On a day when the Florida athletic department sent shockwaves throughout the college sports world with news that Gators head football coach Will Muschamp will not be returning as the Gators head coach in 2015, the announcement that Florida basketball’s redshirt sophomore Dillon Graham will transfer sort of slipped right under the radar.
The decision comes during a weekend sandwiched with hoops, starting with Florida defeating William and Mary 68-45 this past Friday night and facing Miami on the upcoming Monday evening.
Graham informed head coach Billy Donovan of his decision on Saturday morning and Donovan addressed the team before practice on Saturday.
Donovan notes that transferring in basketball is not that uncommon. In fact the Gators have two guys that have transferred in, Eli Carter and Jon Horford, that are both seeing extended minutes.
As Donovan says, “it happens” and he’d rather it happen when it’s right, then not at all.
“I was really proud of him. He’s such a good kid. He said, ‘Coach, are you upset or mad at me.’ No, no, I understand. And this happens.
I would feel far worse as a coach if he went through four years and ended up saying during my four years I was really, really just kind of unhappy. I wish I had done something different.”
This was something Dillon had been thinking about for a while; at least as it seemed to Donovan and Billy admits he was cognizant of it during Friday’s season opener.
“I just didn’t feel like he was in a great place mentally for himself and that’s why he didn’t play very much in the game against William & Mary,” Donovan explains.
“I just didn’t think it was fair to put him in a game where he was trying to figure some things out and I thought Dillon was very very transparent in terms of what he was going through.”
Those minutes weren’t much at all, only totaling 3 garbage minutes with 1 steal and going 0-1 from the floor
In his Florida career, Graham amassed 11 points scored, five assists and four rebounds through 25 games played.
It’s not the numbers that Donovan or Graham’s teammates will remember though, but the person.
“I have a high level of respect for him. He’s an unbelievable kid,” Donovan praises.
Now it’s about moving forward, something that Graham himself is experienced in.
After playing sparingly his freshman year, he began his sophomore campaign as a bench player. That campaign was short lived though as Graham was diagnosed with painful hip spurs and had to sit out the 2013-2014 Final Four season.
Returning for his redshirt sophomore season, Graham was expected to be a solid piece of the puzzle as Donovan figured out this new team.
Dillon spoke to Gator Country back in October and expressed excitement for the new season but remained charmingly allusive as to what that would mean.
“God’s got a plan for me and I’m just so blessed to be here and excited for the season. I’ve got to keep y’all guessing. Got to keep everybody guessing. I still have this year and two more years so we’ll see what happens.”
It seems even Graham was still guessing at that point, but any time spent with the young man showcases his desire to truly be the best man he can be in whatever facet that path takes.
For now that path takes him away from the University of Florida.
Although Donovan and his teammates assure that they will miss him, more than that they express understanding and support.
Sophomore point guard Kasey Hill says the team respects Graham’s decision and wishes him all the best.
As for Donovan, the decision isn’t one about basketball but about life. More importantly, about a young man making those choices that now have the ability to effect the rest of his life.
“I wouldn’t want him to stay and not be genuinely fulfilled and happy. Life’s too short to go through that, and certainly a college career is too short to go through that.
I sense in his heart there’s a level of peace”
INSIDER EXTRA: Graham says he’s unsure of where he’s going to transfer too.