Al Horford's best highlights with the Florida Gators during their 2007 March Madness win
Al Horford's best highlights with the Florida Gators during their 2007 March Madness win
Big man Al Horford is the sage veteran of the Boston Celtics, and one of the oldest players in the entire NBA. But long before helping Boston raise an 18th banner at TD Garden, Horford was a bonafide champion of a different sort.
Horford won two NCAA titles in college as a member of the University of Florida men's basketball team. In Gainesville, Horford played for coach Billy Donovan alongside Joakim Noah, David Lee, Corey Brewer. In 2006, Horford's 14 points and 6 rebounds helped Florida capture its first ever March Madness title. However, in the following season, Horford and the Gators were even better. He was the SEC Tournament MVP in 2007, and landed was AP Third-team All-American. That year, the Gators went on to defeat Greg Oden and the Ohio State Buckeyes to win yet another March Madness championship.
You can revisit the best plays from Horford and the entire Gators team below with a highlight package of the 2007 NCAA men's basketball championship game, courtesy of "In All Kinds of Weather" on YouTube.
Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
Court rules Reggie Bush must pay Lloyd Lake $1.4 million in defamation lawsuit
On Friday, a judge ruled in favor of sports agent Lloyd Lake in a defamation lawsuit against former USC star running back Reggie Bush. Per the judge's ruling, Bush must pay Lake $1.4 million. Lake, of course, was the agent at the center of Bush's improper benefits scandal that lives in USC infamy. As a result of the scandal, the Trojans were handed a two-year postseason ban and lost 30 scholarships over the course of three seasons. Following the news, Los Angeles Times USC beat writer Ryan Kartje offered more details: 'Lake filed the suit against Bush back in February 2023 — along with his parents, Roy and Barbara Gunner — alleging that Bush publicly disparaged and defamed him during a podcast appearance and in social media posts and, as such, violated the non-disparagement clause they agreed upon in a previous settlement,' Kartje wrote. 'The comments, according to Lake and his parents' complaint, 'created a firestorm of vitriol' that saw the Gunner home vandalized with graffiti and left them fearing for their safety. 'The judge's decision this week came more than 15 years after the first explosive lawsuit between the two men was settled. That suit, which Lake first filed in 2007, claimed that he and another businessman, Michael Michaels, had provided Bush and his family with cash, a car, rent-free use of a house and other gifts while he played at USC in 2004 and 2005 with the expectation Bush would sign with Lake and his fledgling sports management company, New Era Sports & Entertainment. The first case was settled in April 2010, just before Bush and Michaels were scheduled to be deposed. But Lake's account of their arrangement, which violated NCAA rules, had already prompted a firestorm, one that ultimately ended in severe sanctions for USC's football program, the vacating of the Trojans' 2004 national title and the return of Bush's Heisman Trophy.' Somehow, there is still new news in this case more than 15 years after USC received its original NCAA sanctions, and nearly 20 years after Bush last suited up for the Trojans. USC fans are certainly hoping that this ruling can bring closure, and that all parties can finally put the scandal behind them.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Loaded Iowa football offensive line boasts Big Ten's top returning tackle Gennings Dunker
The 2025 season for the Iowa Hawkeyes may run through the offensive line. The veteran group of linemen is loaded with Logan Jones at center, Connor Colby next to him, and Gennings Dunker as well. The group has experience, talent, and confidence from last season, where they paved the way for more than 2,500 rushing yards and opened up lanes for Kaleb Johnson on his way to an All-American year as the 2024 Big Ten Running Back of the Year. The trio could be the heart and soul of Tim Lester's offense with quarterback transfer Mark Gronowski under center. Fortunately, for Gronowski, he will have the best returning Big Ten offensive tackle protecting him in Genning Dunker. Dunker has topped Pro Football Focus' list of the highest-graded returning offensive tackles in the Big Ten ahead of 2025. Gennings Dunker enters his fourth season with Iowa and has 25 starts to his name after starting each game he was healthy over the last two years. The 2024 season saw him earn Second-Team All-Big Ten Honors from the coaches and Associated Press. A classic case of development, like so many Iowa Hawkeyes' success stories, Dunker was a three-star recruit from Lena Winslow High School in Lena, Illinois. As part of the class of 2021, he was the No. 38 interior offensive lineman, the No. 15 recruit in Illinois, and the No. 535 overall recruit, per 247Sports. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
In America's Outfield, Giants' Ramos, Lee and Yaz bond over differences (and trash talk)
The San Francisco Giants feature America's Outfield, if you define America as a cultural and ethnic melting pot. The left fielder is Puerto Rican, the center fielder is South Korean, born in Japan, and the right fielder is American, with Polish and Italian immigrant roots holding up his family tree. Left to right, they are Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski. Pronounce and spell all three names correctly, win a prize. It's a defensive rainbow coalition. Probably the first Dominican/Korean/Polish-Italian American outfield in major league history. They've come to the right team. The Giants, New York and San Francisco, are big on ethnic outfield firsts. The first MLB all-Black outfield — Monte Irvin, rookie Willie Mays and Hank Thompson in the 1951 World Series. The first all-Latino outfield, which was also the first and only all-brothers outfield — Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou, for eight games in 1963. Ramos, Lee and Yastrzemski are close neighbors in the clubhouse, too, their lockers side-by-side-by-side in one corner. Make it a foursome, counting Justin Han, Lee's interpreter. The Giants' clubhouse dressing cubicles are arranged by position. 'It's about being close to the guys you're going to be playing close to,' Yastrzemski says. 'There's so much communication that goes on out on the field, and it all starts in here, so it's nice to be close to each other. We can talk about how we're going to play against a certain team, how we're going to do against a certain guy, so it's pretty helpful.' In their first full season together, the three have become buddies. Amigos. Be peu. 'Sometimes baseball,' Lee says when asked what the three talk about, 'but more of it is just joking around, you know, being friendly with each other.' 'We're super close to each other,' Ramos says, referring to more than geography. 'We have a good communication, we talk a lot of crap to each other, we just play around a lot.' Yastrzemski says, 'We go out to eat on the road together a decent amount. Me and Ramos both have families, so if they're on the road, one of us will be missing (from dinner), but we try to do as much stuff together as possible.' Language is not a barrier. Ramos speaks English fluently, working at it since he signed his first pro contract at 17. 'I feel like I'm still learning a lot,' Ramos says. 'It was a challenge for sure when I was coming up, but I feel pretty good at it now. It was a main thing for me, I watched everything in English, all my friends were Americans, that helped me a lot. I like talking, so I just go out there and talk, I'm not shy.' Lee works hard on his English. 'Jungy's done a great job of focusing on learning English, and he understands really well,' Yastrzemski says. 'I don't think he's quite comfortable talking to the media in English, but he does pretty well with us, and he understands just about everything we're saying, which is great. 'At the same time, I'm learning some Korean and some Spanish words, we all just kind of mix and match and have fun with it. There's some interesting conversations.' What has Yastrzemski learned in Korean? 'A lot of it is probably stuff that I can't say (for print). That's obviously our nature, the first place we want to go is to learn the curse words and the ways to make fun of each other.' Lee says, through Han, 'I have Justin around, he helps out, but the players also help out with English, so that makes it comfortable for me.' Learning English is no picnic for a South Korean. English has sounds that don't exist in Korean, and vice versa. Humor helps, it's kind of universal. 'Youngie's pretty funny,' says Ramos, who gives Lee's nickname a Latin flavor with the soft J, while Yastrzemski gives it the hard J — Jungie. The three have stuff in common, such as athletic bloodlines. Lee's father, Jong Beom Lee, was a star player in the Japanese and Korean major leagues. His nickname was Son of the Wind. Jung Hoo's nickname in Korea was Grandson of the Wind, although his speed is only slightly above average. Ramos' older brother Henry is a true baseball journeyman, currently in the 16th year of that journey, which has included a cup of coffee in the big leagues and two seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization. Another older brother, Hector, was a professional soccer player. Yastrzemski's grandfather is, of course, Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl. Carl's parents emigrated from Poland to become potato farmers on Long Island. Mike's mother's family traces back to Italy. All three Giants have roots in great baseball cultures. South Korea came relatively late to the game, but has produced 29 MLB players, seven of whom are currently in the majors. Puerto Rico's rich baseball world has churned out more than 400 big leaguers, including late Giants legend Orlando Cepeda. Culture-wise, Yastrzemski trumps his buddies. Historical records show that in the early 1600s, Polish immigrants brought a sport to the New World, a game called palant, played with a bat and a ball made of rags, to the amusement of Native American spectators. In the outfield, Ramos, Lee and Yastrzemski communicate with looks, gestures and baseballese. Question to Lee: How do you say, 'I got it'? Lee (skipping his interpreter): 'I got it.'
