Along with my dad, I have been lurking on the Virtual Swamp for quite some time now, but I have never felt it necessary to post. However, after today's events I decided it was about time that I speak my mind. Being only a college freshman and having lived in Kentucky since I was four years old, my earliest memories of Florida basketball come from watching the Final Four run in '94. I consider myself quite lucky as I can remember mostly great memories of Florida football and basketball at a time where we rose to one of the premier programs in each sport. Based on the fact that I have only seen Florida basketball in a mostly prosperous time, one could assume that I, like Dizzy, want to see Donovan fired. After all, the early round exits in the tournament definitely do not live up to the heightened expectations that Donovan created for us since he arrived at Florida. However, to claim that Donovan should be fired and is a terrible coach is preposterous in my opinion. Dizzy, do you really think that a man can become a Division I basketball coach without being able to teach basic defense and rebounding? To say that Donovan cannot teach these aspects of the game is a ridiculous claim. I will agree that this year the team played sieve-like defense and could not rebound worth a darn. I attribute this less to the fact that Donovan can't coach than to the fact that this team seems to play with no heart, something that cannot be coached. Heart and effort play huge roles in a player's ability to rebound and defend. One does not have to be the most talented player on the floor to excel in these two facets of the game. For some reason, the players on Florida's team do not seem to have the burning desire that is needed to lock opponents down and rebound with a ferocious attitude. Granted, it is Donovan's job to motivate these young men and get them to play with this tenacity. However, there is only so much a coach can do to motivate his players. They can only be yelled at and made to run so much. Eventually, it is up to them to decide that they will play D and rebound with maximum effort on every play. Because I played high school basketball in Kentucky against John Pelphrey's former high school I had the pleasure of meeting his parents after my game, and when I was in Gainesville I was able to watch a few minutes of a Florida basketball practice. After watching only about 5 minutes, I assure you Donovan does everything he possibly can to get these players to play their hearts out for him. It was not a practice I would want to participate in. It seems the players just don't have the heart to play the defense and rebound like we need to in order to go deep in March. Obviously, this is a problem for our program. But firing Donovan will not provide the answer. I understand everyone's frustration, but I firmly believe that Donovan will adjust his coaching methods and that the first weekend losses will come to an end. If you read Pat Dooley's column on Gatorsports after the second loss to Kentucky in the regular season, Donovan himself said he needed to make adjustments to his recruiting and coaching. I don't know what more we can ask for. I don't know about anybody else, but I will my always put my faith blindly with the best basketball coach Florida has had since I've been alive. Go Gators!!!! I know there are certain "rules" for posting on these message boards, and as I am new if I unknowingly broke any of these I apologize. Thanks for humoring me as I throw in my two cents.