Although it's the offseason, the University of Florida men's basketball team has stayed in the spotlight. First, Rutgers transfer Eli Carter announced that he would be attending the University, giving the Gators a high-scoring shooting guard to replace departed senior Kenny Boynton. At the moment, Carter will be required to sit out the 2013-14 season, per NCAA rules, but coach Billy Donovan remains optimistic that Carter will be granted a waiver to play immediately due to former Rutgers coach Mike Rice's firing for verbal and physical abuse against his players. Carter averaged 14.9 points per game last season for the 15-16 Scarlet Knights and famously scored 31 points in Rutgers' upset of #10 Florida on December 29, 2011.
Second, the incoming class of freshmen are both 5-star recruits from the state of Florida. Point guard Kasey Hill (Bronx, NY/Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida), the #2-ranked point guard in the Class of 2013 according to ESPN.com, is expected to be one of the main offensive contributors next season. Power forward Chris Walker (Bonifay, FL/Holmes County High School), the #4-ranked player at his position in the Class of 2013, may take some time to develop but the talent is certainly there. Unfortunately, Walker has been dealing with some academic issues that are awaiting clearance from the NCAA Clearinghouse. If he fails to qualify, his best option would be to attend a prep school, where he could improve his grades and work on his game. Hill is 6'0" and 170 pounds and Walker is 6'10" and 195 pounds.
Third, soon-to-be sophomore shooting guard Michael Frazier II was named to the Team USA Under-19 roster, which is coached by Billy Donovan. The FIBA Under-19 World Championships begin in Prague, Czech Republic, on Thursday. Frazier, who shot 46.9% (52/111) from 3-point range last season, will be playing his first game for Team USA at any level.
Fourth, recently graduated seniors Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton, and Mike Rosario have been preparing for the 2013 NBA Draft which will be staged on Thursday in New York City. Murphy certainly has the best NBA future of the three former Gators. He's projected to be a mid-to-late second round pick and has worked out for the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and Detroit Pistons. Boynton, who will likely head overseas to continue his playing career, is not expected to be drafted. He'll most likely get a tryout in the NBA Summer League so hopefully he can impress a team. Rosario, who's in the same situation as Boynton, will likely have to take his career overseas if he wants to continue playing. However, he'll also probably get a spot on a Summer League team. Fans will remember Nick Calathes and Alex Tyus, who have had very productive careers in European basketball leagues and still hope to make their way to the NBA in the future.
Fifth, Braxton Ogbueze transferred to UNC Charlotte at the end of his freshman season. The reason was a lack of playing time, as he was playing behind Scottie Wilbekin and Boynton at the point guard position. He played in 23 games, averaged five minutes per game, 0.8 points per game, and 0.6 rebounds per game. He will sit out next season per NCAA Division 1 transfer rules. I'll be wishing him the best as, hopefully, we'll be able to see him fulfill his potential.
Sixth, former Gator Cody Larson has transferred to South Dakota State. The campus in Brookings, South Dakota, is about 45 minutes from Larson's hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D. Larson's UF career was mired by off-the-court issues. Following his redshirt freshman season, he was arrested outside a St. Augustine, Fl., bar for breaking into a car. Murphy and a team manager were also arrested. After averaging 0.8 points per game and 0.5 rebounds per game in the 2011-12 season (his only season on the court for the Gators), Larson left the team after being told by coach Donovan that his scholarship would not be renewed because he did not fulfill his responsibilities on and off the court. Larson then decided to focus on his academics and left the team. I certainly hope that he's found a better balance in his life and I wish him success at SDSU.
Seventh, Patric Young announced that he would return for his senior season. This did not come as much of a surprise considering his desire to improve his offensive game. NBA teams would have drafted him for his defensive skills and tireless work ethic, and would have planned on him developing his offense in his first few seasons in the pros. However, Young plans to finish his Telecommunications degree and play his final collegiate season for Donovan. Young averaged 10.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game last season, to go along with a team-leading 58 blocked shots. He posted six double-doubles last season. About two months ago, he had surgery to repair bone spurs in his ankle, which had given him problems since his sophomore year. The recovery time is normally 6-8 weeks, so he should currently be fully back preparing for next season.
Eighth, Will Yeguete had right knee surgery on May 22nd. The recovery time is four months, so he should be ready to go prior to the team's first official practice. Yeguete was hampered by knee issues for the majority of last season and had arthroscopic surgery on February 8th and missed six games. The senior-to-be averaged 5.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game last season. At 6'7" and 240 pounds, Yeguete will compete for minutes with redshirt junior Damontre Harris (sat out last season after transferring from South Carolina) at the power forward position.
Lastly, in what has been the most noteworthy development in the offseason, senior-to-be Scottie Wilbekin was suspended for the second time in seven months. Wilbekin was suspended for a violation of team rules on June 10th. Last season, Wilbekin was suspended for the same violation and was forced to sit out three games. Coach Donovan has declined to give the reason for the suspension, but said, "Right now, he needs to prove that he wants to be part of the team and that this is what he wants to do. He has to take care of responsibilities. At this point, I don't really want to address any more about his status until the season starts in October. Hopefully, this is something he can learn from.” Last season, Wilbekin averaged 9.1 points per game, 5.0 assists per game (second in the SEC), and was named to the All-SEC defensive team in his first season as a starter. As one of the leaders on what will be a fairly young team next season, Wilbekin's suspension does not help the team's chemistry, but it does create an opportunity for incoming freshman Hill and Rutgers transfer Carter (if he's granted a waiver to play this upcoming season) to capitalize on Wilbekin's absence.
