Never a first-teamer before now, despite all the program's success since 2000 ... mindblowing. And an injustice, really.
Gators on All-America Teams * 1st, 2nd or 3rd Team by Consensus Selectors Walter Clayton Jr. 2025 1st Team TSN Scottie Wilbekin 2014 3rd Team AP, NABC, TSN Al Horford 2007 2nd Team NABC; 3rd Team AP Joakim Noah 2007 2nd Team AP, NABC, USBWA Udonis Haslem 2001 3rd Team AP Neal Walk 1969 3rd Team AP, UPI Neal Walk 1968 2nd Team AP, UPI
It does seem bonkers. Then again, it may also be seen as a testament to Donovan’s ability to build balanced teams and get them to adopt a team-first mentality. Clearly Noah, and several others, were good enough to put up huge stats and would have done so on other teams. However, putting up huge stats isn’t always the best way to help your team.
He had to go against that Lew Alcindor guy from UCLA. What ever happened to him? And we retired #41 except for that one game when one of Sloan's football players turn hoopsters (Michael Kerr) wore it. I was SHOCKED when I saw it. Why we don't have Neal Walk's retired number hanging from the rafters is a mystery to me. Maybe if we did do it now it would be a mystery to the younger fans.
Amazing he is our first AA considering some of the great players we have had in past years. But that is an indictment of the negative perception of SEC basketball throughout the years (The SEC is a football conference). This year, they can’t deny that the SEC is very good and, by all respected metrics, may be the best ever basketball conference!
The Big East and ACC had some great ones in years past but in the era of mega-conferences having one like this top to bottom is special.
If you put Duke, Kansas or North Carolina jerseys on Noah or Horford, they would likely have been first team AA.
