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UF, Calathes Show Signs Of Growth

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

TAMPA - University of Florida guard Nick Calathes sat on the bench between two assistant coaches for most of the first half a week ago Friday in a loss to Florida State. Seven days later, the freshman didn't get benched for taking a bad shot until midway through the second half - when he already was well on his way to a 21-point night.

To Gators coach Billy Donovan, the difference between Calathes' performance in the FSU loss and in an 86-61 win against Vermont on Friday at the St. Pete Times Forum served as a microcosm of Florida's week as a whole. It wasn't always pretty, but the Gators (7-1) made progress.

"Today," Donovan said Friday, "I saw some growth and development in our team."

That was especially true for Calathes, who drew Donovan's wrath early against FSU and who - like the rest of the Gators - didn't do much to redeem himself in the coach's eyes Tuesday against Stetson. But Friday, Calathes slashed his turnovers and fed his teammates. He shot when he was open or when a foul was the only way to stop him, making six of eight from the field and eight of 11 from the line.

"It's going to get a lot easier for me," Calathes said.

But like nearly every college freshman, his focus waned Friday as the lead widened.

"He played a beautiful game in the first half," Donovan said. "He made great decisions. In the second half he got back to trying to hit home runs, trying to thread the needle through six guys.

"But I would say from the Florida State game through Friday, I've seen a lot of growth and development in him. He's starting to understand."

Donovan could say the same of all the Gators, most of whom played their first significant minutes outside the O'Connell Center on Friday. Most in the crowd wore orange and blue - save for Vermont hockey alum and Lightning star Marty St. Louis, who sported green and gold - but "it's nothing like the O-Dome," Calathes said.

The environment didn't faze Florida's freshmen, who scored 34 of the Gators' 52 first-half points. Playing close to home also boosted Florida center Marreese Speights; the St. Petersburg native scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

"When I got on the court," Speights said, "it was like a regular game."

The Gators held the Catamounts (2-5) without a 3-pointer until 1:46 remained. Had Florida kept guarding the line at the end of the blowout, the Gators might have held an opponent without a 3-pointer for the first time since 1999.

An older, wiser team might have stayed focused long enough to pull off the feat. But, Donovan said, he expects the occasional lapse at this stage in the Gators' development.

"That inconsistency, we're still trying to shore up the gap on that," Donovan said. "When you're dealing with young people, keeping them focused and on edge is something that's foreign to them on a regular basis."

INSIDE THE GAME

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Florida G Nick Calathes scored 21 points and committed only two turnovers.

STAT OF THE GAME: If not for two Vermont 3-pointers in the final 1:42, the Gators would have held an opponent without a 3-pointer for the first time in 283 games.

TURNING POINT: Up 15-13 with 12:08 remaining in the first half, Florida went on a 17-4 run.

UP NEXT: Florida hosts Jacksonville on Monday at 7 p.m.

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

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