Nick Calathes News

Jai Lucas averaged 8.5 points per game and hit 43.5 percent from three-point range in one season as a starter with the Florida Gators.

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night.

We're closing in on the holiday season, so it's time to evaluate who's been naughty and nice this season in college basketball.

Billy Donovan was supposed to make the 2008 NCAA tournament. But he didn't. And he was supposed to make the 2009 NCAA tournament.

Published: Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, November 27, 2009 at 12:00 a.m. Florida coach Billy Donovan and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo already have played against each other with a national championship at stake.

Somebody should alert the Alachua County Sheriff's Office to put out an all-points bulletin for the whereabouts of Florida 's soft, physically challenged basketball team.

Published: Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 3:01 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 3:01 p.m. For two years he has patched it together by forcing square pegs into round holes and using paper clips, string and chewing gum.

If nothing else, it will be a different Florida basketball team this season. With the team's top scorer Nick Calathes gone , the Gators placed four different players in double figures to beat Stetson 74-46 in Sunday's season opener before 10,077 at the O'Connell Center.

Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest star Brandon Knight, arguably the best player in the 2010 class, watched Florida's 74-46 win over Stetson from the bleachers on Sunday.

Coach: Frank Haith, sixth season at UM . Last season: Finished 19-13 overall, 7-9 in ACC.

After spending two weeks with his son, Nimrod Tishman, on the campus of Florida University, his father returned to Israel, leaving behind the star of the national Israeli youth basketball team to deal with studies, a different style of play, and the discipline there.

After winning consecutive NCAA national championships, the Gators have made consecutive NIT appearances and hope to reverse their fortunes.

Gator men's basketball season began impressively on Monday night with a 49-point win - albeit in an exhibition game against St.

This is part of our series on freshmen who must make a big impact next season for their teams to challenge for league titles and get to the NCAA tournament.

Highly-touted freshman Kenny Boynton scored 22 points in his college debut, Erving Walker added 16 and Florida beat Saint Leo 95-46 in an exhibition game Monday night.

Published: Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 6:19 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 6:19 p.m. It hasn't taken long for Florida freshman point guard Nimrod Tishman to adopt a new first name.

Trying to give more oomph and interesting themes to a league dominated by Panathinaikos and Olympiacos ever since 1992, the Greek Federation opened the doors to a third non-European player per team in a move aimed to achieve a better balance between those teams whose goals are merely to challenge by only attempting toapproach the Greens and Reds' ...

Just two years ago, the college basketball world seemed to revolve around Florida's Billy Donovan.

The buzz cut is gone, replaced by a mop top of brown hair and a scruffy goatee. Florida forward Chandler Parsons said he was going to cut his hair last week.

Published: Monday, October 19, 2009 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 12:30 a.m. One player is a heralded McDonald's All-American expected to step in and score right away.