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Colleges

Drejer set for awaited debut

GAINESVILLE -- Last week, Christian Drejer hit a 17-foot jumper in practice and his Florida teammates applauded.

It was the first time they'd seen him do it in a long time.

More than two months after his sprained ankle turned into a mysterious infection that required multiple surgeries, Drejer is ready to play. He has no idea what to expect tonight when No. 6 Florida hosts Tennessee, but he does know this: He's thankful the time finally has come.

"It's just really nice to be able to step on the court," Drejer said. "I'm not thinking about (playing time) at all. I feel there still is a little way to go right now (physically), but I'm getting there."

Florida coach Billy Donovan said Drejer isn't the player he was when he arrived as a touted national team star in his native Denmark, so he doesn't know how much Drejer will play or how effective he'll be.

"He is healthy enough to play a 40-minute game, but he won't," Donovan said. " ... I've talked to him about how much time he might see. He could have played against Georgia, but he wanted to get a couple of more practices under his belt. I want him to feel comfortable when he goes out on the court the first time."

Drejer's teammates say they believe if the player who shows up tonight is half as good as the one they've seen in practice, they'll be fortunate.

Drejer's parents, Jens and Mette, will attend tonight with his younger sisters, Charlotte and Caroline, who have been in Gainesville since Saturday.

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: The women's tennis team opens the season where it left off last year. The Gators are ranked No. 2 in the International Tennis Association coaches poll behind defending NCAA champion Stanford.

Five Gators are ranked in the top 26, including junior All-American Lindsay Dawaf, who is a career-high No. 7 in singles. The others: Alexis Gordon (No. 9), Julie Rotondi (No. 22), Julia Scaringe (No. 24, career best) and Zerene Reyes (No. 26). Florida opens its dual-match season Jan. 25, hosting South Florida at 11 a.m.

The men's team is No. 5, one of nine SEC teams in the top 25. The Gators return all nine letterwinners from last year's 18-7 team. The team begins competition at the SEC Indoor Championships, Thursday through Sunday in Atlanta.

A TOUGH STRETCH: As if losing to unranked Georgia by 43 wasn't bad enough, the women's basketball team must rebound quickly for a game Thursday at No. 11 Arkansas, then host No. 5 Tennessee at 3 p.m. Sunday. Coach Carolyn Peck was on the road recruiting Monday morning, but assistant coach Charlene Thomas-Swinson said the Gators (8-6, 0-2) were shaken after the Georgia loss, but not broken.

"They are feeling bad about the loss so that's a good sign," she said. "They have shown us that they want to work hard and get better."

ROGERS RETIRING: Associate athletic director Ann Marie Rogers will retire at the end of 2003. She is the senior women's administrator.

-- Antonya English covers Florida athletics. She can be reached at (813) 226-3389 or english@sptimes.com.

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