<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Gator Boys rode into Gainesville together ? and they are going to try and leave together. Florida's foursome of Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green are expected to make an announcement at 4 p.m. ET this afternoon that they will each be declaring for the NBA Draft, according to a source close to the Gators program. The four juniors will make the announcement a day prior to the celebration scheduled for Friday in Gainesville. Noah, Horford and Brewer each passed up probable first-round contracts a year ago to return to Gainesville. They accomplished their goal of becoming the first team since Duke in 1991-92 to win back-to-back national titles when they knocked off Ohio State on Monday night. Noah, Horford and Brewer are near-locks to be taken in the first round this year while Green's status is unclear. It's expected to be a fairly weak point guard crop. All four players averaged between 12 and 13.3 points this season. Green led the team at 13.3 while Brewer and Horford averaged 13.2 and Noah averaged 12 points. The team's fifth starter, Lee Humphrey, was a senior. </div> http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6647746
^ Billy D still has some of the best young players in the country coming in next year, and Mareese Speights, Dan Werner and Walter Hodge are no slouches. The Gators next year will be very, very young, but they'll also have elite talent on the roster. The only guy I'm surprised to see go is Green. At 6'0", he doesn't have 1st round size, and he's not excellent in any one area of the game. He's a reliable 3pt shooter, but he isn't great off the dribble, which means he may have a hard time finding his shot in the NBA. I like him as a 1, and he's probably more an NBA style point guard anyways, but I'd have liked to see him improve his playmaking skills a bit more. I know I'm probably nitpicking, but of the four Juniors, I really did expect Green to stay another year.
<div class="quote_poster">Apollo Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Wow and Billy D still wants to stay, I would of moved on to Kentucky.</div> With the talent that he's guaranteed to have next year with the current players and the incoming recruiting class, I believe we still have more talent then Kentucky. We had a lot of talent on the bench with Hodge, Speights, Mitchell, Powell, Werner and like Schaddy said our incoming recruiting class should be pretty sick. Also with all of them leaving I will be surprised if Patrick Patterson does not come to Florida. While we won't be a favorite next year I think this team should still make the tournament and when you doubt this team they come up and surprise you. Unranked 2 years ago to winning a national championship. This is what I think our lineup will look like.... PG-Calathes SG-Hodge SF-Mitchell/Werner PF-Patterson(or Mitchell/Werner/Tyus/Parsons) C-Speights It doesn't look like much now, but Calathes is one of the most highly thought of recruits coming in. Hodge should be a stud, he can shoot lights out and seems to get to the rim whenever he feels like it. I think Mitchell will be a very good player for us and Werner struggled last year, but if he can get some confidence with his shot, he should be decent too. Speights is so active around the basket and he should be a very good low post offensive threat. Our biggest weakness right now is depth at the guards. Right now we have Calathes/Hodge/Brandon Powell(barely played this year)/Adam Allen(incoming freshman). We are loaded at SF/PF type players, but could use another big body like Patrick Patterson.
Nice, I hear Oden was going to do the same as these guys, so does that mean he's leaving too now? This class was great and I see them all having long careers in the NBA. I think Horford has the most upside out of the group. Horford has the NBA body, always got to face good competition by guarding best opposing teams big man and he's just got that potential. I don't particulary like Noah except for the energy he puts out at times but he just seems lazy to me. Brewer could be a Bruce Bowen type player at the next level. Then I think Green is a Jameer Nelson type player on the next level.
It would be interesting to see them all come back again. Most of them come from households where money isn't an issue to them, if they all came back as seniors that would be sick as hell. Billy Donovan is a genius for the way he played his cards for Kentucky. He made them wait out for a few days, used that as a negotiating chip for the Gators, while a huge rival school in the SEC still doesn't have a coach, losing money from boosters and whatnot. Well done by Donovan.
I figured they would leave after this year, as I guess everyone else did. It will be interesting to see what Billy Donovan can do with next year's team. He'll be facing what I'd like to call the "Roy Williams Dilemma." Losing most of his offensive and defensive weapons after winning the national championship. I think we'll see Pearl's Tennessee squad dominate the SEC next year now that the four Fla. juniors have decided to move on. He will have everyone returning with an exception of Dane Bradshaw. This team will not only win the SEC, but they will also be a serious contender to win the NCAA championship, IMO...
