Colleges

Pressure was added opponent for Gators

After a season of stress caused by high expectations, players feel Final Four relief.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published March 28, 2007

GAINESVILLE - Billy Donovan started talking with his players about it long before the season began. He consulted many people, from former and current coaches, to motivational speakers and athletes from a multitude of sports.

Donovan insisted that once the Gators won the 2006 NCAA basketball national championship, the book was closed on that chapter of Florida history. But he knew very well the outside world would see it differently. The Gators would be referred to as defending national champions, whether Donovan liked it or not. And the outside expectations that come with carrying that title would be like nothing the players had ever faced before.

"He told us nothing this season would ever be the same," junior guard Taurean Green said. "But we didn't really understand it at first. Until now."

It wasn't until Sunday afternoon that they finally realized how difficult this journey has been. Corey Brewer said it was as if a weight lifted from their shoulders.

"Everyone is going to see us going back to the Final Four and they're going to say, 'Well, Florida was supposed to be there,' " senior forward Chris Richard said. "But they have no idea how hard this has been. They don't know how hard we've worked, how much adversity we've been through. People have been coming at us hard all season long, and it wears on you. I'm just happy we've been able to fight through it, stay together. But we're not done yet."

After the Gators' 85-77 win over Oregon to reach their second consecutive Final Four, the players acknowledge the expectations - and the stress of trying to make it back to the Final Four - had taken a toll.

"Last year, after we won the national championship, the media and people in general talked about expectations," said junior forward Joakim Noah, who affectionately refers to the drama surrounding the Gators throughout the season as "the circus." "I was quick to say we would deal with those expectations. ... It's been tougher than I thought it was going to be."

That's the reason Donovan ordered the players to celebrate after Sunday's win. They had earned it, he told them. Florida won 17 straight games, then lost three of their last five regular season games, prompting more criticism and questions. Donovan said critics didn't take into account one important factor.

"These kids are human beings," he said. "They have emotions and feelings like anyone else, and I'm sure there have been times during the year they felt unmotivated and complacent and not driven and satisfied. I think that's human nature. Those things happen when you have something big and you accomplish something big. ... I can say that these guys this year, up to this point in time, have handled everything as well as I can possibly imagine."

The way the Gators have handled the pressure has earned the admiration of Florida president Bernie Machen.

"As far as I can tell, and I'm not right on top of it, they have never succumbed to pressure, even during the three-game losing streak," Machen said. "There was never any back and forth, they were all in it together, and they just worked their way through it. You have to believe the tougher it gets, the better our chances are. That's sort of the way it's going to look like from here on out."

It's about to get tougher.

When Florida plays UCLA on Saturday night in the second national semifinal game, the Gators will be feeling the pressure yet again. But this time, it will be different. A sense of accomplishment, regardless.

"It's special," Brewer said. "A lot of people wish they could play in one Final Four, and we're about to play in back-to-back Final Fours. It says a lot."

Men's Final Four

The Final Four kicks off Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Both games will be televised on Ch. 10:

- No. 1 seed Ohio State vs. No. 2 seed Georgetown, 6:07

- No. 1 seed Florida vs. No. 2 seed UCLA, 8:47

How Donovan stacks up with Wooden's Pyramid, 10C

[Last modified March 27, 2007, 23:11:32]