Tag: Phlandrous Fleming Jr.

Gators guard Phlandrous Fleming celebrates UGA win, apologizes

It was definitely a faux but the backlash was certainly unwarranted.

Every Florida Gators fan’s worst fears came true on Monday night when the Georgia Bulldogs seized the College Football Playoff national championship from the Alabama Crimson Tide for their first title since 1980. To put that into perspective, Jimmy Carter was still the president of the United States when they last achieved that glory.

While fans draped in orange and blue sulked over a disappointing season that culminated with their beloved team losing to the Central Florida Knights in the Gasparilla Bowl, ‘Dawgs fans rejoiced for the first time in 41 years. Among those giving their hoots and hollers in response to the Black and Red’s triumph was an unexpected face — Florida basketball’s Phlandrous Fleming Jr., who was seen celebrating on an Instagram Live feed after the win.

As social media is wont to do, the Florida fanbase experienced a minor meltdown in response to the Gators guard’s elation over their most hated rival’s success. What most of them probably did not realize is that Fleming is from Athens, Georgia. You know, the city that UGA resides in. Not everyone exactly cared in light of that information, either.

In response, Fleming took the high road and announced his open apology on Twitter, expressing to the Gator Nation regret for his exuberant response to the Bulldogs’ historic win.

“To Gator Nation, I apologize for the uproar that my actions have caused. I grew up in Athens my entire life rooting for Georgia Football, and last night was an overjoyed reaction to the ending of the game. I am very grateful for the opportunity that the University Of Florida granted me and I am totally committed to the Gators. Again I am deeply sorry to the fans, the school, and the athletic department for any disrespect that my words or celebration have caused.”

While his celebration was certainly a faux pas in the grand scheme of things, given his connection to Georgia’s flagship university growing up, his response really should not be shocking to anyone — especially since he came to Florida through the transfer portal as opposed to traditional recruiting means.

Nonetheless, the fanbase will have eagle eyes on him until the Gators host the Bulldogs in the O’Connell Center on Feb. 9, when he gets a chance to prove his loyalty in front of the Rowdy Reptiles.

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Here’s our early projection of Florida basketball’s 2021-22 starting lineup

Mike White did the hard work in the transfer portal over the offseason to bring together a team that has a real chance to outperform the 2020-21 squad. With Castleton back here’s our early projection of who will start for the Gators next season.

The Gators basketball team received fantastic news on Sunday afternoon.  Center Colin Castleton announced that he has withdrawn from consideration in the 2021 NBA draft and will return to the school for another season. He emerged from the transfer portal to become a big part of Florida’s identity last season, but many of the other centerpieces of last year’s squad will be missing.

Tre Mann, who was the team’s best player, entered the NBA draft and will not be returning. Noah Locke, who was a deadly catch-and-shoot weapon, transferred to Louisville. The Keyontae Johnson/Scottie Lewis duo is broken up as well; Lewis went pro and Johnson may not play basketball competitively again.

Head coach Mike White did the hard work in the transfer portal over the offseason to bring together a team that has a real chance to outperform the 2020-21 squad. Now that Castleton’s back, we’re ready to make an early projection at who will take the floor next season as Gators starters.

Here’s a first look at incoming Florida basketball transfers at summer workouts

Head coach Mike White brought in four experienced transfers to boost the Gators’ changes in the SEC during the 2021 season.

The Florida Gators, like many teams in college basketball, are experiencing a staggering amount of roster turnover this offseason. The increased activity around the league is due in large part to the NCAA’s ruling to make all transfers eligible to play immediately upon arriving with their new team in 2021. This is a big opportunity for players who are dissatisfied with the role they hold on their current team or simply think they can play for a better one.

Under the leadership of head coach Mike White, the Gators have been unafraid to plunder the transfer portal to buttress the team. Unsurprisingly, then, they were big players in the portal this offseason. They brought on a quartet of high-performing players looking for greener pastures.

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Friday, we got our first look at the new guys in Gators gear via the team Twitter account. The tweet highlights guard Brandon McKissic, guard Myreon Jones, forward CJ Felder, and guard/forward Phlandrous Fleming Jr., respectively.

All four seem to be in line to receive some real playing time in the upcoming season. McKissic and Fleming are both fifth-year seniors who came to Florida with one year of eligibility remaining but aren’t considered NBA prospects. Odds are that White convinced them playing time would be available for them because there probably isn’t a whole lot of basketball in their post-college future.

Jones is probably going to be the most impactful on the court next season. He was a high producer in the Big Ten, and while Fleming and McKissic were impressive in their respective leagues as well, Jones did it against tougher competition and with better efficiency.

The Gators are entering next season as a much more experienced group than when they began the last. In large part, that’s thanks to the upperclassmen they’re bringing to Gainesville via the transfer portal.

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