The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as the "Gator Nation." The Gators compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are consistently ranked among the top college sports programs in the United States. The University of Florida currently fields teams in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports.
William John Donovan Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. Before moving to the NBA, he served as the head basketball coach at the University of Florida from 1996 to 2015, and led his Florida Gator teams to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, as well as an NCAA championship appearance in 2000.
Norman Leslie Sloan Jr. was an American college basketball player and coach. Sloan was a native of Indiana and played college basketball and football at North Carolina State University. He began a long career as a basketball coach months after graduating from college in 1951, and he was the men's basketball head coach at Presbyterian College, The Citadel, North Carolina State University, and two stints at the University of Florida. Over a career that spanned 38 seasons, Sloan was named conference coach of the year five times and won the 1974 national championship at North Carolina State, his alma mater. He was nicknamed "Stormin' Norman" due to his combative nature with the media, his players, and school administrators, and his collegiate coaching career ended in controversy when Florida's basketball program was under investigation in 1989, though Sloan claimed that he was treated unfairly.
Matthew George Guokas Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. His father, Matt Sr. and uncle, Al, have also played in the NBA.
Anthony Duvale Grant is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Dayton. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2006 to 2009, and at the University of Alabama from 2009 to 2015. Prior to becoming the VCU head coach, he was an assistant coach at the University of Florida from 1996 to 2006.
John Leslie Pelphrey is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. After being named Kentucky Mr. Basketball in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky.
Taurean James Green is a Georgian-American professional basketball player who last played for Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). He is the son of former NBA journeyman Sidney Green. Green played college basketball for the University of Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators teams that won back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007. He also played internationally for Georgia after gaining citizenship in June 2010.
Henry Domercant is an American and Bosnian-Herzegovinian professional basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Eastern Illinois, and was an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2012.
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in NCAA Division I's Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.
The 2007–08 Orlando Magic season was their 19th season in the National Basketball Association. Led by 22-year-old center Dwight Howard, the Magic finished the season with a 52–30 record, finishing first-place in the Southeast Division and advancing to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals where they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The Magic had the fourth best team offensive rating in the NBA.
Richard William Pitino is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the University of New Mexico men's basketball team, From 2013 to 2021, he was head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team.
The 2008–09 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2008–09 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The Gators were looking to build on their 24–12 record from the 2007–08 season.
The 2009–10 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2009–10 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.
The 2010–11 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2010–11 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.
Michael Emerson White is an American college basketball coach and former player. He is the head coach of the University of Georgia men's basketball team. Prior to accepting the job at Georgia, White was the head coach of the Florida Gators from 2015 to 2022 and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs from 2011 to 2015.
Alex James Murphy is a Finnish-American professional basketball player for Japanese club Tryhoop Okayama. He played college basketball for Duke University, the University of Florida and Northeastern University. He is the son of former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jay Murphy, and the brother of former NBA forward Erik Murphy. He plays for the Finnish national team.
Erik Murphy is a French-born Finnish-American professional basketball player for the Kawasaki Brave Thunders of the Japanese B1 league. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2013, he also represents the Finnish national team.
The 2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by nineteen-year head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They finished the season 16–17, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament where they lost to Kentucky.
Mark Daigneault is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He spent five seasons as the head coach for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G-League affiliate, before becoming the head coach for the Thunder.
The 1998–99 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 1998–99 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The team was the first strong team for Coach Donovan at Florida. The Gators made the Sweet Sixteen, before being upset by Gonzaga. At the end of that game, Florida guard Kenyan Weaks was called for a controversial traveling violation.
