SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Andy Hutchins

Florida basketball recruiting: 2015 F Kevarrius Hayes commits to Gators

2013-06-18T15:26:23Z

Florida's basketball recruiting focus of late has largely been on building a 2014 class to transition the Gators from a loaded 2013-14 roster to an uncertain future. Adding Kevarrius Hayes, a forward from the Class of 2015 who committed to the Gators on Monday night, as first reported by FOX Sports' Evan Daniels, means that Billy Donovan and his staff may be looking at the 2014 and 2015 classes together.

Hayes is listed at 6'9" and 190 pouns by both 247Sports and ESPN ($), is an ESPN 60 player in the 2015 class, checking in at No. 58. His impressive wingspan appears to be in the range of Al Horford's, despite Hayes just finishing his sophomore year of high school, and his athleticism is evident in this video.

But the name that comes up most often as a comparison for Hayes, who attends Live Oak's Suwannee High School and plays his AAU basketball with Nike Team Florida, is current Florida player Will Yeguete, and that seems to me to signal that Hayes is higher on energy and defensive intensity than polish. A scouting report from ESPN's Reggie Rankin ($) that calls him an "excellent shot-blocker" and a "relentless rebounder" without mentioning his ability to score except on putbacks and in transition backs that up.

But Hayes obviously won't be at Florida until about 48 months from now, and that's obviously a lot of time to improve. His commitment also gives the Gators a high-potential building block who could grow into one of the best post players in the 2015 class if his offensive game develops. Hayes holds a 3.0 GPA, and told Rankin he wants to be a doctor, so he surely knows that adding to his game may help him forestall that medical career.

Moreover, Hayes adds another name to the future rotations for Billy Donovan. Florida can count on Hayes, Class of 2014 point guard Chris Chiozza, and rising sophomores Michael Frazier, Dillon Graham, and DeVon Walker in 2015, but has no assurances that any of the other players currently on Florida's roster or incoming freshmen Kasey Hill and Chris Walker will still be around. (And Frazier's stock might well rise to the realm where leaving early for the NBA Draft makes sense.)

Because of that projection, which makes Hayes the Gators' only true frontcourt player locked up for the far future, and because Florida's been burnt on its recruitment of big men with the loss of local player Joel Embiid to Kansas and the decommitment of Schuyler Rimmer, it's critical that Donovan goes out and gets players like Hayes, even if it means locking them up very early. And it doesn't hurt that Hayes' Nike Team Florida team has long been a Florida pipeline, sending Yeguete, Scottie Wilbekin, Chandler Parsons, Nick Calathes, Walter Hodge, and DeVon Walker up to Gainesville, nor that big-time 2015 point guard Haanif Cheatham is on that team, too.

Florida probably likes what it sees in Hayes, and teams can never have too many active rebounders and shot-swatters. But Hayes' commitment, like Chiozza's before it, is as much about Billy Donovan's vision for the future of the Gators as it is about the players making the commitment. And with Donovan now offering and taking commitments from players who would theoretically graduate from Florida in 2019, it seems likely that the man who has become synonymous with the Gators of the hardwood is planning on being in Gainesville for many years to come.

Chomping at Bits: Florida basketball gets commitment from Kevarrius Hayes

2013-06-18T14:01:54Z

Chomping at Bits comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find. Got a link we should check out? Email us at AlligatorArmy@gmail.com, subject line CAB, or find us on Twitter at @AlligatorArmy or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AlligatorArmy.

2015 forward Kevarrius Hayes commits to Florida: He's from Suwannee High in Live Oak. We'll have a full story on this in a bit. (Kevin Brockway, The Gainesville Sun | Adam Silverstein, Only Gators | Terrence Payne, College Basketball Talk)

Michael Frazier makes USA U19 team: Big honor for Frazier. We might have more on this, too. (Gary Parrish, CBS Sports)

The top 10 Gators moments of 2012-13: Don't agree with all of the choices, but this list is solid. (Chris Harry, GatorZone)

Florida gets long odds for SEC title: Can't say I disagree with the odds. (Rodger Sherman, SB Nation)

Johnny Manziel is right: So much of the backlash toward Manziel seems to me to be about how ungrateful he seems. (Spencer Hall, SB Nation)

Finding yourself in America: Another searing read from one of the best writers working. (Kiese Laymon, Guernica)

Your Gators moment of zen:

14 dollars for boneless wings and I drink at the movies I might as well hit red lobster
— K.B #GTD (@K_Boynton1) June 18, 2013

The comments are yours.

Chomping at Bits: Billy Horschel ties for fourth at U.S. Open, Will Muschamp aware of Antonio Morrison arrest

2013-06-17T13:30:04Z

Billy Horschel ties for fourth at U.S. Open: He'll make almost $300,000 for his weekend. Not bad for a guy who only got his PGA Tour card for the 2013 season, and wore octopus pants on Sunday. (SB Nation)

Will Muschamp "aware of" and "handling" Antonio Morrison's arrest: What more can we ask?

Statement from Florida spokesperson Steve McClain re: Morrison arrest: "Coach Muschamp is aware of the situation and handling the matter."
— Kevin Brockway (@gatorhoops) June 16, 2013

Morrison released on own recognizance, says Huntley Johnson: So there's that.

G-ville attorney Huntley Johnson said Gators LB Antonio Morrison (simply battery) released from jail this morning on his own recognizance.
— Sentinel Gators beat (@osgators) June 17, 2013

#BringBackWhiteHelmets: I'm only on board with this if the white helmets are the Alabama throwbacks from 2006. (The Unsportsmanlike Gentleman, Our Two Bits)

Michael Frazier among 16 players still alive for USA U19 team: Billy Donovan is coaching this team. Will he cut his own guy? (GatorZone)

Mike Holloway earns Coach of the Year honors: Which is what you'd expect for the coach of the national champions. (GatorZone)

Your Gators moment of zen:

Dinner in Atlanta :) @jeffdriskel pic.twitter.com/SVAvwN0N3X
— Tarin Moses (@TarinMoses) June 15, 2013

Jeff Driskel perpetually looks like an 11th-grader to me.

The comments are yours.

Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison arrested for battery in nightclub incident

2013-06-16T15:00:45Z

Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison was arrested early Sunday morning after punching a bouncer at Kava Lounge in Gainesville, according to multiple reports from Gainesville Television Network reporters.

@GainesvillePD arrested UF football player Antonio Morrison last night for simple battery, @GPDBenTobias says. @JQuittner @mygtn
— Laura Christmas (@LauraChristmas1) June 16, 2013

Here is Morrison's mugshot. Morrison was arrested for "battery: touch or strike," under Florida statute 783.04.1a1. That law reads as follows:

784.03 Battery; felony battery.

(1)(a) The offense of battery occurs when a person:

1. Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or

2. Intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.

Morrison's charge is, thus, misdemeanor battery.

GTN reporter Joanna Wise provides more details on Morrison's arrest:

UF football player Antonio Morrison arrested for punching a bouncer on the side of the head. Bouncer wouldn't let him into Kava for free.
— Joanna Wise (@joannakwise) June 16, 2013

Antonio Morrison told bouncer, "Do you know who I am? I am a UF football player, I am Antonio!" Bouncer didn't care.
— Joanna Wise (@joannakwise) June 16, 2013

Update: The Gainesville Police Department's arrest report states that, at 2:15 a.m., Morrison had a conversation with the bouncer at Kava, and asked about a discount, then yelled "Don't you know who I am? I am a football player! I'm Antonio!" According to two witnesses, Morrison then hit the bouncer with a closed fist on the top of the head.

The victim told the arresting officer he looked up Morrison on the Florida website between the time of the incident and the officer's arrival. Morrison told the officer he had a "scuffle" with the bouncer, but said it wasn't a big deal, and that he was intoxicated at the time. (Morrison is 19, and thus not of legal age for alcohol consumption.)

Playing the "Do you know who I am?" card is always going to work poorly for you, no matter who you are. It should also be noted that Morrison receiving free admission could have been an NCAA violation if bouncers at Kava Lounge, a bar and hookah lounge at 1007 W University Avenue, do not otherwise provide discretionary free admission to members of the general public.

Morrison contributed extensively as a freshman in 2012, most memorably jarring the ball loose from EJ Manuel on a hit that swung Florida's win over Florida State, and is expected to be Florida's starting middle linebacker in the fall. His arrest on a misdemeanor charge, even one with details as ugly as this, is unlikely to produce more than an indefinite suspension from Will Muschamp, and Morrison is unlikely to miss games because of it. It is a safe bet that Morrison lawyers up (with Huntley Johnson) and gets a deferred prosecution arrangement from a court.

But it's still very disappointing when any Florida player has a run-in with the law, and Morrison's arrest ends a relatively long string of arrest-free off-the-field conduct from Gators football players. The last Gators football player arrested was Loucheiz Purifoy, in February, but his marijuana possession charge was dropped; the last Florida arrest that stuck was Jessamen Dunker's, for grand theft scooter, in January, and Dunker has since transferred from Florida.

Chomping At Bits: Billy Horschel leading 2013 U.S. Open

2013-06-15T14:37:42Z

Billy Horschel leads U.S. Open through 36 holes: Sure, he's sharing the lead with some Mickelson guy. But, whatever: A kid from Brevard County and Florida is leading the U.S. Open. The 321 is representing this weekend. (Brendan Porath, SB Nation | U.S. Open Leaderboard)

Florida's track trophy on the way: The Gators lost a coin flip to Texas A&M and didn't get to take a trophy home last week, but the NCAA is providing. (Scott Carter, Carter's Corner | GatorZone)

Jeff Driskel, Heisman dark horse: Bruce Feldman likes his (long) odds. (Bruce Feldman, CBS Sports)

Far too early Week 1 previews: I agree that these are far too early. (Morgan Moriarty, Our Two Bits)

What's the last Beatles album? I had no idea this was a debate. Then again, I'm not old. (Rob Sheffield, Pop Life | Rolling Stone)

Stop being annoying on Twitter: I'm proud to be mostly skeptical of these rather crappy ploys for attention. (Benjamin Hart, The Awl)

But this really is a must-read: Unless, you know, you're in the habit of passing up stories about driving like a maniac to get to the hospital when your child is literally hanging out of your wife. (Matt Crossman, SB Nation Longform)

Your Gators moment of zen: This is apparently what you say before playing a round and taking a share of the lead into the weekend.

Well crazy day of golf. Wait around, play a hole, wait around more then play to darkness. Played solid just no putts went in. Long day 2mrw!
— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) June 14, 2013

The comments are yours.

Chomping at Bits: Mike Zunino's Mariners call-up, Texas A&M AD taunts Alabama

2013-06-14T16:03:40Z

How Mike Zunino made it to the majors so fast: Basically, the Mariners are terrible. (Richard Johnson, The Independent Florida Alligator)

Tim Tebow's baseball chops: People seem to forget that Tebow's unorthodox throwing motion was blamed on his baseball days for quite a while. (Marc Normandin, SB Nation)

Jeff Driskel's baseball shock: The Red Sox picking him came as a surprise to many. (Patricia Butler, The Independent Florida Alligator)

Texas A&M athletic director now taunting Alabama: Poke the bear. Poke the Bear. Do it. (Patrick Vint, SB Nation)

SB Nation SEC blogs roundtable on nine-game schedules: Lots of resignation here. (SB Nation)

Nick Saban, the Tennessee intruder: Great little story from one of the SEC's oft-forgotten rivalries. (Steven Godfrey, SB Nation)

What's the SEC's best all-time team? It's Alabama, says an Alabama fan. (bammer, Roll 'Bama Roll)

The most dedicated Texas basketball fan calls it quits: Makes me want to spend a year on the Gators' trail. (Eamonn Brennan, ESPN)

?uestlove in his middle age: I find the dude fascinating, and I hope you do, too. (Jenna Sauers, The Village Voice)

Your Gators moment of zen:

Apparently my little brother ran away from @GenGen_LaCaze and @CoryMcGee1 at Publix? He said you two were too pretty... #AwkwardTeen
— John-Logan Hines (@JL_Hines) June 11, 2013

@JL_Hines @GenGen_LaCaze @CoryMcGee1 Are you sure it wasn't because of their bulging muscles? :)
— Matt DeLancey (@Matt_DeLancey) June 11, 2013

@JL_Hines @CoryMcGee1 he was too cute. We tried to talk to him but as I went to speak he had already checked out and was outside publix??
— Genevieve LaCaze (@GenGen_LaCaze) June 11, 2013

@Matt_DeLancey @jl_hines @gengen_lacaze it was definitely the muscles, Matt. Sorry to scare your bro, jl. We can't help it.
— Cory McGee (@CoryMcGeeRuns) June 12, 2013

The comments are yours.

Florida's 2013-14 athletics budget: Gators lost $854K on Sugar Bowl, O'Connell Center renovations planned for summer 2014

2013-06-12T18:46:22Z

The summer means the slow trickle of news for the 2013-14 Florida athletic calendar, and one of those sources of news is the athletics budget. David Jones of the FLORIDA TODAY — my hometown paper, and the first paper I ever wrote for — is dropping a lot of those gems on Twitter right now.

Here they are, compiled, with a little reaction to each.

The UAA approved a budget for the 2013-14 year on Wednesday for $100.4 million. #Gators budget the last 3 years beenover $96 million.
— David Jones (@DaveJonesUFbeat) June 12, 2013

I believe this is the first time there's been a Florida athletics budget exceeding $100 million. It may never dip under that mark again.

UAA budgets were 96.7 million in 2012-13, just under 99 in 2011-12, 96.5 in 2010-11, over 89 in 2009-10 and 84 in 2008-09. #Gators
— David Jones (@DaveJonesUFbeat) June 12, 2013

If memory serves, part of the reason for the bump in Florida's budget in 2011-12 was the development and construction of the new Florida gymnastics facility on the north side of the O'Connell Center. Speaking of the O'Dome...

Florida hopes to begin proposed $50 million renovation for the basketball arenanext summer. $40 million coming from current fundraising.
— David Jones (@DaveJonesUFbeat) June 12, 2013

I believe this is the first time Florida has semi-publicly stated a timeframe for the renovation of the O'Connell Center. That project may well eat into some of the fall season for Gators sports, though volleyball is the only sport that plays games in the O'Connell Center in the fall, so it will probably be begun early in the summer of whatever year it happens.

Florida says it lost $854,000 by playing in the Sugar Bowl because in large part of unsold tickets.
— David Jones (@DaveJonesUFbeat) June 12, 2013

We all knew Florida was struggling to sell Sugar Bowl tickets, but a loss of nearly a million dollars is a colossal one, even for a program as well-equipped to absorb it as Florida. There are many reasons that the SEC wants to control bowl locations and reduce ticket allotments for its schools, and baths like that one are prime among them.

Still, Florida's making a healthy return on its investment in athletics:

Alabama top revenue producer last year at 124.8 million in SEC. #Gators second at 120.7 with A&M third at 119.7 and LSU fourth at 114.7.
— David Jones (@DaveJonesUFbeat) June 12, 2013

A $20 million profit despite an avoidable loss of almost a million dollars is a really good return for a $100 million corporation, and that's without considering some of the sneaky things college athletics programs can do to disguise ongoing expenses and hide revenues. Florida's got very little to worry about in terms of finances right now, and vigilant protection of its revenue streams will help secure a strong future.

We'll add to this post as more numbers become available.

Tim Tebow to the Patriots: What it means, and what it doesn't

2013-06-12T16:34:05Z

Tim Tebow signed a two-year deal with the New England Patriots on Tuesday. You may have heard about that. And you may have read some of the many, many, many things written about the move.

But, while I think the majority of those analyses have been smart and valuable, I think it's also important to note that there are a few things this signing clearly isn't, and a few more that it might be. Plus, hell, it's a slow week in our world.

Tim Tebow is not Tom Brady's successor

The Patriots have proven to be adept at many things, but they have never done something as ridiculous as taking a player with Tebow's underwhelming level of talent and making him a perennial starter. The myth of the Patriots early in the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era was that Brady was a caretaker who quarterbacked a bad offense to perfection; Brady's career stats reveal that he completed more than 60 percent of his passes in every one of his NFL seasons after 2000 (when he was 1-for-3 as a rookie), had no seasons with more than a 3.0 percent interception rate, and had no seasons with a quarterback rating lower than the 83.9 he compiled in the one-game season he played in 2008, after Bernard Pollard wrecked his knee.

Brady was always very accurate and very good; surrounding him with talent like Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez has only made him and the Patriots offense better. The Patriots didn't make Brady great; he was always sort of great.

Tebow is not going to usurp Brady, nor is he likely to usurp Ryan Mallett, who is rather firmly entrenched in the backup's role with the Pats. And he doesn't have to be, which is good for him.

This is low-risk for reasons unique to the Patriots

Only the most fanatical of Tebow supporters honestly believe that Tebow should start or be given a chance in New England, and those beliefs are clearly irrational. But while those beliefs were still irrational to a degree during Tebow's lost year in New York, the poor play of Mark Sanchez and low profile of Greg McElroy gave the calls for Tebow to start just enough legitimacy to be entertained. New England won't have that problem, even if Brady struggles (he won't) or gets hurt (unlikely), because it has a solid No. 1 and a solid No. 2, neither of which the Jets had.

The Patriots are one of the very few teams in the NFL with an ironclad starter and an obvious backup plan, which affords them the luxury of bringing in Tebow and the instant and insane quarterback controversy he brings. And both parts matter here: The 2012 Denver Broncos could have been in the same position, had they had a backup to Peyton Manning, but didn't want to risk the prospect of Manning struggling while Tebow hung around, giving Tebow loyalists in their fan base a chance to whine loudly. Lest we forget, while Manning was excellent with the Broncos, they started 2-3, and his worst game of the year came in Week 2 against the Falcons; there would have been a week or two of manufactured "Did the Broncos make a mistake?" if Denver had kept Tebow. Instead, Denver freed itself from that prospect, while the Jets invited it, and Sanchez struggling throughout 2012 made that a constant headache for Rex Ryan. The Patriots' smart team construction obviates having to deal with that prospect, and nulls many of the drawbacks of bringing Tebow aboard.

There's also this: The Patriots have proven that they will sign almost anyone and get rid of almost anyone, and at any time, and largely earned the benefit of the doubt from media and fans when doing so. Chad Johnson was an afterthought during his year in New England; Moss was disposed of when he proved to no longer be valuable; Corey Dillon and Fred Taylor and Junior Seau were brought in and discarded with virtually no fanfare. The Patriots don't do fanfare, and definitely do ruthlessness, and thus the default opinion on this move, for many, is "Well, the Patriots are smart, and they know what they're doing, so I guess this makes sense." That may or may not be accurate, but it definitely inures the Pats from the criticism a less-esteemed team (like, say, the Jacksonville Jaguars) would take with a Tebow signing.

No other team, furthermore, would get the ancillary benefit of people honestly believing an NFL team would pick up a player for the purposes of schadenfreude that many are willing to give the Patriots. NFL roster spots are precious, and the Patriots understand this as well as anyone, so I don't think there's any way this signing is more than very, very tangentially about sticking it to the Jets, but the Patriots get to play into the perception anyway. And even if they end up cutting Tebow in August, there will still be a segment of observers who respond with "Well, that just proves the Patriots are smarter than the Jets" or similar.

Finally, the Patriots are better-equipped than any other team to stop Tebowmania at the door of their castle. Tebowmania will endure, no matter how many brusque answers Belichick gives at press conferences, because of Tebow's immense popularity, but the Pats have being boring down to a science, and they won't be more than occasionally and minimally bothered by it.

At worst, the Patriots now have a dual-threat scout team quarterback

I hadn't even considered this prospect until talking with a friend last night, but the revolution of dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL — two of whom, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick, gave the Patriots fits in losses in 2012 — means that preparing for dual-threat quarterbacks is more important than ever. And the best way to do that is to actually practice against a dual-threat quarterback, something that Tebow can certainly pantomime in practice.

So what if his throwing motion is still weird, or inaccurate? The Pats would still get to see what a mobile quarterback moving around does against defensive looks, and can glean insight from seeing how receivers get open whether the passes thud at their feet or not. Tebow is also a serviceable practictioner of the zone read, and an actual threat as a runner — something that Brady is unequivocally not, and something that Mallett more or less isn't — which gives the Pats another look in practice.

There are obvious flaws with this thinking: Tebow, as a lefty, is going to roll in the opposite direction from Wilson, Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Ryan Tannehill, EJ Manuel, and so on — the only other mobile lefty I can think of is Alex Smith; Tebow doesn't have nearly the combination of arm strength or speed those guys possess, and thus makes for an inferior copy; signing a player to the active roster to use him as a practice squad player is stupid. But this is the worst-case scenario in which Tebow remains on the New England roster; those flaws don't make Tebow as QB chameleon implausible, just less valuable.

If Tebow fails, it will be on him

Twice now, Tim Tebow has been let go by an NFL team with some of his fans whining about how he didn't get a fair shake. In Denver, it was because he "deserved" a chance to continue to grow with a team he led to improbable success; in New York, it was because not playing Tebow as the Jets' season circled the drain became an injustice done to a player who seems to do nothing but work hard. These fans seem, to me, to protest the unfairness of aspects of a millionaire athlete's career a lot quicker than many of the millions of other unfair aspects of American life, but this much is true: There was something on the bone for them to cling to and gnaw on.

That won't be the case in New England. If and when the Patriots end up releasing him, it will be because that is what the Patriots do, and not because of a perceived injustice done to him; the Patriots treating practically every player as disposable means that Tebow is, of course, disposable. He knows that, the Patriots know that, and the media members who will be called on to explain that move know that. And, finally, the partisans who defend Tebow blindly won't have a soapbox to stand on.

This signing isn't for the benefit of Tim Tebow, like his last change of teams, a trade to New York that Tebow said he had input on, except in the sense that it really is Tebow's last, best chance to create a career as an NFL player for himself. Tebow better be ready to make every second of this opportunity benefit him, and ready to be a benefit in any way possible to New England: When the Patriots think it doesn't benefit them for Tim Tebow to be a Patriot anymore, he won't be.

And, for once, it will inarguably be because Tebow wasn't good enough, not because he deserved better. The Patriots are one of the smartest NFL franchises because they know one of the coldest truths about the NFL, and life: Deserve's got nothing to do with it.