons finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the way to his fourth career double-double, his second this season.

Other notes from the game:
- Alex Tyus had 12 points, 9 rebounds
- Kenny Boynton led the Gators in scoring with 14
- Erving Walker scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and had 7 assists.

The Gators are in action again on Wednesday when the Georgia Bulldogs come to the Dome.

Here’s a video of Chandler Parson’s last second shot.

Erving Walker was once again a dominant player. I can’t post enough (on here and in the forums) about how much I love the way Walker plays. He hit 7-12 shots, including 5-6 from three-point land for a total of 27 points. Other players of note include Kenny Boynton who scored 13 points, Chandler Parsons who had 11 rebounds and Alex Tyus who put up the eight double-double of his career.

The Gators shot well from the free-throw line, which has been a spot of concern for me all season. They were 21-26 which is about 81%. If they shot like that all season they’d have a few more wins under their belt. Where the Gators really hurt the Razorbacks though was in rebounding, edging them 42-29.

The Gators are back home again on Saturday for a 6:00 PM tipoff against the South Carolina Gamecocks.