Gators sophomores say they will return to Gainesville

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Florida sophomores Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford told a partisan crowd at the national championship celebration Friday night in Gainesville that they would return for their junior season.

Florida sports information director Fred Demarest said the three sophomores announced to the fans that they would return, bringing the "O'Connell Center down."

Noah was the Final Four most outstanding player with an NCAA Tournament record 29 blocked shots in six games. The Gators beat UCLA on Monday night at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis for their first national title. The Gators were ESPN.com's preseason No. 1 team in the annual post-title game Top 25 released Wednesday.</div>

Source

If I were a Gators fan I would wait a while. I remember the same thing last season where Sean May and Marvin Williams said the same thing and they let us down. Just wait until the emotions of winning a championship fizzle down and NBA draft talk starts to kick up.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting C.K.:</div><div class="quote_post">Source

If I were a Gators fan I would wait a while. I remember the same thing last season where Sean May and Marvin Williams said the same thing and they let us down. Just wait until the emotions of winning a championship fizzle down and NBA draft talk starts to kick up.</div>

They choreographed a skit and Billy Donovan was involved. I don't think they would go through that trouble and I don't think Billy D would be part of it, if it wasn't true. I think they do stay. I was at the Odome when they announced, the whole place errupted, it was probably the loudest I had ever heard it there when they said they were coming back.

If this is true, we have to be preseason #1 next year.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">

If this is true, we have to be preseason #1 next year.</div>

Like I said on AIM, if Aldridge comes back to Texas, Texas has got to be my preseason #1. No disrespect to the Gators, who'll be in my top five for sure, but other teams not only reload like they do, but they bring in great recruiting classes too. For example, Kevin Durant, who I'll be getting to see play live in the Nike Hoops Summit tonight, is probably the second best incoming freshman in America; well, him or Thaddeus Young. He really has the potential to have an All-Big 12 type impact right away.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Like I said on AIM, if Aldridge comes back to Texas, Texas has got to be my preseason #1. No disrespect to the Gators, who'll be in my top five for sure, but other teams not only reload like they do, but they bring in great recruiting classes too. For example, Kevin Durant, who I'll be getting to see play live in the Nike Hoops Summit tonight, is probably the second best incoming freshman in America; well, him or Thaddeus Young. He really has the potential to have an All-Big 12 type impact right away.</div>

Basically all the other teams are just based on potential. The Gators have proven themselves to be a top tier team, which is why I would put us at #1, I kinda hope they don't though, so that it will be another chip on the shoulder of our players and they feel disrespected again.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">Basically all the other teams are just based on potential. The Gators have proven themselves to be a top tier team, which is why I would put us at #1, I kinda hope they don't though, so that it will be another chip on the shoulder of our players and they feel disrespected again.</div>

How is Texas all potential? They've proven to be a top tier team. A top ten ranking and a #2 seed wasn't enough this year?

 

Don't sleep on carolina they get Brandan Wright and Hansborough and Terry they and Kansas looks great to if Rush and Chalmers come back.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">How is Texas all potential? They've proven to be a top tier team. A top ten ranking and a #2 seed wasn't enough this year?</div>

Sorry, I didn't see that you said "if Aldridge comes back". I was thinking you were talking about them without him. They lost a couple players though didn't they?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">Sorry, I didn't see that you said "if Aldridge comes back". I was thinking you were talking about them without him. They lost a couple players though didn't they?</div>
im pretty sure they lost pj tucker

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting phiLA:</div><div class="quote_post">im pretty sure they lost pj tucker</div>

No, Tucker was only a junior this season. He's declared for the draft but is only expected to test the waters and come back. They only lose Kenton Paulino and Brad Buckman, and they return Daniel Gibson, P.J. Tucker, LaMarcus Aldridge, A.J. Abrams, and former McDonalds All-American power forward Mike Williams, who has struggled for playing time behind Buckman but should get a chance at playing time next season. Then they have the third best recruiting class in the nation coming in, including the nation's second best incoming freshman, Kevin Durant, and McDonald's All-American point guard D.J. Augustin, as well as three other four-star recruits and Dexter Pittman (the next 'Baby Shaq'). Simply put... they're loaded.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">How is Texas all potential? They've proven to be a top tier team. A top ten ranking and a #2 seed wasn't enough this year?</div>


Just because they'll have the most talented team doesn't make them the best next season.

Florida has the best chemistry.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting j0se:</div><div class="quote_post">Just because they'll have the most talented team doesn't make them the best next season.

Florida has the best chemistry.</div>

That's completely subjective. Just because they won the tournament doesn't mean that they're the best team, have the best chemistry, or will have that chemistry next year. The tournament is all about matchups, and while I'm not using that as an excuse for Florida winning it all, it's the reason why Texas bowed out relatively early. Had they not lost a heartbreaker to LSU, you could have seen them win it all this year.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">That's completely subjective. Just because they won the tournament doesn't mean that they're the best team, have the best chemistry, or will have that chemistry next year. The tournament is all about matchups, and while I'm not using that as an excuse for Florida winning it all, it's the reason why Texas bowed out relatively early. Had they not lost a heartbreaker to LSU, you could have seen them win it all this year.</div>

We were something like top 5 in assists and top 2 in FG% in the nation, that is some damn good chemistry.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">We were something like top 5 in assists and top 2 in FG% in the nation, that is some damn good chemistry.</div>

Maybe playing one of the worst non-conference schedules had something to do with those #'s? And how is that relevant to next year and Texas's chances anyway?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe playing one of the worst non-conference schedules had something to do with those #'s? And how is that relevant to next year and Texas's chances anyway?</div>

It's about chemistry, you said we didn't have the best chemistry. If we didn't have the talent and if we didn't have the chemistry, how did we win the tournament?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe playing one of the worst non-conference schedules had something to do with those #'s? And how is that relevant to next year and Texas's chances anyway?</div>

I totally agree, Gators played Bethune-Cookman, and some other no names that can't put out a competitive team even against good mid-major teams

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">It's about chemistry, you said we didn't have the best chemistry. If we didn't have the talent and if we didn't have the chemistry, how did we win the tournament?</div>

I didn't say that you guys didn't have the best chemistry. I just said that it's too subjective to argue, and next year is a completely different story.

You guys won the tournament by beating the teams placed infront of you, not because you were the most talented or had the best chemistry or anything like that. One bad game, and your team is out of the tournament, but that doesn't mean that teams like Duke that had great chemistry all year long were inferior just because they lost that one game. I don't know anyone who'd unbiasedly take Florida over Duke.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting J_Ray:</div><div class="quote_post">I totally agree, Gators played Bethune-Cookman, and some other no names that can't put out a competitive team even against good mid-major teams </div>

Alright you guys are right, the Gators are a disgrace, since we scheduled such an easy schedule. We shouldn't be top 100 in any categories because we didn't play anyone at all this year. We had the easiest road to the championship ever, since we didn't play anyone at all during the OOC. We were still 20-0 against non conference teams and 13-6 against SEC teams. We should just give the Siemens trophy to UCLA, since they deserved it more and they obviously have more chemistry then us. /sarcasm.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">Alright you guys are right, the Gators are a disgrace, since we scheduled such an easy schedule. We shouldn't be top 100 in any categories because we didn't play anyone at all this year. We had the easiest road to the championship ever, since we didn't play anyone at all during the OOC. We were still 20-0 against non conference teams and 13-6 against SEC teams. We should just give the Siemens trophy to UCLA, since they deserved it more and they obviously have more chemistry then us. /sarcasm.</div>

Someone should slap you right now, just because you won the championship doesn't mean you are the best team. If you guys played teams like UConn, Texas, Duke, maybe even West Virginia you'd lose IMO. You guys got to play a #1 seed that played right into your style and you benefitted from it. If you guys play a team like UConn instead of Nova, your not as happy right now

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting J_Ray:</div><div class="quote_post">Someone should slap you right now, just because you won the championship doesn't mean you are the best team. If you guys played teams like UConn, Texas, Duke, maybe even West Virginia you'd lose IMO. You guys got to play a #1 seed that played right into your style and you benefitted from it. If you guys play a team like UConn instead of Nova, your not as happy right now </div>

We are the best TEAM. We may not have the most talent, but our talent is perfect for each other, everyone complements everyone. You guys might as well take the championship away from us right now. We don't deserve it. Let's give it to Uconn because they have the most talent, since all you need to win is talent. Next year we will make sure to schedule 6 teams to face in the tournament that will be hard games. We'll help them win games against the worse teams, because they obviously can't do it on their own.

I honestly think we would have taken Uconn in the tourney(with the way we were playing and the way they were sleepwalking through it). We match up extremely well against Duke(they were honestly the #1 that I wanted to face the most and Uconn/Nova was the least).

You say that Nova played right into us, I still don't see it. Yes our strength was their weakness, but it was vice versa too, their strength was our weakness and we have had trouble throughout the year with guards more than bigs(why we lost to Tennessee/South Carolina and not LSU).

I just love how we had one of the most dominating tourney performances in recent memory, but no one gives us any credit. It was obviously because we had the easiest OOC schedule in memory or because we had the easiest road to the National championship or because it was the weakest Final 4 in a long time. We definetely weren't the best team, maybe if we won each game by 20 we woulda been the best team, rather than the mere 16 ppg avg margin of victory that we had this year.

I'm still waiting to get slapped.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">That's completely subjective. Just because they won the tournament doesn't mean that they're the best team, have the best chemistry, or will have that chemistry next year. The tournament is all about matchups, and while I'm not using that as an excuse for Florida winning it all, it's the reason why Texas bowed out relatively early. Had they not lost a heartbreaker to LSU, you could have seen them win it all this year.</div>

You said Florida was overrated this season...and they win the Championship.

Now you say they won't be the best team next season...just cause of you, they will win another Championship.