Florida ended both its Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year
and Player of the Year droughts on Tuesday.
After 15 years of pacing the Gators sideline, Billy Donovan can
finally call himself SEC Coach of the Year, while senior forward
Chandler Parsons took home the first SEC Player of the Year award
in Florida’s 79 years as a member of the conference.
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“I am extremely humbled to be named SEC Coach of the Year by my
peers,’’ Donovan said. “I’m fortunate and blessed to have a great
group of players, assistant coaches and staff — this honor is more
a reflection of their work and effort than anything that I have
done.’’
Although Donovan won back-to-back national titles and is a
four-time SEC regular-season champion, he had never received Coach
of the Year honors before this season.
The only SEC coach to post a better winning percentage than Donovan
through his first 500 games is Adolph Rupp, a four-time National
Coach of the Year.
“I think (Donovan has) been deserving for a lot of years,” Alabama
coach Anthony Grant said following his team’s March 1 loss to UF.
“For Billy to accomplish what he’s accomplished, losing what he
lost after the ’07 season, and do the things he’s done with this
program — I’m blown away … What he’s been able to build and sustain
is phenomenal.”
But through all the wins and championships, Florida never produced
a Player of the Year.
Until now.
Parsons, an emotional leader who paces the team in assists and
rebounds, became the first Gator to receive the award when he was
selected Tuesday.
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“I’m honored to be named the SEC Player of the Year,’’ Parsons
said. “It’s really not something I ever spent a lot of energy on
and in time I may be able to process winning the award, but right
now I’m focused on staying grounded and helping our team understand
what we have to do to get better everyday.
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“Obviously this award is handed out to a single player, but I share
it proudly with my teammates and coaching staff.”
Parsons averaged 11.4 points per game
this year, fewer than all but one of the 57 previous
winners. Jan van Breda Kolff of Vanderbilt won the award in
1974 despite scoring just 10.9 points per contest. Overall, SEC
Player of the Year winners before Parsons averaged 22.2 points per
game.
But the 6-foot-10 Parsons made up for his lack of scoring with
versatility, as he ranked third in the conference in rebounding
(7.8 per game) and seventh in assists (3.6 per game).
Georgia’s Travis Leslie — 13th in rebounding (7.0 per
game) and 12th in assists (3.0 per game) — is the only
other SEC player to rank in the top 20 in both categories.
“There’s no question, as far as versatility is concerned, (Parsons)
is the most versatile small forward in the league with all the
things he can do,” Donovan said. “He is really multidimensional. He
does a lot for our team.”
Parsons was also selected to the All-SEC First Team, while guards
Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker were chosen for the All-SEC Second
Team.
Freshman center Patric Young was also honored, as he was named to
the SEC All-Freshman Team.
All winners were determined by a polling of SEC coaches.
