bball - donovan claims 300th victory
Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 10:11 am
Coach Billy Donovan does not plan to celebrate his 300th career victory with much fanfare.
"I'll probably go home and watch film," Donovan said.
At least, he'll have a good one to watch.
Sophomore forward/center Marreese Speights finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds and forward Dan Werner added 10 points and 10 boards as Florida defeated Rutgers, 88-63, Saturday in front of 11,522 at the O'Connell Center. All five starters finished in double figures.
It was a special night for Werner for two reasons. The 6-foot-7 sophomore had struggled with his shooting and although he missed both 3-pointers, Werner finished 4 of 8 from the field. He also played his high school ball at Middletown (N.J.) Christian Brothers Academy and said he wanted to play well in front of familiar faces.
"The more you play the more comfortable you get," Werner said. "It seems like I took a year off from high school and last year I really didn't play that much so I'm still trying to get in the swing of stuff.
"They're all great guys. They told me if I didn't go to Rutgers we'd still be friends. I have a lot of friends who go to Rutgers. A bunch of my best friends go to Rutgers. It was a great game."
The Gators (4-0) took a game tied at 31 and finished the first half on a 17-2 run. Freshman forward Chandler Parsons' putback started the run at 5:27.
That bucket was followed up by Walter Hodge's 3-pointer. That bucket with 27 seconds left before the break made it 48-33. Speights scored on an alley-oop from freshman guard Jai Lucas in that spurt.
Hodge, a junior guard, finished with 14 points and hit 4 of 5 3-point attempts. Lucas added 15 points and tied a game-high with five assists. Nick Calathes, also a freshman guard, had 11 points.
Florida was 11-for-26 from deep. Rutgers (3-1) missed 11 of 15 3-pointers and shot only 12 free throws. The Scarlet Knights averaged 28 foul shots per game through their first three wins.
"The whole team stepped up and everyone really contributed," Lucas said. "The team is growing every day and you can really tell when we play. We are becoming more and more of a team unit."
Mainly untested against smaller opponents through Florida's first three games, Speights was challenged by 6-foot-11 sophomore Hamady N'diaye. The Florida sophomore had no problem making solid back-to-the basket moves and scoring on the block with both hands. He hit 9 of 15 shots.
"I was able to prove that I can rebound the ball against such a big guy," Speights said. "I haven't had that in previous games and for me it is easier to play against a guy who is my height."
The Gators out-rebounded Rutgers, 43-28. Speights and Werner each had four offensive boards. Junior forward JR Inman led the Scarlet Knights with 17 points. Freshmen guards Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn and junior guard Anthony Farmer each scored 10. Florida hosts North Florida on Tuesday.
"Like I said for our first game against North Dakota State, it was a great challenge for our team and a great win," Donovan said. "Same thing with Tennessee Tech. Playing a Big East team like Rutgers and to win in the fashion that we did, I am really proud of our team."
Said Rutgers coach Fred Hill: "Florida has a lot of weapons and is a very skilled ball club. They play extremely well for their youth. In the last four minutes we ran out of a little gas."
"I'll probably go home and watch film," Donovan said.
At least, he'll have a good one to watch.
Sophomore forward/center Marreese Speights finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds and forward Dan Werner added 10 points and 10 boards as Florida defeated Rutgers, 88-63, Saturday in front of 11,522 at the O'Connell Center. All five starters finished in double figures.
It was a special night for Werner for two reasons. The 6-foot-7 sophomore had struggled with his shooting and although he missed both 3-pointers, Werner finished 4 of 8 from the field. He also played his high school ball at Middletown (N.J.) Christian Brothers Academy and said he wanted to play well in front of familiar faces.
"The more you play the more comfortable you get," Werner said. "It seems like I took a year off from high school and last year I really didn't play that much so I'm still trying to get in the swing of stuff.
"They're all great guys. They told me if I didn't go to Rutgers we'd still be friends. I have a lot of friends who go to Rutgers. A bunch of my best friends go to Rutgers. It was a great game."
The Gators (4-0) took a game tied at 31 and finished the first half on a 17-2 run. Freshman forward Chandler Parsons' putback started the run at 5:27.
That bucket was followed up by Walter Hodge's 3-pointer. That bucket with 27 seconds left before the break made it 48-33. Speights scored on an alley-oop from freshman guard Jai Lucas in that spurt.
Hodge, a junior guard, finished with 14 points and hit 4 of 5 3-point attempts. Lucas added 15 points and tied a game-high with five assists. Nick Calathes, also a freshman guard, had 11 points.
Florida was 11-for-26 from deep. Rutgers (3-1) missed 11 of 15 3-pointers and shot only 12 free throws. The Scarlet Knights averaged 28 foul shots per game through their first three wins.
"The whole team stepped up and everyone really contributed," Lucas said. "The team is growing every day and you can really tell when we play. We are becoming more and more of a team unit."
Mainly untested against smaller opponents through Florida's first three games, Speights was challenged by 6-foot-11 sophomore Hamady N'diaye. The Florida sophomore had no problem making solid back-to-the basket moves and scoring on the block with both hands. He hit 9 of 15 shots.
"I was able to prove that I can rebound the ball against such a big guy," Speights said. "I haven't had that in previous games and for me it is easier to play against a guy who is my height."
The Gators out-rebounded Rutgers, 43-28. Speights and Werner each had four offensive boards. Junior forward JR Inman led the Scarlet Knights with 17 points. Freshmen guards Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn and junior guard Anthony Farmer each scored 10. Florida hosts North Florida on Tuesday.
"Like I said for our first game against North Dakota State, it was a great challenge for our team and a great win," Donovan said. "Same thing with Tennessee Tech. Playing a Big East team like Rutgers and to win in the fashion that we did, I am really proud of our team."
Said Rutgers coach Fred Hill: "Florida has a lot of weapons and is a very skilled ball club. They play extremely well for their youth. In the last four minutes we ran out of a little gas."