Questions for Russ re. Florida Gators Basketball

[HeavenUniv.]

Hey Russ, I know you spend a lot of time in Florida. My nephew is going to UF this fall and is a HUGE sports fan so I know he will be going to a ton of Gators basketball,baseball and football games. Hopefully he gets to class too lol . What is your overall view of the Gators current basketball program? Recruiting,coaching,fan support,facilities,arena,etc.? Which team is most popular in the state among general sports fans--UF,FSU, or Miami? Which team is most popular with the high school kids and coaches? Thanks for any opinions on both Rutgers and UF.

 

[Russ Wood]

Florida basketball program is healthy though it is not at the level it was when Billy Donovan won back-to-back national championships and was regularly getting guys to the league. Florida has not had a player drafted in the NBA since Brad Beal.

The Stephen C. O'Connell Center was renovated immediately following the 2015-16 season and is very nice. When it reopened it had a corporate sponsorship for the first time and it's called Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Most fans still call O-Dome.

The Rowdy Reptiles sit in a section of the arena in the lower bowl directly across from the team benches.

Mike White is a very good coach he had to replace his associate head coach left to take a head coaching job at FAU. He hired Al Pinkins from Texas Tech it was a terrific recruiter and will Coach the bigs. Pinkins is 6-foot-6 and played small forward at NC State.

Florida gets good crowds, and very good student support. However it is a football school so the casual fan doesn't really focus on basketball until after football has its national Signing Day.

Depending on where you are in the state will determine how popular The Big Three programs are. Obviously Florida dominates Gainesville and Florida State dominates Tallahassee and Miami dominates Miami. Orlando and its suburbs, West Tampa, are huge Gator areas. Jacksonville West until about I-75 is Gator territory. I-75 West, past Tallahassee to the end of the state in Pensacola is Seminole. Tampa is a big Seminole Towne with pockets of Gator fans.

South Florida is where you will see the strongest support for Miami but you will also see pockets of Miami fans in the Orlando and Tampa area. Those are people who fled South Florida and it's crime back in the day but still have their allegiance with Miami.

Also I believe most of the in-state minority students who attend the University of Florida come from Miami and other South Florida cities.

Be sure to tell your nephew that when he does it is always, ALWAYS, right hand on top. If he does left hand on top people will know right away that he is a freshman, probably from out of state, and is to be ridiculed.

He can search YouTube for the chomp and for chants like "It's great to be a Florida Gator".

If you have any other questions about UF I'll be more than happy to answer them here. If I know the answer LOL

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Thank you Russ. Do you have any family or friends that are UF alumni? Did they feel like they received a quality education? Is there a good connection between students,the career office,and alumni networks? A couple people on this site have had negative comments about the town. My sister and my nephew had a limited amount of time on the visit this Winter.They drove from the Orlando airport into town near the campus and stayed at a hotel close to the stadium.What are your impressions of the town? I expect he will be on campus almost all the time,but do you view any sections of Gainesville as unsafe?

 

[Russ Wood]

I do not have any family or friends who attended UF. A couple of former coworkers attended the school and had nothing but positive things to say about it.

I lived in Gainesville from 2009 to 2017, now I live in Central Florida. As far as college towns go it's okay. I grew up in a major metropolitan area so at times I felt like the walls were closing in on me. But when that happened I'd drive 2 hours down to Tampa for the weekend or to Orlando. Granted most college students won't have that luxury, and there's so much for them to do on campus on a regular basis.

Stay away from NE & SE Gainesville. SW Gainesville, where I lived is nice. It is where many students go to shop/eat/see movies off campus.

Google 'Butler Plaza Gainesville'

Oh, buy your nephew a scooter. It'll make it easier for him to get around campus. Those things are part of the culture of that town.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Thanks Russ. I think they are talking about the scooter idea,although he seems to be pretty sure he is going to get a form in the central part of campus his first year.That being said,two thousand acres is BIG!

 

[cubuffsdoug]

Thanks Russ. I think they are talking about the scooter idea,although he seems to be pretty sure he is going to get a form in the central part of campus his first year.That being said,two thousand acres is BIG!

Is that bigger than the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus? I thought Rutgers was bigger.

 

[Russ Wood]

Thanks Russ. I think they are talking about the scooter idea,although he seems to be pretty sure he is going to get a form in the central part of campus his first year.That being said,two thousand acres is BIG!

Yes, and when it's 90 degrees in October he'll appreciate a scooter or at least a bicycle lol

 

[RU85inFla]

Heaven - my son went to UF. Where you nephew will be the townis fine. When he moves off campus next year, don’t let him get the cheapest apartment in the city or you will get what you pay for. Get him a scooter. Florida kids get jobs —especially in Florida. Have him join the student alumni association. It will give him the extra points needed to get football tickets to most if not all games. If he is going down for the second summer session, he will have a ball.

 

[williamwardii]

My daughter graduated from UF with a degree in biology. Great school for the health sciences with the Shands medical system in Gainesville. Beautiful campus and excellent Greek community for those interested in that opportunity. Overall caliber of student body is high quality, similar to RU in NB. Easy to root for the Gators as they have the best Athletic Dept overall in the SEC.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Recently rated number nine among public universities. He had a friend with very good grades who really wanted to go there and didn't get in.

 

[mikefla]

HeavenUniv

I am now retired but I taught at UF. The support sports gets is phenominal at every level.

This year the Gators were ranked in 16 different sports
(https://floridagators.com/sports/2017/7/1/standings-rankings-2017-18.aspx).....
from gymnastics (3) to track(1) to volleyball (2) to softball (4) to tennis(9). As faculty I was allowed to see whatever game I wanted whenever I wanted. It was sports heaven as I was a huge swimming fan and swam with with Ryan Lochtes dad Steve Lochte as a kid.

Basketball is pretty strong and football is nearly an obsession.

A great campus, local eateries are plentiful, the dining halls are wonderful and In-state tuition is a unbelievable $6,381 a year. Its an easy place to like.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

I was in Gville from 73 to 76 There was a building that they called a gym.There were a group of 12 guys that they called a team.There were a few hundred bored folks including me who they called fans. But unless Kentucky or the Bernie and Ernie Show showed up there was no hoops. My greatest college hoops moment was hosting a TV event to watch my undefeated scarlet knights play Michigan in the tournament..I graduated and things obviously changed.

 

[Russ Wood]

I was in Gville from 73 to 76 There was a building that they called a gym.There were a group of 12 guys that they called a team.There were a few hundred bored folks including me who they called fans. But unless Kentucky or the Bernie and Ernie Show showed up there was no hoops. My greatest college hoops moment was hosting a TV event to watch my undefeated scarlet knights play Michigan in the tournament..I graduated and things obviously changed.

Sounds like you are talking about Florida Gymnasium. That is literally the name of the building. I've never been in it but I've driven past it.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

Russ May have been known as the Oconnell Center. Florida started recruitng black athletes a snap later than most of the other schools in the SEC which didn't help. And hoops is an afterthought down there so we were not any kind of factor in the conference. The black athletes we did get in the early to mid 70s were not division 1 quality. Just as RU got off to a delayed start in the recruiting of black athletes Florida did as well but being in Florida certainly expedited the process and their ultimate success.When I was there the colored only bathrooms and fountains were still standing in the local parks . They were still fighting the civil war .Whites and blacks sharing a locker room was something they were still trying to accept. After I graduated it eventually happened. Thank God.

 

[KnightTerrors]

My sister went to UF and in her 4 years they won 2 national titles in basketball and two in football. Not a bad time to be a gator!

@HeavenUniv. I’ve been in their football facilities which were unbelievable but even their facilities for students were off the charts. It’s gorgeous down there.

 

[RUnTeX]

Is that bigger than the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus? I thought Rutgers was bigger.

2,600+ acres for Rutgers NB/P

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

It's a beautiful place I am glad I chose it ove Wisky and UConn..But as successful as they have been after I left I have stuck with RU .And always will..

 

[Russ Wood]

Russ May have been known as the Oconnell Center. Florida started recruitng black athletes a snap later than most of the other schools in the SEC which didn't help. And hoops is an afterthought down there so we were not any kind of factor in the conference. The black athletes we did get in the early to mid 70s were not division 1 quality. Just as RU got off to a delayed start in the recruiting of black athletes Florida did as well but being in Florida certainly expedited the process and their ultimate success.When I was there the colored only bathrooms and fountains were still standing in the local parks . They were still fighting the civil war .Whites and blacks sharing a locker room was something they were still trying to accept. After I graduated it eventually happened. Thank God.

The O'Connell Center didn't open until 1980, they broke ground in the fall of '77. Since you said you were in Gainesville from 73 to 76 The Gym couldn't have been the O'Connell Center.

Btw, the O'Connell Center was renovated two years ago. Forced UF to play a bunch of road and neutral site games during their non-conference schedule in the 2016-17 season. Which really helped their rpi. I haven't been in the building since the renovation but the pics I've seen look awesome.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Russ,my nephew and my sister will be down for orientation in July when I expect it will be about 147 degrees lol If you see a five foot Mom passing out from heat stroke somewhere in the Gainesville Orlando area,that will be her.Everyone I have run into who knows someone who went there has nothing but positive things to say.I have a feeling he will try to live in campus as many years as possible.MikeFla,my nephew is leaning toward a Business related major.Are you familiar with the program? What department did you teach in?

 

[RUsojo]

Florida basketball program is healthy though it is not at the level it was when Billy Donovan won back-to-back national championships and was regularly getting guys to the league. Florida has not had a player drafted in the NBA since Brad Beal.

The Stephen C. O'Connell Center was renovated immediately following the 2015-16 season and is very nice. When it reopened it had a corporate sponsorship for the first time and it's called Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Most fans still call O-Dome.

The Rowdy Reptiles sit in a section of the arena in the lower bowl directly across from the team benches.

Mike White is a very good coach he had to replace his associate head coach left to take a head coaching job at FAU. He hired Al Pinkins from Texas Tech it was a terrific recruiter and will Coach the bigs. Pinkins is 6-foot-6 and played small forward at NC State.

Florida gets good crowds, and very good student support. However it is a football school so the casual fan doesn't really focus on basketball until after football has its national Signing Day.

Depending on where you are in the state will determine how popular The Big Three programs are. Obviously Florida dominates Gainesville and Florida State dominates Tallahassee and Miami dominates Miami. Orlando and its suburbs, West Tampa, are huge Gator areas. Jacksonville West until about I-75 is Gator territory. I-75 West, past Tallahassee to the end of the state in Pensacola is Seminole. Tampa is a big Seminole Towne with pockets of Gator fans.

South Florida is where you will see the strongest support for Miami but you will also see pockets of Miami fans in the Orlando and Tampa area. Those are people who fled South Florida and it's crime back in the day but still have their allegiance with Miami.

Also I believe most of the in-state minority students who attend the University of Florida come from Miami and other South Florida cities.

Be sure to tell your nephew that when he does it is always, ALWAYS, right hand on top. If he does left hand on top people will know right away that he is a freshman, probably from out of state, and is to be ridiculed.

He can search YouTube for the chomp and for chants like "It's great to be a Florida Gator".

If you have any other questions about UF I'll be more than happy to answer them here. If I know the answer LOL

Don’t forget southwest Florida reppin FGCU.

 

[Russ Wood]

Don’t forget southwest Florida reppin FGCU.

Nothing to forget. @HeavenUniv. specifically asked about Florida Gators basketball, Gainesville and UF.

Neither Southwest Florida, nor FGCU, are part of this discussion.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

Russ I am 64and memories fade .but the venue was small and dingy and not well attended. May have just been called the Florida Gymnasium.I wish I attended the newer venue built 4:years after I left.. It would have made me at least 4 years younger..:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Monk,you just described the perception top high school players have of the RAC.The only difference is that Florida Gymnasium probably has more bathrooms. lol

 

[Russ Wood]

Russ I am 64and memories fade .but the venue was small and dingy and not well attended. May have just been called the Florida Gymnasium.I wish I attended the newer venue built 4:years after I left.. It would have made me at least 4 years younger..:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Sounds a lot like you are talking about Florida Gymnasium. I've never been in it , ust driven past it, but I heard it was renovated and it's really nice inside. I've just never had a need to go in, not even during Florida's annual Team Camp when they have games in there.