Florida Gators Thoughts of the Week: June 23 – June 29

We are in no man’s land now, folks.

No Florida Gators sports for another 61 days.

But is that really all that bad? We could probably use a break: a break for our hearts and blood pressure; a break of time focused on the television instead of the outdoors; and a temporary break from the constant over-analysis that plagues our watching of sports for 10 months out of the year.

While the Gators are on a sports break, including NFL players like Louis Murphy, whom I had the chance of working out with at the Performance Compound in Tampa with on Monday, (and got the chance to work out with our own Nick de la Torre on Saturday when he was in town), there is still some excitement brewing in Gainesville and around the sports world.

 

New Dorm Apartments Needed, But So Are Others

Last week, head football coach Jim McElwain announced that the Keys Complex Dormitory would be undergoing a massive renovation before the start of fall of 2016. While, like always, some people complained that it wasn’t enough, it was a great step in the right direction.

The Keys Complex was built in 1991 and it looks like it. It is old, boring, and unimpressive, like all dorms at UF. While I don’t know where the idea that dorms were supposed to be the Ritz Carlton, they, like most dorms, need massive overhauls. Kids come to school with more stuff – clothes, electronics, furniture – and they needed to be outfitted for such.

While the design of the new Keys Complex dorms seem to have weird open design plans, it is great to see that Florida is trying to improve what they have for now and look for long term solutions in the future, which does not benefit just athletes.. The new Keys Complex will be a nice dorm, nicest on campus, and it shows a dedication at improving infrastructure for students– not just in new physical buildings or stadiums.

However, I am not in the camp that believes that Florida needs to spend astronomical amounts of money on residential complexes like some schools, but I do believe that there should be improvements to the Keys Complex and Springs Complex by the UAA, and UF should work on improving all other dorms because they aren’t great and are not outfitted for today’s student.

 

Davis and McGriff Are Big Losses

It looks like the Gators will be without two signees, two of the more underrated in my opinion in D’Anfernee McGriff and Keivonnis Davis. McGriff is explosive and would have been a playmaker in the McElwain offense – something that is much needed. At 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, McGriff is a mismatch all over the field, because he mixes size and speed and will be greatly missed if he doesn’t ever enroll at UF. Whereas Davis was less polished than McGriff at his defense end position, I grew to really like Davis over the past few months as a player. I think he has great speed and a great frame to grow into, even though he is raw. While I do think Florida should be fine if Davis doesn’t show up, I think he will turn out to be a player that comes into his body in the next few years, similar to Alex McCalister.

No player, ever, is a must have, especially these two. They both, in my opinion, are losses because I counted on both to become starters at UF.

 

Awesome Track and Field Stat

The Gators Men’s Track and Field program has been outstanding over the last decade, especially in the jumping events.

This past weekend at the United States Track and Field Championships in Eugene, OR, three former Gators placed first, second, and third in the Triple Jump.

Omar Craddock jumped 17.53 meters, Will Claye jumped 17.48 meters, and new graduate Marquis Dendy jumped 17.23 meters – the only three jumpers to clear 17 meters. Just incredible and a huge testament to the power of the UF Track and Field brand, particularly in jumping.

Another note: Marquis Dendy won the US Championship in long jump on Friday at 8.68 meters.

 

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Song of the Week

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Daniel Thompson
Dan Thompson is a 2010 graduate of the University Florida, graduating with a degree in Economics and a degree in Political Science. During this time at UF, Dan worked three years for the Florida Gator Football team as a recruiting ambassador. Dan dealt daily with prospects, NCAA guidelines, and coaching staff. Dan was also involved in Florida Blue Key, Student Government and Greek Life. Currently, Dan oversees the IT consulting practice of a Tampa-based company. Dan enjoys golfing, country music, bourbon, travel, oysters, and a medium-rare steak. Dan can be found on Twitter at @DK_Thompson.