2006 WINTER 2004 42 SUMMER Jim Burgess (BEE ’63)
By Meredith Jean Morton (BSJ ’06)
Long Shot
SPORTS
UF has also provided an academic fit for the applied physiology and kinesiology major. Last season, Humphrey was named to the Academic All-American Second Team and was awarded the Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year. While Humphrey is not certain of post-graduation plans, he says he would like a chance to play professional basketball or coach, echoing his role model — his dad. For the present, Humphrey will focus on current goals — to be a leader on a team striving to repeat the success of the 2005-06 season. His role as a leader is best summarized by his former teammate and lone 2005-06 senior, Adrian Moss. “Lee is a true teammate, no better way to put it,” Moss says. “He works really hard in the gym; he works really hard in the classroom and shows the younger guys how important it is. And did I mention he shoots the lights out of a gym?”
As the lone upperclassman starter on last season’s National Championship basketball team, it would seem Lee Humphrey might feel neglected by the attention received by the 2005-06 “fab four” underclassmen Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green and Corey Brewer. But rather than quietly staying out of the spotlight, Humphrey, now a senior, carefully chooses his times to shine, often resulting in game-winning performances. One such performance was during the Gators’ NCAA Tournament semi-final game in Indianapolis, where his 3-point shooting thrust UF into the National Championship game. UF’s win was largely attributed to Humphrey, earning him player of the game accolades. Overall, he made ten 3-point baskets in the final two tournament games, tying him at second alltime for 3-point accuracy in the Final Four. “Repetition is the biggest thing, but I had good instruction,” Humphrey says of his long-range shooting skills. “A lot of it is a God-given gift, but you have to train as well.” Humphrey has been training since he made his first bucket at age 5 from behind the backboard. “My dad is a middle school basketball coach, so I was always around the gym,” says the Maryville, Tenn., native. “He and I used to shoot every night; those are some of my best childhood memories.” Humphrey’s parents, Tony and Macheala, who both work for the Tennessee school system, provided the foundation for his basketball, education and character, says UF head coach Billy Donovan. “He is as humble an athlete as I’ve ever been around, and I think a lot of that goes back to his upbringing,” says Donovan. “He is a class individual, and he will be successful in all walks of life.” Despite his success as a Gator, Humphrey says he grew up a University of Tennessee fan. “Tennessee never really recruited me, so I didn’t have the choice of going there. I love the University of Florida — it’s been a great fit for me basketball-wise.”
By the Numbers
National Championship Style Number of national sports pundits who predicted the Gator men’s basketball team’s bracketbusting run at the start of the 65-team NCAA tournament in March
0
12,294,000 Households that tuned
into the NCAA championship game, according to Nielsen ratings
10,406 People at the post-champion-
ship pep rally April 7 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center
over the season
.744 Free-throw percentage for the team 195,331 Gator fans attending the games
5,000+/-
Gators who attended the Final Four pep rallies in Indianapolis
3 Times UF has competed in the Final Four $70,000 Amount the UF Athletic Asso-
ciation paid to purchase the NCAA championship floor, which will be sanded, repainted with Gator colors and installed in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for next season
6,000 Gator fans at the Stephen C.
O’Connell Center to watch the championship game broadcast on a large-screen television
13 NCAA tournament appearances, seven of
which were with head coach Billy Donovan
Untallied Total number of records broken
by the 2005-06 Gator men’s basketball team, including best start in school history, longest winning streak in school history, longest string of consecutive home victories and most blocked shots in NCAA championship game history
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