Gators open season trying to replace 'Big Three'

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Coach Billy Donovan has replaced plenty of stars during his nine years at Florida, including Jason Williams, Mike Miller, Donnell Harvey, Teddy Dupay, Udonis Haslem, Matt Bonner and Brett Nelson.<br> <br> This might be his biggest challenge.<br> <br> The Gators lost their top three scorers from last season, forwards David Lee and Matt Walsh and guard Anthony Roberson. The trio averaged a combined 46 points a game last season 60 percent of Florida&#39;s offense and 100 percent of its leadership and carried the program to its seventh consecutive NCAA tournament berth.<br> <br> Florida begins the season trying to replace the ``Big Three&#39;&#39; on Wednesday night against St. Peter&#39;s College in the O&#39;Connell Center.<br> <br> ``I think it&#39;s going to be a process for our basketball team this year,&#39;&#39; Donovan said. ``It&#39;s not going to happen overnight.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Gators are unranked heading into their opener for the first time since 1997, but they have a chance to make an early impression.<br> <br> If they beat St. Peter&#39;s in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, the Gators will face either Albany or Oakland on Thursday night for a spot in the tournament finals at Madison Square Garden in New York.<br> <br> If Florida wins both games in Gainesville, it could face No. 18 Wake Forest in New York and then possibly No. 16 Syracuse or Texas Tech.<br> <br> But for that to happen, the Gators need to be able to replace everything Walsh, Roberson and Lee brought to the court.<br> <br> That tasks falls to four sophomores who will be in the starting lineup Wednesday. Although guard Tauren Green (3.9 ppg), forwards Corey Brewer (7.5 ppg) and Joakim Noah (3.5 ppg/2.5 rpg) and center Al Horford (5.6 ppg/6.5 rpg) played contributing roles last season, Donovan expects much more from them this season.<br> <br> ``Those four guys are walking into a completely different situation than they were a year ago,&#39;&#39; Donovan said. ``I think one of the most difficult things to do in college is go from being a role player to now a focal point. Your role totally changes. You now move from a guy who was fourth or fifth on an opposing team&#39;s blackboard in terms of attention that they&#39;re being given, to all of a sudden being first, second or third.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s going to be a totally different experience for them. They&#39;ve got to learn how to lead, compete and understand what to expect.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The players believe they are ready for the change.<br> <br> ``We were following three great guys last year, and now we have to step into their roles,&#39;&#39; Brewer said. ``It&#39;s a totally different situation. Coach has talked to us about it. I feel like all four sophomores can be leaders, and that&#39;s what we are trying to do.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Gators finished 24-8 last season and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. They attempted 626 shots from behind the 3-point line, the fewest since Donovan came to Gainesville in 1996.<br> <br> That number could be even lower this season. Donovan wants a more inside-out offense, with four experienced big men in Horford, Noah, Chris Richard and Adrian Moss.<br> <br> Moss, the team&#39;s lone senior, could be out a few more weeks after having surgery on his right knee last month.<br> <br> The Gators also have shooting guard Lee Humphrey (4.8 ppg) and freshmen Walter Hodge, David Huertas and Jimmie Sutton. Donovan&#39;s most heralded recruit, guard Derwin Kitchen, did not graduate from high school and was unable to enroll at Florida.<br> <br> Instead of a ``Big Three,&#39;&#39; Donovan expects to have more balanced scoring from five or six players. But more than scoring, he wants his inexperienced team to focus on defense, rebounding, running the floor and taking good shots.<br> <br> ``Right now we have a bunch of guys that are unproven in that area, so I&#39;m going to try to eliminate any focus on them worrying about scoring,&#39;&#39; Donovan said. ``I&#39;m going to preach to these guys that it&#39;s about our team, it&#39;s about being great defensively, about being unselfish on offense, and it&#39;s about creating an identity where your work ethic is far superior than anybody we play against.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)