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Donovan's Words Spur Speights Into Productivity

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 20, 2007

GAINESVILLE - University of Florida C Marreese Speights averaged 16.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in the stretch that included two exhibition games and the Gators' first two regular-season games. Despite Speights' respectable numbers, Florida coach Billy Donovan criticized the St. Petersburg native after every game.

The criticism dated back to media day more than a month earlier. There, Donovan threw a wet blanket on the preseason hype surrounding Speights, who averaged almost a point a minute coming off the bench last season.

"The guy makes a baseline jump shot against Ohio State in the national title game," Donovan said, "and I really thought we had Wilt Chamberlain coming back from some of the things I heard."

Ouch.

After Speights scored 16 with just three rebounds against Tennessee Tech last week, Donovan unloaded.

"He can shoot jump shots and everything else," Donovan said. "That's not his issue. His issue is all the other things. He's played two exhibition games and two regular-season games and he's yet to have an assist. He's turned the ball over an enormous amount of times. At 6-foot-11 and clearly the biggest and strongest guy on the floor with probably the most talent on the floor, and he grabs three rebounds.

"Marreese does a lot of things that show up on the stat sheet, but he also does a lot of things that don't show up on the stat sheet that put our team in a very difficult situation."

Double ouch.

Donovan doesn't dislike Speights. On the contrary, the rant that included the above quote included references to Speights' immense potential.

In trying to unlock that potential, Donovan has discovered praise only goes so far. The criticism, harsh as it is, works.

After Donovan blasted Speights following the Tennessee Tech game, the sophomore responded with his first assists of the season in a turnover-free performance against North Carolina Central. Against Rutgers on Saturday, Speights - playing against opponents his own size for the first time this season - scored 18 and grabbed 12 rebounds. More importantly, he looked as if he wanted to grab every ball that bounced off the rim.

After that win, Speights admitted he deserved Donovan's criticism. He also said he understood why Donovan kept singling him out.

"I'm glad he's hard on me," Speights said. "He loves me. If nobody was hard on me, it would mean they didn't care about me."

Donovan's hard shell has cracked a little when it comes to Speights. Donovan praised his big man after each of the past two games.

That doesn't mean Donovan has taken a kinder, gentler approach to coaching Speights. After the Gators face Florida State on Friday, Florida won't face another power-conference team until they travel to Ohio State on Dec. 22. Not long after that, the Southeastern Conference season begins. Speights will need motivation for that stretch, and Donovan likely will provide it one verbal barb at a time.

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

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