Jason Williams goes up against Dan Cross.
Al Horford battles Patric Young.
Devin Robins faces off with Chandler Parsons.
Dametri Hill collides with Udonis Haslem.
And Joakim Noah takes on legendary Neal Walk.
We can dream, right?
Well, much of the Nuttin’ But Net community has done just that — conjuring up a fantasy draft during which eight fans drafted All-Time Gator Dream Teams. Those teams consist of players ranging from the programs very first team captain, Paul Beeler, to today’s stars—Chris Chiozza and Kevaughn. And virtually every super-hoopster in between — Neal Walk, Livingston Chatman, Cliff Luyk, Eugene McDowell, Andrew Moten, Dwayne Schintzius, Jason Williams, Dan Cross, Kenny Boynton, Joakim Noah . . . and the list goes on!
The star-studded teams are set to “compete” on a mythical court built with fan recollection, sentiments and opinions. The eight squads will play an elimination tournament, with fan votes declaring each winner — until the ultimate Dream Team is crowned.
The offseason fantasy idea turned reality, has since morphed into a full-fledged craze!
Don’t believe me? Check out the thread — err, threads — on Nuttin’ But Net!
It has become so popular even SEC Legend inductee, Bill Koss, has gotten wrapped up! Koss was a Gator player from 1963-1965, served as an assistant from 1966-1972 and has been an announcer for nearly 40 years! There is probably no better Gator basketball historian than Bill Koss.
“This has been a really fun thing to look at, and really think about,” Koss said.
And Koss did more than that! He offered his breakdown of each team.
So, let’s look at the squads and Koss’s expert analysis. After which, make your way to Nuttin’ But Net … join the fun and cast your votes.
Team 1
Dan Cross/Erving Walker
Brett Nelson/Kenyan Weaks
Stacey Poole/Gene Shy
Andrew Declecq/Chip Williams/Al Bonner
Neal Walk
Koss’s take: “I would love to see a healthy Stacey Poole play with Brett Nelson. DeClercq and Walk would give most teams a problem on the backboard. Gene Shy and Al Bonner are winners.”
Team 2
Taurean Green/Clifford Lett
Craig Brown/Teddy Dupay
Dwayne Davis/Vernon Delancy
Ronnie Williams/Reggie Hannah
Eugene Mcdowell/Bob Smyth
Koss’s take: “Three of the most unselfish guys to ever wear a Gator uniform in the backcourt. Delancy would be a handful with his quickness and McDowell would get every rebound.”
Team 3
Anthony Roberson/Kasey Hill
Andy Owens/Orien Greene
Chandler Parsons
Matt Bonner/Brent Wright
Al Horford/Gary Keller/John Egbunu
Koss’s take: “I would love to have seen Skip Higley play with Chandler Parsons and Matt Bonner. This team has maybe Florida’s all-time leader in Al Horford. Gary Keller and Andy Owens have a knack for scoring inside that would surprise everyone. “
Team 4
Sottie Wilbekin/Eddie Shannon
Kenny Boynton/Mike Rosario
Michael Frazier/Justin Leon
Eric Murphy/Alex Tyus
Udonis Haslem/Bob Emrick
Koss’s take: Scottie Wilbekin and Eddie Shannon would have loved having Udonis Haslem as a teammate. Bob Emrick could make shots.”
Team 5
Anrew Moten/Greg “Tiny” Williams
Tony Miller/Kevaughn Allen
Mike Miller/Casey Prather
Donnell Harvey/Jim Zinn
David Lee/ Dametri Hill
Koss’s take: “Mike Miller makes everyone better. Tony Miller and Andre Moten would have to find a way to share the ball. Greg Williams would make David Lee and Dametri Hill sleep well at night.”
Team 6
Justin Hamilton/Ronnie Montgomery
Bradley Beal/Joe Lawrence
Devin Robinson/Greg Stolt
Patric Young/Will Yeguete
Dwayne Schintzius/Vernon Maclin
Koss’s take: “Ronnie Montgomery could thread the needle and Brad Beal is the most efficient player in Florida history. Patric Young is a warrior and Dwayne Schnitzius has the best post skills of any Florida big guy — ever. “
Team 7
Nick Calathes/Richard Glasper
Vernon Maxwell/Paul Beeler
Corey Brewer/Matt Walsh
Livingston Chatman/Malcolm Cesare
Clifford Luyk/Rick Casares
Koss’s take: “Maxwell and Brewer are two of the toughest defenders ever. Did I mention scoring defenders? Maxwell has lethal quickness and scoring ability. Glasper is one of the most underappreciated of all point guards and is a leader. Luyk, Chatman and Cesare would be great compliments for this backcourt.”
Team 8
Jason Williams/Chris Chiozza
Lee Humphrey/Joe Hobbs
Dorian Finney-Smith/Canyon Barry/James White
Marreese Speights
Joakim Noah/Chris Richard
Koss’s take: “This team has a lot of interesting pieces… best point guard in program history and a big man who is relentless running the floor. Speights and Humphrey are nightmare matchups for everyone. Chris Richard is the best winning 6th man ever. I would have loved to have seen Barry healthy for 4 years.”
So what do you think? Who wins?