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  • #8 Florida defeats UNF with balanced offensive effort, defensive intensity

    #8 Florida defeats UNF with balanced offensive effort, defensive intensity

    FINAL: FLORIDA 108, NORTH FLORIDA 68

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    UNF 23 45 X 68
    FLORIDA 45 63 X 108

    GAINESVILLE, FL- The #8 Florida Gators used a balanced offensive effort to defeat the North Florida Ospreys 108-68 on Thursday. Florida had six scorers in double figures on the day and for the first time since 2003 the Gators surpassed one hundred points in back-to-back games.

    Florida junior KeVaughn Allen led Florida with 18 points on 6-10 from the field including 4-7 from behind the three-point arc. Allen started the game hot as he scored the Gators first basket less than a minute into the game. Allen finished with just nine points in the season opening victory over Gardner-Webb on Monday and told SEC Network after the game that he just had to continue to be aggressive.

    The Gators shot 53% from the field including 11-25 on trey attempts and outrebounded the Ospreys 49-31. Florida’s defense remained stifling, forcing North Florida into 17 turnovers and allowing the fast-tempo of the Ospreys to only shoot 38%.

    For the second straight game Florida was able to empty their entire bench including former managers turned walk-ons Andrew Fava and Mak Krause. Both players managed to score in the contest, to which they received thunderous applause from the crowd and the Gators bench.

    Florida was led by Keith Stone (14), Egor Koulechov (13), Gorjok Gak (12), DeAundrae Ballard (12), and Jalen Hudson (12) in addition to Allen’s effort. Koulechov finished with a double-double following his historic debut on Monday, finishing with a team leading 10 rebounds. Senior Chris Chiozza finished with 7 assists while only accounting for two turnovers.

    Gak, making his first career start, finished with 12 points while going 4-4 from the field in only ten minutes of action. Perhaps the most important player for Florida until senior John Egbunu returns from an injury in January, Gak has come a long way since debuting for Florida last year. Gak has added weight to his 6-11 frame and has clearly gotten better at the fundamentals, including free-throw shooting. Last season, Gak went 1-10 from the charity stripe. On Thursday, Gak hit all four of his free-throw attempts.

    Florida is 2-0 and will face New Hampshire at Exactech Arena on Sunday at 6:00 PM.

    RECORDS:

    • NORTH FLORIDA: 0-4
    • FLORIDA: 2-0

    Team Stats:

    UNF FLORIDA
    FG % 38 53
    3-PT % 25 44
    FT % 73 65
    Offensive Rebounds 9 19
    Total Rebounds 31 49
    Assists 10 24
    Steals 1 13
    Blocks 1 4
    Turnovers 17 7

    What’s Next:

    Florida will face New Hampshire (1-1) on Sunday at Exactech Arena. The Wildcats defeated Wheelock College in their opener last Friday 95-39, but fell to Texas 78-60 on Tuesday. Vermont is led by forward Tanner Leissner who is averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds.

    Florida vs New Hampshire

    November 19, 2017

    7:00 PM / Exactech Arena

    SEC Network

    (Photo via AP Images, taken in December 2016)

  • Is Chip Kelly’s agent in Gainesville? It sure looks like it!

    Is Chip Kelly’s agent in Gainesville? It sure looks like it!

    At approximately 6:30 PM on Wednesday, I received a message from a trusted friend with a link to a YouTube video. The message simply stated: Chip Kelly’s agent arrives in Gainesville.

    With Florida searching for a new head coach, and all the rumors swirling regarding Chip Kelly, I was intrigued. The first thing I did, before even watching was look up David Dunn (the agent) on Google Images. I then watched the video. In fact, I watched several times.

    The timestamp on the video is 4:30 PM on 11-15-17. I noticed the sharp resemblance of the first man off the plane to that of David Dunn.

    As this began to circulate, the video was pulled by YouTube, and the link no longer works. Fortunately, I managed the screenshot seen above. I know it isn’t the clearest picture, but it was the best I could do with my resources at the time.

    I have confirmed through several sources that this is an official UAA plane that took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and landed at Gainesville Regional Airport.

    While I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty that David Dunn is the passenger in this picture, it certainly does bare reporting.

    More photos of David Dunn:

  • Florida’s late rally falls short against Arkansas State

    Florida’s late rally falls short against Arkansas State

    FINAL: ARKANSAS STATE 70, FLORIDA 69

    1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT FINAL
    ASU 17 14 22 17 X 70
    FLORIDA 14 18 20 17 X 69

    GAINESVILLE, FL- The Florida Gators did almost everything wrong on Tuesday, but still had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. After forcing a five-second violation with 5.6 seconds remaining, Florida senior Dyandria Anderson hoisted a three-point shot that rimmed out and was rebounded by Arkansas State’s Akasha Westbrook. Arkansas State (1-1) defeated Florida (1-1) 70-69.

    Florida turned the ball over 23 times and gave up 20 offensive rebounds to a team that, according to ASU coach Brian Boyer, “couldn’t match up size-wise [to Florida].” Boyer did mention that his team had focused on outmatching Florida’s athleticism due to the size advantage.

    Florida made it a one point game after a three pointer by Funda Nakkasoglu with 20 seconds left in the game. Gators coach Cameron Newbauer attempted to call a time out to discuss strategy, but it was just late as the Red Wolves had already inbounded the ball. What ensued was a confused Florida team that couldn’t hear the coaching staff on the far bench, allowing almost 15 seconds to tick off the clock before finally committing a foul. Nakkasoglu said that “we can’t always look to the bench,” but also implied that the players on the court needed to communicate better.

    Amazingly, Florida forced the five second call, and still had a chance to win the game. “We did not deserve to win regardless of the last shot,” Newbauer said during the postgame press conference. “We did not find shooters…and we were outfought in every area [of the game].”

    Nakkasoglu led Florida with 16 points on 6-9 shooting, including 4-5 from behind the three-point arc. Grad-transfer Paulina Hersler recorded the first double-double of her career with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Hersler’s previous career high was 7 rebounds. Sophomore Delicia Washington added 11 points to the cause.

    Jada Ford scored 17 points off the bench to lead Arkansas State. Peyton Martin added 15 and Westbrook contributed 14 more.

    Florida will attempt to regroup to face #17 Florida State on Friday at Exactech Arena. When asked about preparing for the Seminoles, Newbauer said it was more about self-reflection and correcting their mistakes. “We aren’t a good enough team, we have no margin for error. We must learn a lot when we lose.”

    TEAM STATS:

    ASU FLORIDA
    FG % 38 51
    3-PT % 42 40
    FT % 60 69
    Offensive Rebounds 20 13
    Total Rebounds 33 41
    Assists 12 15
    Steals 9 2
    Blocks 2 5
    Turnovers 11 23

    WHAT’S NEXT:

    Florida finishes a three game homestand with rival Florida State. Florida State is 2-0 with wins over North Florida (109-51) and Jacksonville State (75-51).

    Florida vs Florida State

    November 17, 2017

    7:00 PM / Exactech Arena

  • Newcomer Egor Koulechov leads Florida past Gardner Webb

    Newcomer Egor Koulechov leads Florida past Gardner Webb

    FINAL: FLORIDA 116, GARDNER WEBB 74

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    GW 32 42 X 74
    FLORIDA 55 61 X 116

    GAINESVILLE, FL- Egor Koulechov was one of the top transfers after the 2016-17 season, and Florida coach Mike White landed the stud three point shooter. It didn’t take long for Gator Nation to realize they got a good one. Koulechov scored 34 points in his debut, leading the #8 Gators to a 116-74 domination of Gardner Webb.

    Koulechov finished 11-17 from the field (including 6-9 from 3-point range) and added five rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals to his stat line. This set the school record for most points in a debut, surpassing Tom Baxley’s 32 point debut against Miami in 1962.

    The Gators began the game with authority as junior guard KeVaughn Allen completed an alley-oop from Jalen Hudson just three seconds into the contest. The first eight minutes of the game were fairly even matched, in fact, the Running Bulldogs actually led 14-13 with just under 12 minutes to go in the first half. Koulechov hit a three pointer with 11:42 remaining to give Florida the lead, and the Gators never trailed again.

    The Gators shot a smooth 58% from the field while limiting Gardner Webb to just 42% (which increased significantly over the last ten minutes after Florida emptied their bench). Florida attempted 29 three-pointers, converting 15. Florida was credited with assists on 26 of their 40 made field goals and only turned the ball over 8 times.

    Florida was able to use their entire roster of active players, including former managers turned walk-ons Andrew Fava and Mak Krause. Eleven of the Gators players scored in the game and four managed double-digit points. Hudson (16), freshman Deaundrae Ballard (14), freshman Mike Okauru (13) joined Koulechov in double figures. Sophomore Gorjok Gak led the Gators with 7 rebounds and senior Chris Chiozza finished with six assists.

    The Gators improve to 1-0 for the 27th consecutive year and will face North Florida on Thursday.

    RECORDS:

    • GARDNER WEBB: 0-2
    • FLORIDA: 1-0

    Team Stats:

    GW FLORIDA
    FG % 42 58
    3-PT % 30 52
    FT % 71 78
    Offensive Rebounds 9 12
    Total Rebounds 29 43
    Assists 9 26
    Steals 2 6
    Blocks 0 8
    Turnovers 14 8

    What’s Next:

    Florida will face North Florida at Exactech Arena on Thursday at 7:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. North Florida is 0-3 after losses to #2 Michigan State, Michigan, and VCU.

    Florida vs North Florida

    November 16, 2017

    7:00 PM / Exactech Arena

  • Heitner: Chip Kelly could be hired by end of week

    Heitner: Chip Kelly could be hired by end of week

    The old adage goes, where there is smoke, there is fire. That appears to be especially true in regards to Chip Kelly and the vacant Florida football head coach position.

    Last Thursday, Marc Ryan of 98.7 FM in Tampa tweeted the following:

    This set off a firestorm of responses through the Twitter-verse, some favorable and some not so favorable. By Saturday morning, the Florida head coach prop bet had been taken off the books by all Las Vegas (and online) sports books.

    Well, on Monday Darren Heitner of The Sports Agent Blog, tweeted that Chip Kelly is the leading candidate for the Florida job, stating that UF prefers a candidate without ties to agent Jimmy Sexton (Jim McElwain’s agent).

    If Heitner’s report is true, it appears that Florida will have a new head coach by the end of the week. Kelly would have the opportunity to start recruiting right away, giving Florida the chance to maintain a 2018 class that ranks #8 nationally.

    Kelly went 46-7 at Oregon before being hired by the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelly is known for his up-tempo offense, something Florida fans would enjoy seeing employed in Gainesville.

  • Florida-Florida State kickoff set for 12:00 PM

    Florida-Florida State kickoff set for 12:00 PM

    On Monday the SEC announced the start times for the football games on Thanksgiving Day weekend.

    Among those matchups is the heated Florida-Florida State rivalry game.

    Florida will face the Seminoles at noon on Saturday, November 25. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

    Both teams are currently 3-6 with little likelihood of reaching a bowl game, although FSU announced last week that they would make up a missed game against Louisiana-Monroe in an effort to get to eligible for a bowl game.

    Florida has the ability to make a bowl game with a 5-6 record due to a high APR scored.

  • Florida women “gave people something to watch” in first win

    Florida women “gave people something to watch” in first win

    FINAL: FLORIDA 82, GEORGIA STATE 66

    1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT FINAL
    GSU 20 11 18 17 X 66
    FLORIDA 20 18 20 24 X 82

    GAINESVILLE, FL- The University of Florida women’s basketball team ushered in a new era on Saturday with an 82-66 victory over Georgia State. Florida head coach Cameron Newbauer became the first coach hired under Athletic Director Scott Stricklin after the firing of Amanda Butler at the conclusion of last season.

    Georgia State jumped on Florida at the beginning of the game with a 8-0 run to start the contest. Florida showed resiliency and fought back, and by the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 20. The Gators dominated much of the game by shooting at a 47% clip and going 10-31 from behind the three-point arc.

    The Gators recorded an assist on 22 of their 33 made field goals and outrebounded the Panthers 46-38. Seniors Haley Lorenzen and and Dyandria Anderson led Florida in scoring with 18 points apiece, while fellow upperclassman (graduate transfer) Paulina Hersler scored a career high 15. Lorenzen also added 12 rebounds.

    Georgia State was led by Jada Lewis who tallied 20 points while guard Shay Fluker added 15 points and 13 rebounds.

    Newbauer was impressed with the resiliency of his team after giving up extended runs. He was particularly proud of how the team “stayed calm, stayed the course.” The team has adapted to a “we over me” attitude and “gave people something to watch.”

    TEAM STATS:

    GSU FLORIDA
    FG % 39 47
    3-PT % 38 32
    FT % 50 55
    Offensive Rebounds 17 18
    Total Rebounds 38 46
    Assists 11 22
    Steals 7 8
    Blocks 4 3
    Turnovers 20 15

    WHAT’S NEXT:

    Florida continues a three game homestand with a game against Arkansas State on Tuesday night. The Red Wolves are 0-1 with a 93-51 defeat at Indiana on Saturday.

    Florida vs Arkansas State

    November 14, 2017

    7:00 PM / Exactech Arena

  • Florida advances in NCAA Tournament with 3-1 victory over S. Alabama

    Florida advances in NCAA Tournament with 3-1 victory over S. Alabama

    Two programs located just 404 miles apart finally met for the first time in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators women’s soccer team defeated the South Alabama Jaguars 3-1 in an opening round match at Dizney Stadium on the UF campus.

    Florida got on the board in the 34th minute after a series of quick touches resulted in a goal by Madison Alexander. The play started at the top of the 18-yard box where Sarah Troccoli hit a streaking Gabby Seiler who then sent a ball across the box where Alexander finished with a one-touch goal.

    Florida scored once more before halftime as Melanie Monteagudo scored on a solid individual effort with just over a minute remaining before the intermission.

    Less than ten minutes into the second period Florida increased it’s lead to 3-0 when Troccoli one-touched a perfect pass from Monteagudo into the back of the net.

    The Jaguars added a late goal (85th minute) after a poor pass attempt by the Gators defense.

    The Gators are headed to the second round for the 17th time in the program’s 21 tournament appearances. Florida will host either FGCU or USF (the winner of Saturday’s first round match) next Friday.

  • 4-star WR JaMarr Chase decommits from Florida

    4-star WR JaMarr Chase decommits from Florida

    In July the Florida Gators were riding a high after the commitment of 4-star quarterback Matt Corral from California. Recruits across the country wanted to come to Florida to play with the talented QB. Among those that wanted to share the field with Corral was Louisiana WR JaMarr Chase.

    Chase surprisingly committed to Florida on July 23 after being long thought of as an LSU prospect. Chase visited UF for Friday Night Lights prior to committing.

    The Gators have been reeling of late, losing four games in a row, and has seen their head coach “mutually part ways” with the program.

    Although most of Florida’s vaunted 2018 class has stated their preference to keep the class together, Chase announced via Twitter his decision to decommit.

    Chase is rated by 247sports.com as a four-star prospect. He is the #25 overall prospect in the country and the #2 overall player from Louisiana.

    247sports’ Crystal Ball projection sees TCU with an 80% likelihood of signing Chase. Florida is still listed as the second most likely at 13%.

    (Photo via NOLA.com)

  • Coach Newbauer impresses at Fan Day Open Practice

    Coach Newbauer impresses at Fan Day Open Practice

    The Florida Gators women’s basketball team hosted Fan Day Monday night at Exactech Arena. Fan Day is an opportunity for the fans to meet the team, and in this case watch an open practice.

    The women’s basketball team this year may be the most intriguing team on campus, if for no other reason, because there is a new coaching staff and only six returning players from last year’s playing roster.

    What stood out during practice was the enthusiasm of new Gators head coach Cameron Newbauer. Newbauer, a stickler for details, often stopped the practice to provide “teachable moments” and correct errors.

    During the practice session Florida appeared to have a first team of:

    • G SO Delicia Washington
    • G JR Funda Nakkasoglu
    • G SR Dyandria Anderson
    • F SR Paulina Hersler
    • F SR Haley Lorenzen

    Newbauer told us prior to practice that he doesn’t have an expectation as far as wins and losses go. That he expect Florida to manage the “controllables”. He said that if the student-athletes play hard, have a positive attitude, learn and get better, the wins and losses will sort itself out.

    We also asked specifically about the roster makeup to which Newbauer said “on paper, yes [we look deep], but we will have to figure it out.” Newbauer pointed out that Florida only has four forwards, two of which are seniors and two that are freshmen. He also said that while the Gators have a lot of depth at the guard position, there isn’t a ton experience in the backcourt.

    Newbauer has brought an energetic personality to a team that finished 15-16 last season. He said that it’s been challenging implementing a new system and changing the culture but that he “appreciates and respects how the players are dealing with it.”

    Florida opens the season Saturday at 4:00 PM against Georgia State at Exactech Arena.

    Follow The Gator Chomp Blog for all the latest on the Florida women’s basketball team.

    *special thanks to Raymond Manalo for helping contribute during the interview prior to the start of practice.