An hour before Florida’s Southeastern Conference opener, Florida announced two of the most surprising suspensions of Billy Donovan’s 19-year tenure.
Jon Horford, a soft-spoken transfer from Michigan, was sitting out for a violation of team rules and, of all people, a feel-good story in walk-on Zach Hodskins was joining him.
Horford came off suspension before UF’s home-SEC opener against Mississippi State on Saturday, but still sat out the contest.
Hodskins was re-instated Monday by Donovan and both practiced Monday for the first time.
"I think we both agreed that it’d be better if (Horford) did not play against Mississippi State. We’ve got a little bit more time on the front end this week because we play on Thursday to kind of get him back in practice and get him doing those things," Donovan said. "Jon’s a very, very diligent worker so I think even the week that he’s been out I know he’s been in the gym shooting and working and doing some of those things."
With Horford back in the lineup, the Gators may be able to play a basketball game at as close to full strength as they’ve played all season.
Eli Carter said after Saturday’s 72-47 win against Mississippi State that he’s as close to 100 percent as he’s been since the season began and has battled strep throat, which caused him to lose 13 pounds, as well as a mid-foot sprain throughout this year.
Sharpshooter Michael Frazier II has begun a round of antibiotics to battle an upper-respiratory infection that left him nearly unable to talk Saturday night, according to Donovan.
"Michael’s a tough kid. For the most part he’ll play injured you know he gets those stitches against Wake Forest and comes right back in," Donovan said. "I mean he’s not a guy that enjoys sitting out so you knew he was going to give his best effort to try and play in the game against Mississippi State but clearly he was not himself - strep throat and the upper respiratory infection had a lot to do with that."
Donovan tries to get Walker running: Chris Walker has to get in better shape was the message Donovan gave through comments made to the media Monday about the state of the projected lottery pick’s current level of play.
Walker struggles to battle through what Donovan called a low threshold of "cardiovascular pain," and it’s holding him back in a way it didn’t with previous UF big men like Matt Bonner, Joakim Noah and David Lee.
Walker averages 16.8 minutes per game, a team-low for players averaging double-digit minutes per game, and Donovan placed it on himself to get him better.
"I’m on him all the time when he gets tired he doesn’t quite run the floor as hard and I’m on him, ‘Chris you’ve gotta push through, you’re not getting better when you don’t push through, you have to push through,’" Donovan said.
Donovan learning to adjust to gun-shy point guard: Florida has had a recent past of trigger-happy point guards. Anthony Roberson, Scottie Wilbekin and Erving Walker were never afraid to take a three pointer.
But starter Kasey Hill is different — he’s only attempted eight three-pointers all season — and that has been something his head coach has had to get used to. Donovan said the lack of three-point attempts from his point guard is an opportunity for both of them to grow.
"For him, it’s not like he’s this prolific three-point shooter," Donovan said. "But Kasey has had some games where he has scored some points but he’s never been really wrapped up in scoring. But he’s got the ability to do it but I think when people back off of him and give him that, I think he can make good choices and decisions that can help our team."
Follow Richard Johnson on Twitter @RagjUF
Eli Carter prepares to shoot during Florida's 72-47 win against Mississippi State on Saturday in the O'Connell Center.
