Florida will not fade...

[UFWildcat]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2889556

I have waited patiently for the day that Billy Donovan finally decided to leave UF. That day finally came on May 31st of the year 2007, a lot sooner than I expected. I thought my reaction would be one of celebration and joy, but it hasn't turned out to be all that I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I am "laughing the loudest" now, but it's not the feeling I expected.

I expected that with the departure of Donovan, Florida basketball would fade into the abyss that it once was.

I normally don't agree with Andy Katz because he comes off as biased against UK, but in this article he is correct.

Florida will not fade because of one man: Jeremy Foley

Foley will hire a great coach. And if that one doesn't turn out to be the right one, he will find another one. But make no mistake about it, he is overally dedicated to keeping the UF basketball program in the national spotlight.

Interesting quotes by John Callipari for all your Callipari fans out there. Katz also makes positive remarks about UK.

So the UK/UF battles will continue to go on. My hope is that the pendulum has swung back into UK's favor, but you never know.

The University of Florida is too much of a power house (in all aspects) to let this deter them and make them lay down. So for all of you who were expecting that (myself included), you're in for a rude awakening.

[Mr. T]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2889556

I have waited patiently for the day that Billy Donovan finally decided to leave UF. That day finally came on May 31st of the year 2007, a lot sooner than I expected. I thought my reaction would be one of celebration and joy, but it hasn't turned out to be all that I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I am "laughing the loudest" now, but it's not the feeling I expected.

I expected that with the departure of Donovan, Florida basketball would fade into the abyss that it once was.

I normally don't agree with Andy Katz because he comes off as biased against UK, but in this article he is correct.

Florida will not fade because of one man: Jeremy Foley

Foley will hire a great coach. And if that one doesn't turn out to be the right one, he will find another one. But make no mistake about it, he is overally dedicated to keeping the UF basketball program in the national spotlight.

Interesting quotes by John Callipari for all your Callipari fans out there. Katz also makes positive remarks about UK.

So the UK/UF battles will continue to go on. My hope is that the pendulum has swung back into UK's favor, but you never know.

The University of Florida is too much of a power house (in all aspects) to let this deter them and make them lay down. So for all of you who were expecting that (myself included), you're in for a rude awakening.


Florida will most definitely not fade....

signed,
Arkansas

[Littlemeyer]

Florida will most definitely not fade....

signed,
Arkansas

But this time it is completely different.

Sincerely,

UNLV

[crazzedcats22]

"Billy Gillispie will have Kentucky back as a national power again next season (the Wildcats never left in terms of their popularity and overall NCAA status) and a likely SEC title contender year in and year out."

Are we sure Andy Katz wrote this?? Where's the bashing on UK?? Wow, I can't believe it. I guess now that Billy D is gone, we have Billy G and are going to be back on top, Andy will all of a sudden be a UK fan again!

[RaleighCat]

But this time it is completely different.

Sincerely,

Tennessee

I just don't think switching coaches is that big a deal anymore.

Yours truly,
Indiana
North Carolina
UCLA

[WestTexCatFan]

Yes, I believe fade is exactly what they will do.

[NC Cat]

But this time it is completely different.

Sincerely,

UNLV
And please remember, success is a choice.

Your Friend,
Prick Ratino

[TransientAlum]

"Billy Gillispie will have Kentucky back as a national power again next season (the Wildcats never left in terms of their popularity and overall NCAA status) and a likely SEC title contender year in and year out."

Are we sure Andy Katz wrote this?? Where's the bashing on UK?? Wow, I can't believe it. I guess now that Billy D is gone, we have Billy G and are going to be back on top, Andy will all of a sudden be a UK fan again!

But Tubby was doing a great job at UK and no coach could do better. :confused::shrug1::icon_rolleyes:

[Backrate]

when u are on top there is only 1 place to go .......down

[RCS]

UF won't go away, but they won't be a top 10 program either. Donovan had them at the top of the world, now they are down a notch. Plus the SEC East is getting brutal. UT looks to be here to stay, Vandy is putting some nice teams out, hell even UGA seems to be on the rise. Add in UK suddenly looking very good for the future and UF will take a drop. Plus they are going to suck next year. They lost everyone. They signed a nice class, but it is not like Ohio St class last year. More like UK's class in 2004. Good, but not good enough to carry a team all by themselves. They will be lucky to finish 3rd next year in the East, and I actually doubt that even happens. This is not like UK when Tubby came. That team had quite a bit coming back. This UF team lost its top 7 scorers and it was not a deep team. Other than Hodges no one else played much. Plus they have no inside guys. I think Grant is a nice young coach, but he has 1 year experience at a mid major. And no, they are not getting any big name coach to go there. UF will drop back to be more like UT is now. Good, sometimes even a little better than good, but not great.

[lribookend]

I guess it depends on your definition of "fading". If you mean they will fade out of the national spotlight, and be an also-ran in the SEC, of course they won't drop that far. But to think that they will ever again win two back-to-back national championships, or even make it back to the championship game two years in a row.....well, I'm not sure it will happen in my lifetime. Programs go up and down. The great programs are "up" more than they are "down", the majority of programs are "down" more than they are up. A great coach (or even a great recruit or two, such as a Carmelo Anthony or a Greg Oden) can help elevate a team for a year or two. But eventually, teams tend to regress to their historical level of success. For Florida, success is defined more by their football team than by their basketball team. Their fan base is mediocre. Their basketball tradition (outside of the last two years) is less than stellar. Their facilities are very good, but not eye-popping. In my very biased opinion, they had their days in the sun, and those days are over. They were fortunate to bring back the nucleus of their national championship team for a second year, and to their credit, pulled off another championship. But now, those players AND their coach are gone. To think that they will not fade is beyond my comprehension. I expected them to drop next year even if Donovan were returning. Without him, I think they are looking at no better than 3rd or 4th place....IN THE SEC-East, NOT in the nation. Just my opinion. One lesson that I learned from playing King of the Hill as a boy, was that it was infinitely easier to run up and knock off the king, than it was to stand at the top and remain the king.

[Mr. T]

I guess it depends on your definition of "fading". If you mean they will fade out of the national spotlight, and be an also-ran in the SEC, of course they won't drop that far.

I don't know if I would say that either.... they probably won't of course, but not many thought Arkansas would in the mid 90's either. Alot of schools put together a few good years, it's few and far between that can keep it up. Remember, we are only 2+ years removed from everyone talking about how overrated BD and Florida was because they always under-achieved.

[UFWildcat]

I guess it depends on your definition of "fading".

Of course UF will never regain the status of a "Back to Back National Title Team." They would have never gotten that back if Billy stayed another 20 years.

I'm just saying that they will be a tough team from here on out. They've tasted the fine taste of victory. They will remain a legitimate top 25 five contender.

[DCWildcat]

I think UFWildcat hit it on there.

The facilities are too nice, the school is way too sexy and exposure-heavy, Florida has too much talent, and they have too much money. Florida has everything needed to stay a good basketball team. Tradition be darned for most of today's recruits: tradition lasts a decade at most to the majority of them, in which case Florida's tradition is one of the best of all time.

Looking back, it almost seems like Florida's pre-Donovan underachievement is more amazing than their achievements under Donovan.

[lribookend]

Of course UF will never regain the status of a "Back to Back National Title Team." They would have never gotten that back if Billy stayed another 20 years.

I'm just saying that they will be a tough team from here on out. They've tasted the fine taste of victory. They will remain a legitimate top 25 five contender.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You may be right, if the yardstick is simply to be a top 25 contender. And that may be all that UF fans demand and/or expect. If the goal is another national championship, well, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on a 3rd at UF. I consider that a major "fading" myself, to go from (2) national championships to simply "Top 25". Again, it depends on how you define success.

[UFWildcat]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You may be right, if the yardstick is simply to be a top 25 contender. And that may be all that UF fans demand and/or expect. If the goal is another national championship, well, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on a 3rd at UF. I consider that a major "fading" myself, to go from (2) national championships to simply "Top 25". Again, it depends on how you define success.

I feel what you are saying but come on now...

We are talking about UF basketball fans. Do they even have a measuring stick?

Aside from the lunatics that feel they are going to three peat this year most just "pretend" to be basketball fans.

Maybe I came on too strong with the "fading" term.

In terms of where they are now, of course they will fade.

But they will not fade away completely...alah UNLV

[Josh]

They'll fall from the status they were two months ago, but they won't be too far behind (they'll still be very competitive, as I believe they have already established themselves that they won't settle for less). The positives still outweigh the negatives. Location, facilities, and now adding "back to back national champs" can still entice some of the best players in the nation without Donovan being there, I think.

[TransientAlum]

So, possibly, yes, but maybe, no. :icon_biggrin:

[ukwebfan]

Into the abyss no but fighting for 2nd place and the SEC tournament bye, most definitely. Please see the schools above plus:
St Johns
Michigan
Oklahoma
LSU
Syracuse
Maryland
NC State
UK???? Our fans are too pretentious for that. ;)

[CatFanInTheBathtub]

the schools mentioned above for their fading is something I was talking about with somebody at work today. I used the examples of unlv and michigan as teams that have had breif glimpses of brilliance in their histories but came back to earth and have stayed there. The best 3 seasons in uf history came within a seven year span. And don't think they haven't had their share of luck. That 2000 team had no business being in the title game and proved it by barely slipping past butler on the first weekend, and then getting destoyed in the championship. The 2006 team owes a GREAT DEAL of their success to two men who made idiot decisions (matt walsh and anthony roberson) by leaving early and opening the gates for the '04's to play together. Those two stay and the whole complexion of both the title teams would have changed. The biggest instance of luck though was when noah, brewer, and horford all bypassed the nba for their junior year. of course that to me always said alot more about how rich their daddies were than about how much fun they were having in gainesville, or how great a coach donovan was. Basically me, a helper monkey, and that bum who eats out of the dumpsters by where I work could have coached that last team to the title. and we all remember how good (poor) a defensive team uf was before larry shyatt, who by the way, is also orlando-bound. what does this all add up to ?
football school florida will have one thing going for them : location and being in the sec. well, that's two, but the point is, it's gonna take ALOT of work for those gators to get back where they've been. I fully expect to never worry about them winning another title in my lifetime (I'm 30). they will not fade into oblivion, but their 15 minutes is obviously up.

[UFWildcat]

The biggest instance of luck though was when noah, brewer, and horford all bypassed the nba for their junior year. of course that to me always said alot more about how rich their daddies were than about how much fun they were having in gainesville

I respect your posts because you live in enemy territory as I do.

But I respectfully disagree with this comment.

Yes, it was easier for them to turn down the NBA because some of them had wealthy fathers (Brewer did not), but that wasn't the only reason they came back.

They came back because they truly enjoyed the college experience. The whole thing. The University of Florida is a great place. They did everything together.

That's why this team was so special and can never be duplicated

[BigblueDrew]

Yes, I believe fade is exactly what they will do.

Hide and watch. Thats EXACTLY what I think they will do. Those people don't give a hoot in Hades about basketball. Without Donovans drive and determination they will slowly fade back into mediocrity. Book it.

[POEKLM]

Fade away!!!
Billy D played his starters and ran up the score so much this past year that Florida has players on their team that saw very limited minutes. So many Kentucky fans didn't like it because Tubby would clear the bench when we had somebody on the ropes but you have to let players get in the game. They got to learn.
Florida will get what they deserve.

[Dr. H Lecter]

Florida will most definitely not fade....

signed,
Arkansas

This is EXACTLY what I was thinking.

[UFWildcat]

Florida will most definitely not fade....

signed,
Arkansas

The University of FLORIDA


The University of Arkansas

(A page out of Littlemeyer's book)

[jdeasy]

Stick a fork in UF, they are done!!

[Will Lavender]

The University of FLORIDA


The University of Arkansas

(A page out of Littlemeyer's book)


Not so.

Arkansas has a pretty fantastic tradition, they're in a hotbed of basketball talent in this country, and they have some of the most rabid fans anywhere in America.

[UFWildcat]

Not so.

Arkansas has a pretty fantastic tradition, they're in a hotbed of basketball talent in this country, and they have some of the most rabid fans anywhere in America.

That reference isn't too basketball.

[Will Lavender]

That reference isn't too basketball.

Oh.

Well, if it's a reference to women, you got Arkansas there, probably.

Though if Florida has finer looking women than Ole Miss, I've GOT to see that campus.

*hides computer so wife doesn't see what he's typing*

[UFWildcat]

Oh.

Well, if it's a reference to women, you got Arkansas there, probably.

Though if Florida has finer looking women than Ole Miss, I've GOT to see that campus.

*hides computer so wife doesn't see what he's typing*

:icon_mrgreen:

[lribookend]

The best 3 seasons in uf history came within a seven year span.
I fully expect to never worry about them winning another title in my lifetime (I'm 30). they will not fade into oblivion, but their 15 minutes is obviously up.

:thumbup::thumbup: I agree totally. I look for the SEC to be fairly balanced next year, at least in the East Division. Florida will be a good school, but not a dominant one as they have been the last couple years. :icon_biggrin: