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UF's Calathes Eager For Move To Next Level

The Associated Press

Calathes came to Florida from Casselberry, where he led Lake Howell High to a state title.

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By MARTIN FENNELLY The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 10, 2009

Updated: 03/11/2009 12:33 am

GAINESVILLE - Nick Calathes, Florida's dynamic sophomore point guard, won't back down. "I throw myself into things," he said. Calathes has fresh cuts and old scars from crashing around basketball games. He was asked about the almost-famous bridge of his nose.

Ah, the chess scar. Nick Calathes was 7 and had beaten his older brother Pat at chess. Pat nailed him with his king "right between the eyes," Nick said. "We've always been driven."

What drives Calathes now is playing in his first NCAA Tournament. It lies beyond this week's SEC Tournament in Tampa, but Calathes and the Gators need wins to state an NCAA case.

"I definitely want to be in the dance," Calathes said. "I want to do something special at UF. How could you not think about that stage when you come here after all that's been done? You don't want to be the guy or the team that doesn't make the tournament."

It was supposed to be easier. Calathes came to Florida from Casselberry, where he led Lake Howell High to a state title. Only he arrived just as the Oh-Fours (Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green) left after consecutive NCAA championships. The Gators missed the tournament last season. And now?

"I think we're coming together," Calathes said Saturday after Florida beat Kentucky. He didn't even mind being held to a season-low five points.
Florida coach Billy Donovan hopes the 6-foot-6 Calathes, voted first-team All-SEC, learns from that. "Sometimes I try to do too much," Calathes said. Florida's best player leads the team in scoring and the SEC in assists and wondrous court vision. Donovan wants Calathes to see the bigger picture.

"If it wasn't for Nick, there were a lot of games we wouldn't have won," Donovan said. "He's a great talent. And he's driven. But the challenge for me as a coach is getting him to understand that he can take us to another level as a team, right now, and it's not the level where we need 10 more points from him or four more assists."

Donovan has benched Calathes during games for ill-advised shots, passes or decisions. He thought about the Oh-Fours.

"How would Nick be if he was a sophomore and he was playing with Noah, Horford, Brewer and Chris Richard? Would he understand better that less is more, would he understand that instead of getting 20 points, I only need to get 10?"

It's all about channeling that drive. Calathes' bruises speak to his commitment. So do night-owl shooting sessions. His last came last month. Florida had just deplaned from Kentucky, where it lost by three points. Calathes missed critical foul shots at the end. So he stayed at the Gators' practice facility in the pre-dawn to shoot more free throws. "I let my team down," Calathes said. "I don't want that to happen again."

There are 64 squares on the NCAA chessboard.

It's Nick Calathes' move.

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