Apparently, UF coach Billy Donovan doesn't mind a little gunplay when it comes to recruiting.
While visiting the home of Plantation American Heritage guard Kenny Boynton, Donovan handed the five-star prospect a toy dart gun and instructed Boynton to shoot him if he started to sound like a "used car salesmen."
"One of the things that I try to do is be myself and be real," Donovan said. "Kenny joked afterward that, 'You must have done pretty good, because no one shot you.'"
The pitch was unconventional, but it worked. Boynton signed his national letter of intent to play for UF Wednesday.
Boynton should help fill the void left by the transfer of sophomore Jai Lucas.
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 34.5 points per game as a junior and is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the nation by Rivals.com.
"His ability to score and put the ball in the hole is very well-documented," Donovan said.
Something else caught Donovan's eye, though.
"In high school you get a lot of great scorers, but they don't play the other end of the floor," Donovan said. "He's a great competitor and a great defender. I think that's very, very rare."
For Donovan, who has invested years in the All-American's recruitment, having Boynton finally sign his name on the dotted line came as quite a relief.
"The thing that most people don't realize is that you lose more than you sign," Donovan said. "More people tell you no than tell you yes. We're certainly happy that he told us yes."
As for the dart gun, Donovan took it home.
"My youngest (son, Bryan,) actually thought that it was a gift to him," he said.
Donovan tried to explain what he had used it for, but the finer points of recruiting were lost on the 11-year-old.
"He thought that me and Kenny Boynton were playing dart guns at his house," Donovan said. "He thought that's what a home (recruiting) visit was."
WOMEN SIGN THREE: The UF women's basketball team signed three First-Team All-State performers Wednesday during the early signing period.
Christal Caldwell, one of the signees, is a 5-foot-11 guard from Charlotte, N.C., and a 2008 EA Sports Second-Team All-American. She led her high school team to a 30-3 record and finished state runners-up during her junior year.
Jennifer George, out of Orlando, is a 6-foot-2 forward who led Bishop Moore High School to the 2008 State 4A Championship and a 28-4 record. She averaged 13 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and shot 60 percent from the field during that season.
Lily Svete, a 6-foot-2 forward from Granger, Ind., averaged nearly a double-double in her junior year of high school. She recorded 17.3 points and almost 10 rebounds per game for her team. ESPN HS Magazine lists her as one of the top 10 players in Indiana.
"This class fills a lot of needs for us with the senior class that is going to graduate," UF coach Amanda Butler said in a press release. "The most exciting thing about them is the type of people they are and the personalities they will bring. All three have a tremendous work ethic, and that's a quality you can never have too much of on your team."
- CHRISTOPHER YAZBEC
