By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
GOLDEN WINS ONE, LOSES ONE
There is good news and bad news on the Florida basketball front. The good news is that new head coach Todd Golden landed waterbug quick point guard Trey Bonham out of VMI. The bad news is that big man Jalen Reed (6-10, 225) says he is exploring his options “while still considering the University of Florida my college home.”
Bonham averaged 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a sophomore at VMI. Bonham shot 82.6 percent from the foul line and 34.8 percent from the 3-point line when he went into a late season slump, hitting only five of his last 23 long distance shots. He came off the bench as a true freshman when he averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the 3-point line. While Bonham excels in the open court, in the halfcourt game he is a slasher who is quick enough to get into the paint off the bounce where he’s outstanding in dumping off to big guys or getting to the rim if defenders lay off. He was He’s a native of Mobile and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Reed, a 4-star recruit whose father was the SEC Player of the Year and an All-American at Ole Miss back in 2001, announced Monday that he is opening up his recruitment, perhaps in response to Johni Broome (6-10, 240), the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Morehead State, making an official visit to Florida next weekend? Reed is an outstanding outside shooter who would fit in well with Todd Golden’s offense and would have few problems playing alongside Castleton or Broome, or even both of them if Golden wanted to go with a skyscraper lineup. With Auburn signing former LSU commitment Yohan Traore, it could be a sign that Broome has passed on the Tigers.
Counting Bonham, the Gators have 11 on scholarship, leaving two open the way things stand today. One of the two remaining scholarships is expected to go to Riley Kugel (6-5, 185, Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips), who decommitted from Mississippi State when Ben Howland was fired. Kugel made second team All-State after averaging 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Class 7A runner-up.
The UF roster as of April 18
Big guys (3): Colin Castleton (6-11, 240, 5th YR); Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 285, SR); CJ Felder (6-7, 231, SR)
Wings (3): Niels Lane (6-6, 206, JR); Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 182, SO); Alex Fudge (6-8, 185, SO/TR)
Guards (5): Myreon Jones (6-3, 180, 5th YR); Trey Bonham (6-0, 170, JR/TR); Elijah Kennedy (6-3, 185, SO); Will Richard (6-5, 195, SO/TR); Denzel Aberdeen (6-4, 180, FR)
UF TRACK AND FIELD: BOTH MEN AND WOMEN RANKED NO. 2
After a big weekend at the Tom Jones Memorial Event at the Percy Beard Track, both the Florida men’s and women’s teams moved up one spot in the weekly USTFCCA top 25 polls. The Gator men have to top times in the country in both the 4X100 and 4X400 relays. The Gators broke the NCAA record in the 4X400 relay this weekend when they ran a 2:58.53.
USTFCCA Men’s Top 25: 1. Texas; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Texas A&M; 4. Texas Tech; 5. Alabama; 6. Georgia; 7. LSU; 8. BYU; 9. Arkansas; 10. Kentucky; 11. Washington; 12. Baylor; 13. Oregon; 14. Southern Cal; 15. North Carolina A&T; 16. Florida State; 17. Iowa; 18. Arizona State; 19. Stanford; 20. Princeton; 21. Oklahoma; 22. Ohio State; 23. California; 24. Houston; 25. Northern Arizona
USTFCCA Women’s Top 25: 1. Texas; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Texas A&M; 4. LSU; 5. Arkansas; 6. Texas Tech; 7. Kentucky; 8. BYU; 9. New Mexico; 10. Oregon; 11. North Carolina A&T; 13. Arizona State; 14. Colorado; 15. South Carolina; 16. Southern Cal; 17. Auburn; 18. California; 19. Oklahoma; 20. Baylor; 21. Washington; 22. Ole Miss; 23. Duke; 24. North Carolina; 25. North Carolina State
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS REMAIN 10TH IN D1SOFTBALL POLL
The Gators (34-9, 11-7 SEC) remained in 10th in the latest D1Softball poll after their sweep of Ole Miss in Oxford over the weekend. The Gators carry a 4-game winning streak into Wednesday’s game with South Florida (35-11) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators own a 12-0 run-rule win over the Bulls from their opening weekend of the season.
The Gators have a chance to keep their SEC championship hopes alive this weekend when 6th-ranked Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) comes to Gainesville. Arkansas leads the SEC but the Hogs have played one less weekend series than Alabama (13-5 SEC), Tennessee (11-6 SEC) and the Gators.
D1Softball Top 25: 1. Oklahoma 38-1; 2. Alabama 36-6; 3. Virginia Tech 32-6; 4. Florida State 39-5; 5. UCLA 32-5; 6. Arkansas 32-8; 7. Northwestern 30-6; 8. Oklahoma State 34-7; 9. Duke 34-5; 10. FLORIDA 34-9; 11. Arizona State 31-5; 12. Washington 25-11; 13. Kentucky 29-11; 14. Texas 31-12-1; 15. Georgia 35-9; 16. Tennessee 30-12; 17. Clemson 33-11; 18. UCF 37-10; 19. Auburn 32-9; 20. Oregon State 31-12; 21. Nebraska 33-9; 22. Michigan 26-13; 23. San Diego State 29-12; 24. Notre Dame 31-9; 25. Illinois 26-14
UF BASEBALL: GATORS DROP OUT OF TOP 25
A 1-3 record last week resulted in the Gators (22-14, 6-9 SEC) dropping out of the top 25 in every college baseball poll. The Gators did win their final game against Vanderbilt in Nashville Sunday and they need to pick up a win tonight at the Florida Ballpark against Stetson to add a little momentum before No. 1 Tennessee (33-3, 14-1 SEC) comes to Gainesville for the weekend.
D1Baseball Top 25: 1. Tennessee 33-3; 2. Oregon State 27-7; 3. Oklahoma State 26-10; 4. Arkansas 28-7; 5. Miami 28-8; 6. Southern Miss 27-8; 7. Stanford 20-11; 8. Virginia Tech 23-9; 9. Texas Tech 27-12; 10. Texas 26-12; 11. Virginia 27-9; 12. Gonzaga 23-9; 13. UCLA 24-11; 14. Georgia 26-10; 15. UConn 28-7; 16. Louisville 24-11; 17. Texas State 28-9; 18. Notre Dame 21-8; 19. Auburn 24-12; 20. Oregon 24-11; 21. TCU 24-12; 22. LSU 23-12; 23. Dallas Baptist 23-12; 24. Maryland 29-7; 25. Georgia Southern 24-11
USA Today Coaches Top 25: 1. Tennessee 33-3; 2. Oregon State 27-7; 3. Arkansas 28-7; 4. Oklahoma State 26-10; 5. Miami 28-8; 6. Southern Miss 27-8; 7. Texas 26-12; 8. Texas Tech 27-12; 9. Virginia 27-9; 10. Georgia 26-10; 11. Gonzaga 23-9; 12. Stanford 20-11; 13. Virginia Tech 23-9; 14. UCLA 24-11; 15. Notre Dame 21-8; 16. UConn 28-7; 17. Texas State 28-9; 18. Louisville 24-11; 19. Vanderbilt 25-10; 20. TCU 24-12; 21. Maryland 29-7; 22. Auburn 24-12; 23. (Tie) Oregon 24-11 and LSU 23-12; 25. Dallas Baptist 23-12
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Georgia: It was a big day for Mike White, who got a commitment from Bradley transfer Terry Roberts (6-3, 180) and a commitment to return from guard Braelin Bridges, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs last season. At Bradley, Roberts averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game ... Offense lineman Amarius Mims, a former 5-star recruit, has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal and will return to Georgia next season … Former Georgia shooting guard Noah Baumann (6-6, 210) is transferring to Grand Canyon.
LSU: Running back Corey Kiner, a former 4-star recruit who ran for 324 yards and two touchdowns as a backup last season, committed to Cincinnati within hours after putting his name in the NCAA transfer portal … 6-10 center Jerrell Colbert, a 6-10 center who averaged 0.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game as a freshman last year, is transferring to Kansas State.
Mississippi State: Rocket Watts, who was a big deal when he transferred in from Michigan State, struggled with injuries and fitting in with what former coach Ben Howland was doing. Howland is gone now but so is Watts, who put his name in the portal Monday. Watts averaged just 4.4 points per game last season in 19 games … Forward Javian Davis, who played his freshman year at Alabama and the last two at Mississippi State, is transferring to UAB. He averaged 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last season.
South Carolina: Not everyone is holding hands and singing songs in Columbia where the euphoria of the spring game was tempered with the reality of the transfer portal Monday as four Gamecocks have entered the transfer portal. Gone are wide receiver Eric Shaw, tight end E.J. Jenkins and defensive linemen Devontae Davis and Jahkeem Green … Evansville combo guard Troy Boynton has committed to the Gamecocks.
Vanderbilt: Scotty Pippen Jr., the SEC’s leading scorer last year, will sign with an agent and enter the NBA Draft. Pippen scored 20.4 points per game last year and finished his three-year career at Vandy with 1,577 points (17.5 per game) … Former UC-Davis point guard Ezra Manjon (5-11, 170) is transferring to Vandy.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I keep getting asked what happened to Dan Mullen? How did Mullen let the Florida program slide off the rails to the point that Billy Napier is tasked with the most massive rebuild of UF football since the end of the Douglas Adair Dickey era in 1978. Dickey told me that what happened to the Gators was the quarterbacks dried up and without a triggerman, his wishbone offense crashed and burned. It was more than the quarterbacks, even though the Gators were forced to play Larry Ochab in 1978. Defenses were catching up to the wishbone for one thing, and kids who wanted to play in the NFL – particularly quarterbacks who liked to throw, wide receivers who liked to catch, and offensive linemen who needed to know how to pass protect – were looking for better offenses. So recruiting dried up. It didn’t start out that way for Doug Dickey, but it certainly ended that way.
What saved the Gators was Charley Pell. He got the facilities upgraded, turned Gator Boosters into a powerful fund-raising arm, and began dominating state recruiting like no one had before or has since. Recruiting became turbocharged after Pell’s 0-10-1 in 1979. Those were NFL teams he recruited. Just check out the 1983 Auburn game or the 1984 roster. If Florida football hadn’t run afoul of the NCAA – far worse was going on in the SEC at the time but UF got nailed – there never would have been dynasties at Miami and Florida State. The sanctions were so severe – serious scholarship limitations, no television or bowl games for two years, SEC title stripped 1984, ineligible for the SEC title in 1985 even though UF had the best record – that Florida State and Miami started landing recruits that would have instead been playing for the Gators.
I go back to the end of the Dickey era and see some similarities to the end of the Mullen era. Dickey had some outstanding teams only to see things dry up at the end. Mullen was 29-6 and then fell off a cliff (5-9) until he was dismissed. Emory Jones was better than Larry Ochab, but he was a serious dropoff from Kyle Trask. Recruiting, never a Mullen strong suit, began flatlining. Attendance lagged. Booster money slowed substantially. It didn’t start out badly for Mullen, but it ended badly.
Enter Billy Napier. No less an authority than Ward Pell sees Napier as a hybrid of Charley Pell and Nick Saban. When she sees Napier she sees a young, focused coach who has a plan for everything down to the most minute detail. She sees a young coach who combines the best of Charley, the best of Nick and adds a flair of his own. Like Charley and Nick, Napier’s a relentless recruiter who, given time, will outrecruit everyone else.
“He’s the golden child,” Ward told me on the phone Monday evening. “You guys take care of this one because he’s going to take you places you want to go. Mammas and daddies are going to want their boys to play for him. This coach is special. This coach is VERY special.”
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
GOLDEN WINS ONE, LOSES ONE
There is good news and bad news on the Florida basketball front. The good news is that new head coach Todd Golden landed waterbug quick point guard Trey Bonham out of VMI. The bad news is that big man Jalen Reed (6-10, 225) says he is exploring his options “while still considering the University of Florida my college home.”
Bonham averaged 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a sophomore at VMI. Bonham shot 82.6 percent from the foul line and 34.8 percent from the 3-point line when he went into a late season slump, hitting only five of his last 23 long distance shots. He came off the bench as a true freshman when he averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the 3-point line. While Bonham excels in the open court, in the halfcourt game he is a slasher who is quick enough to get into the paint off the bounce where he’s outstanding in dumping off to big guys or getting to the rim if defenders lay off. He was He’s a native of Mobile and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Reed, a 4-star recruit whose father was the SEC Player of the Year and an All-American at Ole Miss back in 2001, announced Monday that he is opening up his recruitment, perhaps in response to Johni Broome (6-10, 240), the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Morehead State, making an official visit to Florida next weekend? Reed is an outstanding outside shooter who would fit in well with Todd Golden’s offense and would have few problems playing alongside Castleton or Broome, or even both of them if Golden wanted to go with a skyscraper lineup. With Auburn signing former LSU commitment Yohan Traore, it could be a sign that Broome has passed on the Tigers.
Counting Bonham, the Gators have 11 on scholarship, leaving two open the way things stand today. One of the two remaining scholarships is expected to go to Riley Kugel (6-5, 185, Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips), who decommitted from Mississippi State when Ben Howland was fired. Kugel made second team All-State after averaging 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Class 7A runner-up.
The UF roster as of April 18
Big guys (3): Colin Castleton (6-11, 240, 5th YR); Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 285, SR); CJ Felder (6-7, 231, SR)
Wings (3): Niels Lane (6-6, 206, JR); Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 182, SO); Alex Fudge (6-8, 185, SO/TR)
Guards (5): Myreon Jones (6-3, 180, 5th YR); Trey Bonham (6-0, 170, JR/TR); Elijah Kennedy (6-3, 185, SO); Will Richard (6-5, 195, SO/TR); Denzel Aberdeen (6-4, 180, FR)
UF TRACK AND FIELD: BOTH MEN AND WOMEN RANKED NO. 2
After a big weekend at the Tom Jones Memorial Event at the Percy Beard Track, both the Florida men’s and women’s teams moved up one spot in the weekly USTFCCA top 25 polls. The Gator men have to top times in the country in both the 4X100 and 4X400 relays. The Gators broke the NCAA record in the 4X400 relay this weekend when they ran a 2:58.53.
USTFCCA Men’s Top 25: 1. Texas; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Texas A&M; 4. Texas Tech; 5. Alabama; 6. Georgia; 7. LSU; 8. BYU; 9. Arkansas; 10. Kentucky; 11. Washington; 12. Baylor; 13. Oregon; 14. Southern Cal; 15. North Carolina A&T; 16. Florida State; 17. Iowa; 18. Arizona State; 19. Stanford; 20. Princeton; 21. Oklahoma; 22. Ohio State; 23. California; 24. Houston; 25. Northern Arizona
USTFCCA Women’s Top 25: 1. Texas; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Texas A&M; 4. LSU; 5. Arkansas; 6. Texas Tech; 7. Kentucky; 8. BYU; 9. New Mexico; 10. Oregon; 11. North Carolina A&T; 13. Arizona State; 14. Colorado; 15. South Carolina; 16. Southern Cal; 17. Auburn; 18. California; 19. Oklahoma; 20. Baylor; 21. Washington; 22. Ole Miss; 23. Duke; 24. North Carolina; 25. North Carolina State
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS REMAIN 10TH IN D1SOFTBALL POLL
The Gators (34-9, 11-7 SEC) remained in 10th in the latest D1Softball poll after their sweep of Ole Miss in Oxford over the weekend. The Gators carry a 4-game winning streak into Wednesday’s game with South Florida (35-11) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators own a 12-0 run-rule win over the Bulls from their opening weekend of the season.
The Gators have a chance to keep their SEC championship hopes alive this weekend when 6th-ranked Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) comes to Gainesville. Arkansas leads the SEC but the Hogs have played one less weekend series than Alabama (13-5 SEC), Tennessee (11-6 SEC) and the Gators.
D1Softball Top 25: 1. Oklahoma 38-1; 2. Alabama 36-6; 3. Virginia Tech 32-6; 4. Florida State 39-5; 5. UCLA 32-5; 6. Arkansas 32-8; 7. Northwestern 30-6; 8. Oklahoma State 34-7; 9. Duke 34-5; 10. FLORIDA 34-9; 11. Arizona State 31-5; 12. Washington 25-11; 13. Kentucky 29-11; 14. Texas 31-12-1; 15. Georgia 35-9; 16. Tennessee 30-12; 17. Clemson 33-11; 18. UCF 37-10; 19. Auburn 32-9; 20. Oregon State 31-12; 21. Nebraska 33-9; 22. Michigan 26-13; 23. San Diego State 29-12; 24. Notre Dame 31-9; 25. Illinois 26-14
UF BASEBALL: GATORS DROP OUT OF TOP 25
A 1-3 record last week resulted in the Gators (22-14, 6-9 SEC) dropping out of the top 25 in every college baseball poll. The Gators did win their final game against Vanderbilt in Nashville Sunday and they need to pick up a win tonight at the Florida Ballpark against Stetson to add a little momentum before No. 1 Tennessee (33-3, 14-1 SEC) comes to Gainesville for the weekend.
D1Baseball Top 25: 1. Tennessee 33-3; 2. Oregon State 27-7; 3. Oklahoma State 26-10; 4. Arkansas 28-7; 5. Miami 28-8; 6. Southern Miss 27-8; 7. Stanford 20-11; 8. Virginia Tech 23-9; 9. Texas Tech 27-12; 10. Texas 26-12; 11. Virginia 27-9; 12. Gonzaga 23-9; 13. UCLA 24-11; 14. Georgia 26-10; 15. UConn 28-7; 16. Louisville 24-11; 17. Texas State 28-9; 18. Notre Dame 21-8; 19. Auburn 24-12; 20. Oregon 24-11; 21. TCU 24-12; 22. LSU 23-12; 23. Dallas Baptist 23-12; 24. Maryland 29-7; 25. Georgia Southern 24-11
USA Today Coaches Top 25: 1. Tennessee 33-3; 2. Oregon State 27-7; 3. Arkansas 28-7; 4. Oklahoma State 26-10; 5. Miami 28-8; 6. Southern Miss 27-8; 7. Texas 26-12; 8. Texas Tech 27-12; 9. Virginia 27-9; 10. Georgia 26-10; 11. Gonzaga 23-9; 12. Stanford 20-11; 13. Virginia Tech 23-9; 14. UCLA 24-11; 15. Notre Dame 21-8; 16. UConn 28-7; 17. Texas State 28-9; 18. Louisville 24-11; 19. Vanderbilt 25-10; 20. TCU 24-12; 21. Maryland 29-7; 22. Auburn 24-12; 23. (Tie) Oregon 24-11 and LSU 23-12; 25. Dallas Baptist 23-12
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Georgia: It was a big day for Mike White, who got a commitment from Bradley transfer Terry Roberts (6-3, 180) and a commitment to return from guard Braelin Bridges, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs last season. At Bradley, Roberts averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game ... Offense lineman Amarius Mims, a former 5-star recruit, has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal and will return to Georgia next season … Former Georgia shooting guard Noah Baumann (6-6, 210) is transferring to Grand Canyon.
LSU: Running back Corey Kiner, a former 4-star recruit who ran for 324 yards and two touchdowns as a backup last season, committed to Cincinnati within hours after putting his name in the NCAA transfer portal … 6-10 center Jerrell Colbert, a 6-10 center who averaged 0.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game as a freshman last year, is transferring to Kansas State.
Mississippi State: Rocket Watts, who was a big deal when he transferred in from Michigan State, struggled with injuries and fitting in with what former coach Ben Howland was doing. Howland is gone now but so is Watts, who put his name in the portal Monday. Watts averaged just 4.4 points per game last season in 19 games … Forward Javian Davis, who played his freshman year at Alabama and the last two at Mississippi State, is transferring to UAB. He averaged 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last season.
South Carolina: Not everyone is holding hands and singing songs in Columbia where the euphoria of the spring game was tempered with the reality of the transfer portal Monday as four Gamecocks have entered the transfer portal. Gone are wide receiver Eric Shaw, tight end E.J. Jenkins and defensive linemen Devontae Davis and Jahkeem Green … Evansville combo guard Troy Boynton has committed to the Gamecocks.
Vanderbilt: Scotty Pippen Jr., the SEC’s leading scorer last year, will sign with an agent and enter the NBA Draft. Pippen scored 20.4 points per game last year and finished his three-year career at Vandy with 1,577 points (17.5 per game) … Former UC-Davis point guard Ezra Manjon (5-11, 170) is transferring to Vandy.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I keep getting asked what happened to Dan Mullen? How did Mullen let the Florida program slide off the rails to the point that Billy Napier is tasked with the most massive rebuild of UF football since the end of the Douglas Adair Dickey era in 1978. Dickey told me that what happened to the Gators was the quarterbacks dried up and without a triggerman, his wishbone offense crashed and burned. It was more than the quarterbacks, even though the Gators were forced to play Larry Ochab in 1978. Defenses were catching up to the wishbone for one thing, and kids who wanted to play in the NFL – particularly quarterbacks who liked to throw, wide receivers who liked to catch, and offensive linemen who needed to know how to pass protect – were looking for better offenses. So recruiting dried up. It didn’t start out that way for Doug Dickey, but it certainly ended that way.
What saved the Gators was Charley Pell. He got the facilities upgraded, turned Gator Boosters into a powerful fund-raising arm, and began dominating state recruiting like no one had before or has since. Recruiting became turbocharged after Pell’s 0-10-1 in 1979. Those were NFL teams he recruited. Just check out the 1983 Auburn game or the 1984 roster. If Florida football hadn’t run afoul of the NCAA – far worse was going on in the SEC at the time but UF got nailed – there never would have been dynasties at Miami and Florida State. The sanctions were so severe – serious scholarship limitations, no television or bowl games for two years, SEC title stripped 1984, ineligible for the SEC title in 1985 even though UF had the best record – that Florida State and Miami started landing recruits that would have instead been playing for the Gators.
I go back to the end of the Dickey era and see some similarities to the end of the Mullen era. Dickey had some outstanding teams only to see things dry up at the end. Mullen was 29-6 and then fell off a cliff (5-9) until he was dismissed. Emory Jones was better than Larry Ochab, but he was a serious dropoff from Kyle Trask. Recruiting, never a Mullen strong suit, began flatlining. Attendance lagged. Booster money slowed substantially. It didn’t start out badly for Mullen, but it ended badly.
Enter Billy Napier. No less an authority than Ward Pell sees Napier as a hybrid of Charley Pell and Nick Saban. When she sees Napier she sees a young, focused coach who has a plan for everything down to the most minute detail. She sees a young coach who combines the best of Charley, the best of Nick and adds a flair of his own. Like Charley and Nick, Napier’s a relentless recruiter who, given time, will outrecruit everyone else.
“He’s the golden child,” Ward told me on the phone Monday evening. “You guys take care of this one because he’s going to take you places you want to go. Mammas and daddies are going to want their boys to play for him. This coach is special. This coach is VERY special.”
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