Gator football players reciprocate support

By ANTONYA ENGLISH and BRIAN LANDMAN
Published April 3, 2007

ATLANTA - Among the 53,000 fans at the Georgia Dome Monday night were a handful of former Florida football players who made the trip to show support for the basketball team.

Former safety Reggie Lewis, a starter on the 2006 national championship team, said the camaraderie between athletes of the two sports is genuine, and he came to make sure he supported the basketball team the way it had done for football.

Lewis, a Jacksonville native, was at Underground Atlanta Monday afternoon sporting a No. 13 jersey for Joakim Noah. He wore Corey Brewer's No. 2 in the semifinal against UCLA.

"We all support each other," Lewis said. "The last time I saw Joakim was last Wednesday at the barbershop. He told me, "We're going to bring the title back to Gainesville.' I said, let's do it."

In case you were wondering what Joakim was doing at the barbershop: "He was getting trimmed around the edges," Lewis said.

BILLY, PLEASE STAY: UF fans hoping to keep coach Billy Donovan out of the clutches of Kentucky have created a Web site: KeepBillyDonovan.com. The Web site, which is in the beginning stages, urges fans to call the university administration and let their feelings be known. In part, it reads: "Billy is building a basketball dynasty at Florida, which included three Final Four appearances. Why would we want Billy D. to go to Kentucky?"

Good question.

FAMILIAR FACES: A contingent of well-known sports personalities were on hand Monday cheering on the Gators. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was with Donovan before the game. UF football coach Urban Meyer, former Gators Jason Williams (Miami Heat) and Mike Miller (Memphis Grizzlies) and former assistant coach Anthony Grant (Virginia Commonwealth) attended.

NO HODGE PODGE: Florida sophomore guard Walter Hodge had totaled five points in the five previous NCAA games. He had five in the first half Monday.

SPEIGHTS SIGHTS: Florida freshman Marreese Speights, a former standout at Admiral Farragut, got a rebound in the first half; he hadn't played in the previous two NCAA games (Oregon and UCLA), but had 16 points and six rebounds in the NCAA opener against Jackson State.

FOUR STRAIGHT: Ohio State freshmen Greg Oden and Mike Conley appeared in their fourth straight title game on Monday. They led Lawrence North High to the Indiana state championships games, winning all three.

IN THE MIX?: The process won't begin in earnest until November, but the St. Pete Times Forum figures to be a possible destination for an NCAA region when the basketball committee looks for sites in 2011 and 2012.

"We had a good experience (there) in '03 and the women's Final Four heading there (in 2008, along with men's first- and second-round games) is a great thing," said NCAA senior vice president Greg Shaheen. "We know we'll have a number of opportunities there and it's always been a good building to be in."

The NCAA expects to determine the preliminary-round sites by June 2008.

[Last modified April 3, 2007, 00:07:27]