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Young Gators Will Have To Learn On The Job

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 6, 2007

Updated: 11/06/2007 12:14 am

GAINESVILLE - The five young men gathered on the University of Florida's practice court one day last month. On the wall above them hung four hunks of hardwood, each bearing the logo of a Final Four. Florida's freshmen crammed their lanky bodies together and stared into a photographer's lens. Then, forward Chandler Parsons spoke.

"Oh-sevens," Parsons said with a sly smile.

It's not uncommon for classmates on college basketball teams to refer to themselves by the year they arrived on campus, but at Florida, the appellation drips with meaning. The Oh-sevens are the first freshmen to arrive after the departure of the Oh-fours, the foursome that forever changed Florida basketball.

But if Parsons, guards Jai Lucas and Nick Calathes and forwards Alex Tyus and Adam Allen aspire to match the feats of Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford and Joakim Noah, they'll have to start from scratch. Before the Oh-fours led Florida to consecutive national titles, they toiled as freshmen on a team led by established stars David Lee, Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson. The Oh-sevens, a group considered the nation's best recruiting class by several analysts, will have to learn on the job.

Florida's veterans - and that term is used loosely - have barely played. The lone exception is junior guard Walter Hodge, the seventh man on both national title teams. Hodge, a Puerto Rico native whose first language is Spanish, must lead because he is the only Gator who has played significant collegiate minutes. Meanwhile, center Marreese Speights, forward Dan Werner and swingman Jonathan Mitchell will try to use the lessons they learned in practice last season from the group that won Florida's only national titles.

Coach Billy Donovan left the Gators in the spring to coach the Orlando Magic, only to realize a day later he belonged at the college level. Whether he'd stayed in the NBA or returned to Gainesville, he knew he'd have to break in a completely new team.

"The old saying is, 'You don't know what you don't know,' and these guys don't know a lot right now," Donovan said. "They don't know what it's like to go on the road and play in an SEC game. They don't know what it's like to have two minutes remaining and to stand up there at the free throw line with a place going crazy."

Even if they aren't ready, Donovan has said, all nine of his scholarship players will have to contribute for the Gators to compete in the SEC this season. Donovan front-loaded Florida's schedule with creampuffs - the only out-of-conference matchup of any consequence is at Ohio State on Dec. 22 - to give his youngsters a chance to learn. But come Jan. 8, when the Gators open SEC play at Alabama, the time for learning will have ended.

The Gators will have to produce. Florida has made nine consecutive NCAA tourneys, and the young Gators don't want to break the streak - even if most of them weren't around for the national titles.

"I haven't won nothing. I'm not defending nothing," Lucas said. "But still, I play for the University of Florida, and they are the defending champions. There is some type of pride when you say that, and you don't want to give that up too easily."

Parsons, the baby-faced power forward who dared call his class the Oh-sevens, knows all current and future Gators will be measured against the legacy of the Oh-fours. Still, he believes this group has the potential to write an equally compelling chapter of Florida basketball history.

"Obviously, we lost a heavy load. ... but I really think we're going to be an exciting team this year," Parsons said. "We're young, yes. But since when does age matter? We're going to play basketball the way it's supposed to be played - no matter how old we are."

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

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