Schintzius makes first return to O'Connell Center

GAINESVILLE - For the first time since his playing days at the University of Florida - 21 years ago - former Gators basketball center Dwayne Schintzius returned to the O'Connell Center.

During the first half of Florida's 71-62 victory against the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday night, Schintzius was introduced to the crowd and shown on the video board.

He stretched out his 7-foot-2 frame, stood and raised his arm to acknowledge the fans.

And he heard cheers. Thunderous cheers.

"It meant a lot," said Schintzius, 42, the former Brandon High School standout.

Thirteen months ago, Schintzius was placed in a medically-induced coma after being diagnosed with leukemia. Heavy doses of chemotherapy, needed to attack the cancer cells, caused his throat to swell and close. It nearly caused suffocation.

When he came out of the coma, he couldn't move, talk or eat. He had a breathing tube. He was too weak to write messages or instructions.

Schintzius' former Gator teammates heard about the sickness. There was even a rumor that Schintzius had died.

"It was pretty bad stuff," Schintzius said. "But I made it out alive."

Schintzius was declared cancer-free last spring. He has gotten stronger and gained back about 55 pounds, up to 270.

He looks good, feels good and has regained his sense of humor.

Thursday night, he wore a T-shirt that had a drawing of the "Hello, I'm ..." stickers that are used in business mixers.

His T-shirt read: "Hello, I'm Awesome."

Just before tip-off, Gators coach Billy Donovan shook hands with Schintzius, who was seated behind the UF bench. Schintzius also was invited into UF's postgame locker room, where he chatted with players.

"It was important to me for Dwayne to come back here," Donovan said. "Every time I'm down in Tampa or St. Petersburg for a Gator function, Dwayne is there. He's very supportive. He still feels part of it. Yet he never came back.

"I think he felt he wasn't welcome here, but that wasn't true. He is an important part of this program's history. He needs to feel welcome here, regardless of what happened in the past."

Schintzius wishes he could change a few off-court incidents, including allegedly assaulting a student with a tennis racket. Eleven games into his senior season, saying he was tired of the dictatorial style of interim coach Don DeVoe, Schintzius quit the Gator team. He became a first-round draft choice and played nine NBA seasons, but always regretted the way he exited UF.

Still, Schintzius was the centerpiece of UF's first three NCAA Tournament teams in men's basketball (1987 through 1989). He remains the only SEC player with more than 1,000 points, 800 rebounds, 250 assists and 250 blocked shots. He is UF's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,624 points.

"I have happy memories of what we were able to accomplish," said Schintzius, who is about to publish an exercise book and wants to write a novel. "I don't want to say this place is 'The House That Dwayne Built,' but I feel like our teams helped to put this program on the map.

"I was so excited when they won the back-to-back national titles (2006 and 2007). That was amazing. I was proud to be a Gator."

Thursday night, Schintzius returned to the O'Connell Center. He felt at home. He plans to return again.

"It was great to see Dwayne," Donovan said. "He has been through a lot and he pulled through. He's a fighter. He's always welcome here."