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Gators work toward getting back to peak

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By MIKE DiFERDINANDO

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 12, 2009

GAINESVILLE - The Florida basketball program has gone from feast to famine in recent years.

The Gators lost five of their final eight regular-season games last season, finishing 25-11 and getting left out of the NCAA Tournament field for the fourth time in Coach Billy Donovan's 13-year tenure.

UF became the first team since Michigan State in 1981 to miss the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years after winning the national title.

Two years ago, Florida was coming off consecutive national titles and was sitting at the center of the college basketball universe. But expectations have changed.

UF was picked to finish fifth in the SEC East by the media this season, and making it back to the big dance would be huge for a program that has sputtered through the past two campaigns.

"I think in any program or any professional franchise, there are just peaks and valleys, ups and downs. That's just kind of the way it is," Donovan said. "I don't think anyone always stays on top every year for the rest of their lives. That's the exciting part, and the challenge for me is to get back to that point."

All-SEC point guard Nick Calathes (17.2 ppg, 6.4 apg last season) is gone, opting to sign a multimillion-dollar pro contact in Greece.

Hopes for a bounce-back year now rest on the shoulders of highly regarded freshman guard Kenny Boynton.

Boynton, a McDonald's All-American in high school, averaged 33 points as a senior at American Heritage High.

"(Coach Donovan) told me to keep my scorer's mentality," Boynton said. "If a player's open, find him. But if I do have a shot, he wants me to take it."

Boynton will be joined in the backcourt by 5-foot-8 sophomore Erving Walker, who will take over as the point guard.

The other new face in the UF backcourt this year belongs to Israeli point guard Nimrod Tishman.

Tishman, a 6-5 guard from Tel Aviv, averaged 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists at the Under-18 European Championships in France this summer.

Without a center, Alex Tyus struggled while playing out of position last season.

But with the addition of Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin, Tyus should be able to move back to power forward and take advantage of his athleticism.

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