TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Striking Similarities

ADVERTISEMENT

By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 22, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Nick Calathes' University of Florida teammates hear the question constantly.

"People always ask me if they're related," forward Dan Werner said.

"I get that all the time," guard Jai Lucas said. "Just because of the hairstyle, you can see the similarities."

But it's more than a few spikes and a shared widow's peak that make just about anyone who doesn't know them assume Calathes is the son of Florida coach Billy Donovan. They sit the same. They squint the same. And Donovan, whether he notices or not, treats Calathes the way coaches sometimes do when their sons are on the roster. The standard is higher, the hook quicker.

And, yes, except for the height difference - Calathes is 6-foot-6; the deep end of Donovan's gene pool is probably about 6-0 - they do bear a striking resemblance to one another. So don't be surprised today if Ohio State fans start chanting "Little Billy" at Calathes shortly after the Gators and Buckeyes tip off at 4 p.m.

Calathes calls Donovan "Sir," which Donovan hates. Donovan calls Calathes "Nicky," which Calathes hates.

"That's Coach Donovan's son," said Chandler Parsons, a fellow Florida freshman who also played with Calathes at Lake Howell High in Casselberry. "Donovan calls him little Nicky. He's been calling him Nicky ever since he committed when he was 8 years old."

Parsons exaggerates, but not by much. Calathes did commit to the Gators as a 10th-grader, and even then, Donovan - who has two sons of his own - was more than happy to add the player everyone would assume is the third. Despite Calathes' age, Donovan could see the court awareness. He could sense the basketball IQ. He saw a player who did things on the court that simply can't be coached.

"Nick's understanding, his unselfishness, his court-awareness, his vision is as good as I think a young kid's can be," Donovan said.

But when Donovan got Calathes on campus, he realized he would need to refine his prodigy's skills. Maybe Calathes' instinct told him a behind-the-back pass through two defenders would set up forward Alex Tyus for an easy basket, but Donovan wanted Calathes to learn that sometimes, the pass to a wide-open Werner can minimize risk and keep a possession alive until a better shot becomes available.

Donovan also has tried to make Calathes understand that he doesn't have to take the entire team on his shoulders when things go awry. To do that, he makes Calathes cool his heels on the bench.

In the first half of Florida's loss to Florida State on Nov. 23, Donovan sat Calathes for 10 minutes after Calathes threw up an airball early in the shot clock.

Asked afterward about the benching, Donovan said he wished he could have kept Calathes (15.8 points, 5.5 assists a game) sitting between him and assistant Rob Lanier for the entire half.

After Calathes flirted with a triple-double against Florida A&M on Dec. 5, Donovan explained his rationale.

"I think he's grown a lot," Donovan said. "But I told him on the bench, 'If you embrace this and think you've got it all figured out, you're making the biggest mistake of your life.' This has been because of a focus and maybe me being on him excessively and me sitting him. He's gotten better, and that's all I want to see our guys do - get better and play the game the right way."

Calathes, who has grown accustomed to turning to the bench and seeing Donovan tell a teammate to "Get Nick out of there," said he appreciates the tough love.

"I like him being harder on me, to be honest with you," Calathes said. "I want to get better. I want to learn from him. I want him to help me get to the next level. ... I want him to be tough on me and let me know what's up."

Donovan is brutally honest. One-on-one film sessions with Donovan feature videos stocked with Calathes turnovers. But no matter how harsh the criticism, Calathes doesn't get discouraged.

"He has an insatiable appetite to get better," Donovan said. "He's about as good as any player I've been around in terms of being driven."

But when Donovan looks at Calathes, he doesn't feel as if he's looking in the mirror. Even though everyone else notices the resemblance, Donovan doesn't see it.

"Really? Do we look alike?" Donovan said. "Do we? I think I'm a little bit better looking than him."

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

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT