After his teammates dogpiled on him following his buzzer-beating three-pointer Saturday, Chandler Parsons found himself buried beneath a load of Facebook friend requests.
The response to the junior forward’s second game-winner of the year against South Carolina was overwhelming — to the point that it put him at Facebook’s friend limit of 5,000.
Hitting game-winning threes has become something of a regular occurrence for Parsons this month, as his shot from beyond the arc Saturday brought back memories of his 75-foot desperation heave against N.C. State on Jan. 3.
Parsons isn’t letting the spotlight get to his head, though.
“It feels good,” Parsons said. “To make those shots, to get the win for my team is really important to me. The recognition, the fame and stuff — that’s great, but the win to me is bigger.”
UF coach Billy Donovan has stressed to Parsons the importance of putting his recent success in perspective, reminding him how fragile it can be. The real test, Donovan said, is whether Parsons maintains his current level of confidence no matter how he performs.
“I told him that when you make a game-winning shot like that, you’re not as great as everyone thinks you are,” Donovan said. “And when you miss a shot, you’re not as bad as everyone thinks you are.”
Based on his comments to the media Monday, Parsons is taking his coach’s advice to heart.
Parsons detailed the series of events that led to his shot, noting the importance of each one: South Carolina guard Devan Downey falling to the court after his improbable coast-to-coast layup, Dan Werner quickly getting the inbounds pass to Erving Walker and the point guard’s unselfish pass to his wide-open teammate.
And, as Donovan told him, Parsons has realized just how different things would be if the shot hadn’t fallen.
“It’s crazy how if that ball rattles out, the whole role is reversed,” Parsons said. “Some people might even call me a choke if that ball doesn’t go in. No game is won by one shot. It came at a good time, but we won the game playing defense, rebounding, doing all the little things.”
Parsons is averaging 10.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on the season and has stepped up his efforts on the glass during Southeastern Conference play, pulling down 7.6 boards per game, tied for the team high with power forward Alex Tyus.
“He’s just been phenomenal defensively, getting rebounds, scoring, clutch shots,” Walker said. “We can’t ask for much more from him right now.”
In addition to making two buzzer-beaters — something no Florida player has ever done in his career — in just one month, Parsons’ once-temporary move into the Gators’ starting lineup has been made permanent.
The 6-foot-9 swingman was already playing 27.9 minutes per game and on the court during critical late-game situations, but he is now projected to make his fourth-straight start against Georgia on Wednesday.
“Coach has always told me that whenever I came into the game, that’s when I started,” Parsons said. “It just so happens that I actually come in with no time ran off yet.
“It doesn’t really matter to me. Either way, I’m going to play with passion and energy.”
