We all know what’s coming next. And there’s probably nothing outside the realm of wishful thinking that will stop it.

The audience has spoken. Amidst the most dominating tear in the football team’s 102-year history, the hoops squad has been quiet, practically unnoticed.

At first glance, it doesn’t look as if the 08’s have made any progression toward Big Dance form, if anything, taking a step back with nonstop attrition.

As before, Florida finished a somewhat wanting pre-SEC slate with two losses. Highly promising big man Mo Speights spurned Hogtown for the City of Brotherly Love (For those wondering, he’s averaging 7.6 and 3.6 in 15 minutes of NBA action per game.)

Jai Lucas, unhappy with playing time, transferred to Texas.

Eloy Vargas and Kenny Kadjii? Hampered by injuries and conditioning issues.

But deep within the exterior of a team that, to some, seems doomed to repeat its NIT history, bright spots await. And they begin with the team’s star point guard.
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Riga, Latvia wasn’t Beijing, but for Florida’s point guard, it did just fine.

Nikos Calathis enters fall term with one passport and summer of memories to the good. And through it all, he didn’t do half bad.

In 130 minutes (21.7 mpg), he scored 67 points (11.2 ppg), grabbed 21 boards (3.5 rpg), and dished out 22 dimes (3.7 apg) in six contests.

However, he was also second on the team in points, second in assists, and tied for second in steals. Oh yeah, he shot 45.8% from the floor.

If his per-minute performance on the team was applied to his minutes last year, then he would have scored 16.8 points, grabbed 5.3 boards, and passed 5.6 assists per contest, only slightly better than 15.3, 5.2, and 6.1, respectively.

However, the level in international competition is different from college basketball. Not to mention, he’s likely improved his jumpshot in the process.

All in all, these are positive signs for a Speights-less Gator team.

With countless media pundits predicting that University X or College Y will win the national title, I feel compelled to write about various sports dynasties throughout history as it relates to this season of Gator football. More specifically, this is a discussion of the life and (somewhat far away) death of Urban Meyer’s juggernaut.

Much has been made of Tim Tebow’s stiff arm through the Gator record books; conversely, after his graduation, much will be made of the beginning of the end of the Gators’ greatness.

However, after Tebow takes his last snap in a Florida uniform, I feel that the program is in good hands. Some may make this out as heresy, but think for a moment.

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While the Gridiron Gators are faster, their basketball counterparts are stronger.

One of the worst-kept secrets in Gainesville this offseason has centered on the formerly top-ranked freshman class. Nick Calathes weighed in at almost 200 pounds before going to Greece, and wants to gain at least five more. Jai Lucas gained 12 pounds to go to 160, even more pronounced given the 8% increase in mass. Alex Tyus and Adam Allen have also reported growth. Alas, no one has gained more than Chandler Parsons, who could enter his sophomore season 20 pounds heavier and 1 inch taller at a Lamar Odom-esque 6-10 and 225. Not to mention, he’s got all of the tools for a very good sophomore season.

And that gives Billy Donovan a delightful problem.

You see, incoming freshman Eloy Vargas is currently recorded at 6-10 and 210. He’s also one of the top power forwards from the high school class of 2008. And he’s been viewed by most of the Gator faithful as one-half of the solution to Florida’s paint problem.

So if the coach goes with a backcourt of Jai Lucas, Walter Hodge, and Nick Calathes, who starts at 4 and 5? Kenny Kadjii, whose frame resembles Speights’s, is almost a no brainer, which leaves Vargas and Parsons potentially battling over a start. But if he gives Nick Calathes the keys to the point guard spot full time, and starts Walter Hodge at shooting guard, how does he handle the frontcourt? A trio of Parsons, Vargas, and Kadjii would be long, but still potentially vulnerable to thick bruisers. Alex Tyus is a power forward in a small forward’s body. Oh yeah, don’t forget about Dan Werner.

The coach will likely have the answer figured out as best as he can by the time the season starts, but there is one factor in Parson’s favor.

In his limited minutes last season, Parsons handled the ball very, very well. If he grows into a power forward’s body but retains his small forward skills, he could create a mismatch for opposing defenses, taking the ball inside, shooting from three-point land, or passing the ball to an open man outside. And that could be good news to a Gator team seeking a star to complement Calathes.

Looking back three years, Florida entered the 2006 season losing its best low-post player, David Lee, to the NBA draft. When it was all said and done, the hoops Gators hoisted their first championship banner.

Might this be a sign?

The Mo Project has reached its logical conclusion at Florida with Speights taken by Philadelphia. Kenny Kadji, you’re now officially on O&B Hue Notice.

Was his decision to jump to the pros premature? Possibly, but at least he had:

1: A year learning under 2 NBA lottery picks (Horford, Noah).
2: A national championship ring without too much pressure.
3: An offseason to work on becoming a starting center
4: Plenty of information about the draft process
5: The chance to come back if he so desired, given that Jon Mitchell’s transfer freed up a scholarship.

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Okay, so Chandler Parsons probably isn’t the overwhelming force of nature that I make him out to be. However, examining his freshman year as compared to Kyle Singler unveils some surprises.

Through the regular season, Singler posted an 8.5 WS/40 for Duke while Parsons had an 8.3. Singler was more productive on a per-minute basis, but not by much.

Parsons got off to a hot start, posting a blistering 12.2 against Florida’s cream puffs compared to Singler’s 9.6. Singler evened it up in conference play, scoring in at 6.7 while Parsons only had 5.1. And against Ken Pomeroy’s top 100 teams (postseason included), Singler had a 7.0 while Parsons had a 6.4.

That being said, an interesting split took place right after conference tournaments began. In five postseason games, Parsons improved his play, posting a 9.4 WS/40 from Alabama to Massachusetts.

On the other hand, Singler had a monumental collapse with a 2.9. As a result, Parsons avearged an 8.5 while Singler only has 7.8. And while they might be projected as neck-and-neck, there is another side to this story.

Singler, a natural small forward, frequently spent time at power forward and center due to Duke’s lack of a big man down low. Parsons spent most of his time at small forward and was only occasionally a power forward.

As a result, Singler had the chance to skew his numbers favorably by grabbing more rebounds and blocking more shots than normal. Parsons had to make due with Mo Speights and Dan Werner grabbing up the boards and posting naturally higher scores.

Thus, one could even make the argument that Parsons might be slightly better. Between Miles Plumlee, Kenny Kadjii, Olek Czyz, Eloy Vargas, and Allan Cheney. These two look to spend a lot more at 3.

Coach Donovan, are you listening?

Yet again, I will search another layer into “Life After Titles: Rebuilding and Reloading”

Just to review, I use Professor Dave Berri’s method of Win score to evaluate players, using the formula:

Win Score = points + rebounds + steals + blocks/2 + assists/2 - field goals attempted - free throws attempted/2 - turnovers - fouls/2

As a result of this formula, backcourt players naturally turn in lower scores than the frontline. Using this method, I will now examine the Gators’ top six minute men (Nick Calathes, Chandler Parsons, Mo Speights, Jai Lucas, Walter Hodge, Dan Werner) through the pre-season, SEC competition, the NIT, and against top 25 competition (Ole Miss and two games against Tennessee and Vanderbilt)

The numbers listed are Win Scores per 40 minutes of play.

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With Marreese Speights staying in the draft and hiring an agent, Florida now faces part 2 of its rebuilding phase. Out of twelve scholarship players coming in, ten are freshmen and sophomores. Which brings us to the aforementioned question: What kind of a future do the Gators face with no mo’ Mo?

Personally, I think the Gators will do just fine - in fact, they’ll even secure an NCAA berth if I’m right. However, this is dependent on a number of factors.

First, last season. The seven returning members of this Gator squad will come in upset about missing the tournament, no one more so than the team’s senior leader and sole remaining player of both national championship squads, Walter Hodge. He’s gotten more productive every year, and this one should be no different.

Second, a starting lineup change. As I’ve previously discussed, penciling in Jai Lucas was a mistake, largely due to his relative lack of productivity (Approx. 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 0.7 steals per 40 minutes) The assists and steals, important stats for a point guard, are the problem. Just giving Parsons (15.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.4 blocks per 40) a fraction of Lucas’s minutes alone would markedly improve this team. The catch is, Billy Donovan has to be aware of this nuance.

Third, the sophomores as a whole. They have one offseason to show how much they’ve learned.

Last but not least, Eloy Vargas and Kenny Kadjii were good “need” signings and will likely contribute right away. The latter has Speights-like stature and could be marked as the team’s starting center. The former was a 20-10 guy in high school and has a long wingspan.

As for Mo, he’s likely headed for a playoff team. He’ll get a chance to learn the ropes without having too much pressure to contribute. He’s the master of his NBA destiny now.