Future Gator Point Guard

If you are like me, you never heard of Nimrod Tishman until late July. Nimrod really broke out in the international hoops scene in the 2009 U18 European Championship. He averaged 18.3 ppg to go with 4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 6 games. Nimrod is a 6′ 5″ point guard that looks a lot like Nick Calathes on tape. Florida  just has one true point guard, Erving Walker, on scholarship, and incoming freshman Kenny Boynton planned to handle some point.

N-Rod was a huge addition to the Gators roster by Coach Donovan. The Gators tried to pick up highly touted point guards John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and Lamont Jones after Nick Calathes left to play for Panathinaikos out of Greece.

The NCAA Clearinghouse is still reviewing his amateur status since Nimrod played on Maccabi Tel-Aviv club team. He has already enrolled in classes and will be wearing Al Horford’s old jersey #42.

Who needs words for this hit!

Gators’ strength and conditioning coordinator Mickey Marotti talks about how the Summer workouts aim to rid Florida Gators football team of complacency. Right now, the Gators are working out five days a week: four days work ing out in the weight room and three of running speed drills. Fridays are for team-building activities.

On an issue that never seems like it is going to deal here is another article covering the Gators Arrest record. This time the article is Pointing the Finger at Those Who Point the Finger. With the legal issues we need to know about how UF athletes put their fate in attorney Huntley Johnson’s hands. Mike Bianchi wants to give the Zooker credit for the 2006 National Championship in his “If you blame Zooker for Gators’ arrests, he should get national title credit, too?”

In Gators’ Hoops news Pitino Jr. goes his own way and talks about his decision to leave his father’s wing and branch out on his own. Also Point Guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones is showing interest in the Gators, and would be a big pick up with the departure of Nick Calathes.

Planning a wedding? Well, why not make it a Gator Wedding? Florida GATORS Inspired Wedding Garter Set with Marabou Pouf.

With Harvin Gone Who Steps Up?

Heading into the 2009 there is a good chance that 2009 Gators will open as the preseason # 1. The debate will begin with the worthiness of this team to open this high and how Texas, USC, and Oklahoma should be ranked in the useless preseason top spot. If you really consider the situation carefully, this team is going to be improved in just about every way. The defense is going to be two deep in every position, Tebow is back, and the running game is more secure than in the past. However, the one spot that is going to have to improve is the Gators Wide Receiver Position. Right now the roster looks like this:

2009 WRs - David Nelson, Carl Moore, Brandon James, Justin Williams, T.J. Lawrence, Frankie Hammond, Riley Cooper, Deonte Thompson, Paul Wilson, Omarius Hines

2009 WRs Recruits - Andre Debose, Nu’Keese Richardson

Just looking at this list on paper, you see a lot of four and five star recruits with tons of raw talent, but when you start to look at  results from actual game situations, this group lacks an impressive resume. A bunch of these guys had key catches in the 2008, but it would be a stretch to say any of them had a great game. The top returning pass catcher from last year is not even a WR. Aaron Hernandez hauled in 34 receptions last year with 5 TDs. From there the stats drop to 18 receptions from Riley Cooper and Deonte Thompson. David Nelson has shown signs he could be the replacement for Louis Murphy, but I would put Murphy further along coming into his Senior season.

I’m pretty sure no one in Gator Nation thinks any of these guys are going to be a replacement for Percy Harvin. His unreal first step and home run threat each time he touched the ball are going to be missed a lot more as the 2009 season continues. So is it all gloom and doom for the Gators next year, No! I just see Billy Gonzales having push this group a lot harder that last year to get them ready for life in the SEC. So who’s ready to step up for 2009?

Other Gator stuff:

• GatorCountry found this great article by Smart Football on the The Florida Gator/Urban Meyer Offense.

• Just how good is Nick Calathes.