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UF Men's basketball

By Compiled by JOANNE KORTH

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 17, 2000

COACH: Billy Donovan (78-49, fifth season; 113-69 overall).

1999-2000 RECORD: 29-8, 12-4 SEC (tied for first).

LAST SEASON: In the most successful season in UF history, the Gators tied a school record with 29 victories, won a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and reached the final of the NCAA Tournament, losing 89-76 to senior-laden Michigan State. Florida knocked off NCAA heavyweights Duke (87-78) in the NCAA East Region and North Carolina (71-59) at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

RETURNING STARTERS: Brent Wright, F, 6-9 Sr. (8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg); Udonis Haslem, C, 6-8 Jr. (11.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg); Teddy Dupay, G, 5-11 Jr. (8.6 ppg, 2.6 apg); Justin Hamilton, G, 6-3 So. (4.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg).

TOP RETURNEES/NEWCOMERS: Orien Greene, G, 6-4 Fr. (Gainesville/Gainesville); Bonell Colas, F, 6-9 Fr. (Miami/North Miami).

QUESTION MARKS: The Gators are looking for rebounders and a new go-to player after losing underclassmen Mike Miller (14.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Donnell Harvey (10.1 ppg, 7 rpg) to the NBA. The development of versatile post player Matt Bonner and adjustment of Greene will be crucial. The Gators wait to see if sophomore LaDarius Halton's knees will hold up; he missed last season with a degenerative condition.

GAME PLAN: The Gators will stick with the game plan that made them the darlings of the 2000 NCAA Dance: BillyBall. Seven return from the 10-player rotation that fatigued opponents with Donovan's frenetic, up-tempo system. Roles will change for individual players, but the theory will remain the same.

FUN FACT: Senior forwards Brent Wright and Major Parker, members of Donovan's first UF recruiting class, have won 65 games in three seasons. They need 22 victories to become the most successful class in Gators history. The senior class of 1989 won 86 games.

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS: Early December is grudge-match time for the Gators. DePaul, which held off a UF rally last season, visits the O'Dome on Dec. 2; an NCAA title-game rematch is set for Dec. 6 at Michigan State; and Gonzaga, which beat UF in the 1999 Sweet 16, is the opponent at the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 16 in Miami. ESPN will be on hand for key SEC games against Tennessee (Jan. 30) and at Kentucky (Feb. 6), and CBS takes over for the rematches at UT (Feb. 18) and against UK (March 4).

HOME COURT: Stephen C. O'Connell Center (12,000), Gainesville.

TICKET INFORMATION: Nonconference, single-game tickets (except DePaul) are $3 and $10; SEC and DePaul single-game tickets are $6 and $10. UF students admitted free with I.D. Call (800) 344-2867, ext. 6800.

RADIO: WDAE-AM 620, WHNZ-AM 1250 (when Tampa Bay Lightning is on WDAE), WWJB-AM 1450, WXCV-FM 95.3, WDCF-AM 1350, WMOP-AM 900, QZHR-AM 1400.

2000-01 SCHEDULE

TODAY: at Florida State, 7 (SUN)

NOV. 27: Florida Atlantic, 7

DEC. 2: DePaul, noon (ESPN)

DEC. 6: at Michigan State, 7 (ESPN)

DEC. 9: Rutgers, 1 (SUN)

DEC. 10: Florida A&M, 6 (SUN)

DEC. 16: vs. Gonzaga *, 3:30 (SUN)

DEC. 19: Bethune-Cookman, 6 (SUN)

DEC. 23: American, 4 (SEC)

DEC. 28: vs. Tulane #, 8 (FSN)

DEC. 30: New Hampshire, 4 (SUN)

JAN. 7: at South Carolina, 1:30 (JP)

JAN. 10: at Mississippi State, 8 (SUN-TD)

JAN. 17: Georgia, 7 (SUN-TD)

JAN. 20: Vanderbilt, 1 (JP)

JAN. 24: at Auburn, 8 (SUN-TD)

JAN. 27: South Carolina, 3 (JP)

JAN. 30: Tennessee, 9 (ESPN)

FEB. 3: at Georgia, 5 (SEC-TV)

FEB. 6: at Kentucky, 7:30 (ESPN2)

FEB. 10: Arkansas, 1 (JP)

FEB. 13: at Louisiana State, 7 (ESPN)

FEB. 18: at Tennessee, 2 (CBS)

FEB. 21: Mississippi, 7 (SUN)

FEB. 24: Alabama, 1 (JP)

FEB. 28: at Vanderbilt, 8 (SUN-TD)

MARCH 4: Kentucky, noon (CBS)

MARCH 8-11: SEC Tournament, Nashville, Tenn. (JP/CBS)

* Orange Bowl Classic, Miami; # Sugar Bowl Classic, New Orleans; SUN is Sunshine Network; SUN-TD is Sunshine Network, tape delay; SEC is is SEC-TV on Sunshine Network; FSN is Fox Sports Net; JP is Jefferson-Pilot.

Roster

(NO.,PLAYER,POS., HT., CL., HOMETOWN,COMMENTS)

00 Brent Wright (S)F 6-9 Sr. Miami Defends opponents' best frontcourt players.

1 Orien GreeneG 6-4 Fr. Gainesville Multidimensional, athletic, strong passer.

2 Ronnie King G 5-11 Jr. Brandon Walk-on played one minute in NCAA Tournament.

5 Teddy Dupay (S) G5-11 Jr. Fort Myers Long-range shooter back from shoulder surgery.

10 Brett Nelson (S) G 6-3 So. St. Albans, W.V. Blossomed into an NCAA Tournament hero.

12 Justin Hamilton G 6-3 So. Sarasota Started NCAA Tournament at point guard.

15 Matt Bonner (S) F 6-9So. Concord, N.H. Versatile scorer, will see more action.

20 David Kliewer G 6-2 Jr. Tarpon Springs Second-year walk-on.

23 LaDarius Halton G 6-4 So. New Smyrna Beach Limited by degenerative knee condition.

25 Major Parker F 6-4 Sr. Fort Lauderdale Emotional leader does the dirty work.

33 Adriel Davis F 6-5 So. Tallahassee Second-year walk-on.

42 Bonell Colas F 6-9 Fr. Miami Runs well but needs to build strength.

50 Udonis Haslem (S) C 6-8 Jr. Miami Wide body with strong moves and soft touch.

(S) projected starter

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