| [h1]Welcome to the budding world of elite travel football, recruitniks[/h1] |
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[h2]Express travel team visited four schools, participated in national 7-on-7 tourney[/h2][h2]Team endured NCAA issues, traffic jams, larcenous members, severe flatulence[/h2][h2]Burgeoning sport of elite travel football could someday mirror AAU basketball[/h2] |
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TheSouth Florida Express travel football team, made up of some of the bestskill-position players in South Florida, took home the national titleat the Badger Sports Elite 7-on-7 National Championship.
Karim Shamsi-Basha/SI.com
SI.com's Andy Staplesrecently accompanied the South Florida Express travel team, whichincludes 25 of Florida's top prospects, on an unofficial recruitingtrip to a national tournament and four schools in the South. From TheGrove to South Beach, Staples got a firsthand look of what it's like tobe a top recruit. This is the first installment of a five-part series.
SOMEWHERE ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE --
Wayne Lyons had stretched his body into a position no normal human would find comfortable. Lyons,
a blue-chip defensive back from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sprawled across two bus seats, his legs dangling into the aisle. He slept soundly.
While Lyons dozed, his South Florida Express teammates sitting in the rear of the bus hatched a plot. The mastermind was
B.J. Dubose,a star defensive end at Northeast High in Oakland Park, Fla. The firstof their coaches who dared enter the bus bathroom would find himselftrapped inside, the door braced by coolers and elite athletes.
Brett Goetz,the Fort Lauderdale stock broker who created the travelingseven-on-seven team two years ago, knew his players far too well tofall for their ruse. Still, he had his own issues. As he sat in thefirst row, Goetz pressed an iPhone to his ear.
"Which NCAArule is it?" Goetz asked, knowing he didn't want to hear the answer tohis question. In the next few hours, Goetz would receive an unpleasantpiece of NCAA news, one of his assistant coaches would be locked in thebus bathroom for several hilarious minutes and several players wouldcommandeer the bus microphone for a freestyle rap contest that didn'tconclude until every passenger had been properly skewered. Only hoursinto the six-day trip, Goetz stood in the aisle and yelled to no one inparticular.
"I've lost [bleeping] institutional control!"
Welcometo the nascent world of elite travel football, the burgeoning sportthat could someday mirror AAU basketball, with apparel companiesfooting the bill for teams loaded with top prospects to criss-cross thecountry to face other teams loaded with top prospects. Until thathappens, Goetz will continue to scrounge for sponsor dollars, cut dealswith bus companies and stay only in hotels that offer a free hotbreakfast. Last week, Goetz allowed SI.com to ride along as his 25-manteam -- made up of some of the best skill-position players in SouthFlorida -- visited colleges en route to the Badger Sports Elite 7-on-7National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Along the way,the Express endured NCAA issues, traffic jams, larcenous team membersand the combined flatulence of 33 males cooped up in a bus. Playersalso formed friendships that will last long after their return home.They devoured 26 slabs of ribs, a gallon of baked beans and five quartsof banana pudding at a world-famous barbecue joint. At the tournament,some turned in performances that will draw more scholarship offers.Best of all, they took home a national title.
[h3]Fun with the NCAA[/h3]
Goetzalready has a name in the world of college football recruiting. It'sjust not the name he wants. During an interview with a BCS-conferencehead coach in May, Goetz's name was mentioned. "Oh," the coach said."The Ohio State guy."
Goetz acquired that reputation because linebacker
Etienne Sabino, oneof the players from the Optimist Club football league Goetz runs inMiami Beach, signed with the Buckeyes two years ago along with Dr. KropHigh teammate
Travis Howard. Goetz also has taken otherprospects to Columbus while visiting Sabino. Goetz also has takenplayers to his alma mater, Florida, and to a variety of other campuses,but Ohio State is the one everyone associates with Goetz. For thetournament trip, Goetz made plans to stop at Florida State, LSU, OleMiss and Mississippi State so his players -- most of whom are heavilyrecruited -- could tour the campuses and meet with coaches in what theNCAA terms "unofficial" visits. After the tournament, which took placeon Alabama's campus, Goetz planned a stop in Gainesville.
"Thisis the cover-up trip," Goetz said, laughing at his reputation as ashill for the Buckeyes. Sabino and Howard, Goetz said, were turned onto Ohio State by the late
Sonny Spielman, a Dr. Krop assistant coach and the father of former Ohio State linebacker
Chris Spielman.Goetz admits he likes the Buckeyes' staff and program, but he said heappreciates a lot of excellent programs. That's why he wanted hisplayers, most of whom can't afford to pay for multiple unofficialvisits, to see as many campuses and coaches as possible on the trip.
Unfortunately for Goetz, the NCAA had other ideas.
TheExpress assembled at 6:30 a.m. on June 29 in Hollywood, Fla. On the buswere Lyons and Dubose, who have each received more than 30 scholarshipoffers. Joining them were Boyd Anderson High linebacker
Kent Turene, who is coveted by most of the programs in the top 25, and Miami Southridge High defensive backs
Gerrod Holliman and
Andrew Johnson, who each hold more than 20 scholarship offers. The team also featured committed players such as Plantation High linebacker
Ryan Shazier (Florida), Plantation safety
Jeremy Cash (Ohio State) and Miami Northwestern quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater (Miami).
Also on the bus were players seeking more exposure. Plantation linebacker
Jerome Howard,who has offers from Marshall and Florida Atlantic, hoped to drop off ahighlight video at Mississippi State. Plantation safety
Terrance Mitchell, whose only offer is from Kentucky, hoped to raise his profile and meet more coaches. North Broward Prep receiver
A.J. Sebastianohoped to play his way into his first scholarship offer. Meanwhile,several potential blockbuster members of the class of 2012 came alongto get a taste of what to expect from the recruiting process. Ely Highreceiver
Avery Johnson, the younger brother of LSU cornerback
Patrick Peterson,came to see schools (LSU, Alabama, Florida) that already have offeredhim scholarships. Meanwhile, University School offensive tackle
Abraham "Nacho"
Garciawas invited so he could visit schools and use his 6-foot-5, 347-poundframe to give Bridgewater a massive target on goal-line plays.
Goetzcalled each school's coaching staff weeks in advance to set up thevisits. While official visits -- trips paid for by the school -- areoff-limits until Sept. 1 of a prospect's senior year, the NCAA allowscoaches to host players who pay their own way to campuses with fewexceptions. A few hours into the trip, Goetz and the Express learnedabout one of the exceptions.
Thanksto a discount from Miami-based TravelByBus!, safety Wayne Lyons (front)and offensive tackle Abraham "Nacho" Garcia were able to sleepcomfortably on the trip from Milton, Fla. to Baton Rouge, La.
Andy Staples/SI.com
Thatexception is spelled out in NCAA bylaw 13.1.7.2 (b), which states:"Contact shall not be made with the prospective student-athlete fromthe time he or she reports on call (at the direction of his or hercoach or comparable authority) and becomes involved in competitionrelated activity (e.g., traveling to an away-from-home game) to the endof the competition even if such competition-related activities areinitiated prior to the day or days of competition."
Inother words, a team traveling to a competition cannot take unofficialvisits, whereas a team traveling home from a competition can take asmany visits as it wants. Goetz learned this in a June 29 phone callfrom Florida State associate athletic director
Jody Smith asthe bus rolled toward Tallahassee. "The rule is ridiculous," Goetzsaid. "You can't go before, but you can go after. After we leave,what's the difference? It's the same trip."
Not according to the NCAA. NCAA spokesman
Erik Christiansonwrote in an e-mail last week that the membership didn't want highschool athletes to face the added pressure of visits as they preparedfor competition. "NCAA members have made it a priority," Christiansonwrote, "to preserve the opportunity for prospective student-athletes toparticipate in high school level competition while having separate,specifically defined opportunities for recruiting visits."
Goetzwould learn that, despite weeks of advanced planning, a coach atFlorida State had waited until the day of the scheduled visit to runthe plan past the compliance office. Compliance officials told thestaff to cancel the visit. Someone then contacted the SEC office toensure that the other schools the Express planned to visit before thetournament (LSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State) also followed therule. Coaches at those schools and Florida received the same e-mailfrom the SEC office reminding them of the rule.
Goetzquickly called coaches at each school. The coaches confirmed theExpress could still receive the same tour that any prospective studentwould. One school would take advantage of this fact and reap therewards. Three would not.
After a stop for lunch inGainesville, Goetz told his players the unofficial visits had beencanceled at every stop except Florida. Gators coaches could host theExpress because the visit would come after the tournament. In itsdesire to obey NCAA rules, Florida State had actually given itsarchrival a significant advantage.
What frustrated Goetzmost was that none of the college coaches -- all of whom are requiredto pass a test on NCAA recruiting rules -- checked on the rule in theweeks leading up to the trip. Had Express coaches known, they wouldhave simply gone to the tournament first and visited all the schools onthe way home. "It's just upsetting that we've had this planned formonths," Goetz said, "and nobody did their homework."
[h3]Money Matters[/h3]
Itwas especially upsetting because Goetz estimated the trip would costfrom $15,000-$17,000. Goetz spent months raising the funds to pay for abus, food and hotel rooms for the 33-member Express traveling party.Goetz and his cousin, CPA
Brad Sokol, bargained with hotelmanagers for the best rates. They haggled with all-you-can-eat buffetmanagers for free sodas. They also secured sponsorships to ensure thebulk of the cost didn't come from their own pockets.
Anelite travel basketball team -- especially one loaded with top collegeprospects -- can count on Nike or adidas to fund much of its travel.That isn't the case with travel football, which is a relatively newphenomenon. Though seven-on-seven tournaments are summertime staples infootball hotbeds such as Florida and Texas, they typically featureteams composed of players from the same high school. Traveling all-starteams are common in basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball, butnot in football.
One sponsor was The Garner Foundation, a Miami-based charity that gives primarily to educational causes. Co-director
Gerald Moorehas given to Goetz's youth football league. Moore, who considershimself more of a basketball fan, saw value in allowing a group ofathletes to visit potential college destinations. Plus, Moore believesin Goetz. "I can just tell by being with Brett that his heart and soulis in it," Moore said. "He does it because he loves it -- not becausesomeone is paying him."
Another sponsor was
Title Sports Drink,a newcomer to the market dominated by Gatorade and Powerade. On thetrip, players wore Title-branded shirts and quenched their thirst withcoolers full of Title's product, which tastes a tad sweeter but hasfewer calories than regular Gatorade.
Some companies didn't offer sponsorships, but they did offer discounts.
Gunther Meyer, the president of Miami-based
TravelByBus!,considers himself a hardcore recruitnik. He knew most of the playersfrom reading about them on Rivals.com and Scout.com. So Meyer cut theExpress a deal for a bus that featured leather seats, on-boardtelevisions and wireless internet. "These kinds of opportunities,"Meyer said, "can open doors for kids."
Or close them.
[h3]Trouble on the Bayou[/h3]
Corey Tindal, a cornerback from Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., visited Mike the Tiger on the LSU campus.
Andy Staples/SI.com
Thevisit to Florida State included an abbreviated tour and a meal in thedining hall. Players also visited FSU's practice field, where theywalked through an open gate and saw current Seminoles playing their owngames of seven-on-seven as part of the team's voluntary summerworkouts. Express players exchanged high-fives with Express alumnus
Lamarcus Joyner,an FSU freshman defensive back. Meanwhile, Bridgewater, who already hasverbally committed to play quarterback at Miami, razzed his futurerivals by throwing up the U -- making a U with his hands to symbolizeMiami's iconic helmet logo.
Moments after the team boarded the bus, assistant coach
Rob Hirschpulled up CaneSport, a Rivals.com site that covers Miami, on his phone.A message board poster had relayed the news of the visit in real time."My brother who goes to FSU just texted me that he saw TB and [Expressteammate and fellow Miami commitment]
Eli Rogers watching practice along with [Express offensive coordinator and former Miami receiver]
Kevin Beard,"the poster wrote at 5:44 p.m., while the players were still on thepractice field. "I just thought this was extremely strange. Anyone knowwhat is going on?"
The team stayed overnight in Milton,Fla., and then waited out a traffic jam on Interstate 10 en route toLSU. Once in Baton Rouge, the players received another abbreviatedtour, ending at Tiger Stadium. After visiting the stadium, the playersscattered. Some watched LSU's live mascot, Mike, lounge in hison-campus habitat. Others followed Johnson to the football complex,where he had gone to visit his brother.
Express playersdidn't meet any coaches at LSU, but just as they did at FSU, theywatched players take part in voluntary workouts. Then they boarded thebus and got comfortable for the long drive to Oxford, Miss. About 45minutes into the drive, Goetz received a disturbing call from Peterson,the LSU cornerback, and another from LSU assistant coach
Billy Gonzales.Someone from the Express had stolen Peterson's watch from the LSUlocker room. A security camera had captured the theft. LSU coachesdidn't know the culprit's identity, but they would soon enough bymatching Express players' photos with the surveillance video.
Goetzand his fellow coaches fumed. Goetz grabbed a microphone and blastedthe players. He told the culprit to send him a text. He wouldn't revealthe player's identity to his teammates, but he would get the watchback. For the next few hours, coaches priced flights and bus ticketsand debated whether to ship the offending player home. On the road toOxford, Goetz received a text from the thief. That night, he collectedthe watch to send back to Peterson.
After a mostlysleepless night, Goetz decided not to send the player home. Had anSI.com reporter not been in the traveling party, Goetz admitted, heprobably would have jettisoned the player. But since doing so wouldhave made the thief so easy to identify, Goetz held back. He wanted theplayer to learn his lesson, but he didn't want to see him blackballedentirely. That, Goetz admitted, might happen anyway. In the insularcollege football coaching community, coaches talk.
Thenext morning, Express coaches sat eating breakfast at a Holiday InnExpress in Oxford. Goetz looked at his phone and sighed. An LSU coachhad forwarded him an image of a different player caught on videostealing cleats from the Tigers' locker room. Express coaches andplayers also declined to name this player, but Goetz said he planned tocut ties with the watch thief and the shoe thief after the trip. Goetzcollected the stolen items to send back to Baton Rouge, and it seemsunlikely anyone at LSU will press charges, but the incident could havelong-term consequences for the players. If the thefts come up inconversation between two gossiping coaches -- and they will, becausecoaches love to gossip -- those players' scholarship offers willevaporate.
[h3]Hotty Toddy[/h3]
Ole Miss was the onlyschool that truly took advantage of the chance to host 25 star highschool football players. Express players never even set foot in theRebels' practice facility, but the majority of them ranked their visitto Ole Miss as their favorite at trip's end. The school assigned threeadmissions counselors to explain the school's academic requirements andgive the players a tour of campus.
Dana Ros,
Rachael Shook and
Jenny Kate Lusterunderstood their audience. After a brief rundown of the academicrequirements to be admitted to Ole Miss, the counselors took theplayers to The Grove, the nation's finest tailgating spot. There, theyexplained the Walk of Champions, in which players march through TheGrove high-fiving fans on their way to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium forgames.
Then the ladies stopped the tour. "Are you ready?" they yelled in unison. Then they got a little dirty.
"Hell yeah! Damn right! Hotty Toddy, gosh almighty, who the hell are we? Flim-flam! Bim-bam! Ole Miss, by damn!"
"The only cheer in the nation with cuss words," Ros said with a tinge of pride.
Thecounselors also gave the players a more practical look at campus. OleMiss was the only school to show players a sample dorm room. Thecounselors also took the players to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. They saidmost prospective students end their tour at the stadium -- though somebegin it there -- because football is so ingrained in the campusculture. Express players emptied out of the stands and onto the field.The massive Garcia caught touchdown passes, while Boyd Anderson Highcornerback
Corey Tindal ran routes with his body covered in OleMiss bumper stickers. The counselors bade the team farewell withanother rendition of Hotty Toddy, and then the bus rolled back to thehotel for practice.
After the visits and the drama, theplayers seemed refreshed to be back on the field, even if it was apockmarked stretch of barely alive grass outside a Holiday Inn Expresson a 95-degree day. Coaches handed out wristbands featuring all theoffensive plays, and Bridgewater and Beard went to work fixing anyflaws in the offensive scheme. Meanwhile, Plantation High's Cash fumed.The Ohio State commitment had surgery to repair knee cartilage lessthan two months ago, but he had permission from his mother and hisfuture position coach to play in the tournament. He did not, however,have permission from his father, and he couldn't reach his dad by phonebefore practice began. "He's at
Toy Story 3 with a bunch oflittle kids right now," Cash said. Maybe the notoriously emotionalending to the film would leave Cash's father vulnerable and make himchange his mind about the tournament. Cash hoped it would.
Later,players and coaches toured the Square in downtown Oxford. Withvirtually no one in town because of the upcoming Independence Dayweekend, players bored quickly. Ole Miss had lost luster in some oftheir eyes because of the moribund social scene on that particularnight. That changed later when several players stumbled upon afraternity party held at a sports bar across the street from the hotel.After a night spent dancing and flirting with college girls, Expressplayers held Oxford in high esteem.
[h3]Tourney Time[/h3]
The Express had been scheduled to visitMississippi State on the morning of July 2, but the impending holidayweekend made it impossible for the school to arrange a tour. Plus, thelate night in Oxford had wiped out the players' energy reserves. SoGoetz decided to skip Starkville, Miss., and travel directly toTuscaloosa.
At about 2 p.m., the bus pulled into aTuscaloosa institution. Players piled into the original DreamlandBarbecue, where 26 slabs of ribs awaited. Talking ceased as servershanded out plates piled high with pork spareribs. After about 30minutes, it became clear that three Express players had a particularaffinity for ribs. Shazier, Rogers and Bridgewater had accrued massivepiles of bones. Naturally, the future Gator and the two futureHurricanes had to determine which school would sign the superiorrib-eater. So they counted the bones.
In the 2000presidential elections, dangling chads commanded the attention of thenation. In the 2010 Dreamland Eat-off, a dangling piece of bone causedthe controversy. As he was counting his bones, Shazier discarded asmall piece of bone. He didn't count it, but Rogers thought he had. So,when Shazier was declared the winner for eating 18 ribs (a slab and ahalf), Rogers challenged the result. Video evidence determined Shazierwas the champ.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element...ontext=embed&videoId=070610.staples_ribeatinghttp://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element...ontext=embed&videoId=070610.staples_ribeating
Playersdropped their belongings at their hotel and headed to the Alabamafootball complex for a Friday night skills competition against otherplayers. There, they met the Mamba.
According to Rivals.com, the nation's No. 5-rated prospect in the class of 2011 is named
De'Anthony Thomas.No one calls him by that name, though. To everyone who followsrecruiting, the cornerback/tailback/receiver/kick returner fromCrenshaw High in Los Angeles is known as the Black Mamba.
Obviously, another high-profile Los Angeles athlete (
Kobe Bryant) claims that nickname, but when
Snoop Doggbestows a sobriquet on a Pop Warner player -- as he did for a youngThomas -- the name tends to stick. The Black Mamba was the star of the1925 All-Stars, the Los Angeles-based team coached by offensivecoordinator
Keyshawn Johnson and defensive coordinator
Brian Kelly(the former Tampa Bay cornerback, not the Notre Dame coach). As theplayers waited to receive their jerseys for the tournament, Expressplayers and 1925 All-Stars mingled. Despite the fact that all 14 teamsin the tournament featured college prospects, it became immediatelyapparent that the Express and the 1925 were on a collision course.
The teams returned to their respective hotels to rest for the tournament. While the Express slept, bus driver
Eduardo Ibertiswaited at a garage as a mechanic fixed the bus's broken airconditioner. For ensuring the air conditioner was fixed before the tripback to Florida, Ibertis was the unsung hero of the trip.
Theschedule originally called for the teams to meet Saturday afternoon ina preliminary round, but organizers quickly changed it to ensure thebest of the east wouldn't meet the best of the west until Sunday'ssingle-elimination round -- preferably in the final.
Saturday,the teams lived up to their billings. The Express won its four gamesagainst teams from Georgia, Tennessee and Michigan. Bridgewater andreceivers
Brandon Snell (Miami Norland High) and
Jessie York(Boyd Anderson High) were the offensive stars. Dubose came on the tripto play tight end, but he found a new role when he was inserted atlinebacker to shut down 6-6 Memphis tight end
Cameron Clear.
Mitchellemerged as the chief trash-talker for the Express. His go-to phrase?"I'm eatin,'" Mitchell said, acting as if he was downing huge spoonfulsof food from an enormous bowl. The gesture made opposing receivers wantto throw up, and it so infuriated one official that he ordered coachesto remove Mitchell from a game for a series. Mitchell later apologizedto his teammates for going overboard, but he didn't stop eatin'. "Ithink I've got a tapeworm," Mitchell yelled on the sideline after onedefensive stop. "I've eaten so much. I'm still not full."
Playingone-hand-touch football with no linemen, the Express went 4-0 inSaturday's round-robin. The 1925s went 4-0 also. The defense, led bythe Black Mamba, gave up only one touchdown all day.
Thatnight, Express players mingled with 1925 players at a barbecue thrownby tournament organizers. When 1925 players, many of whom are committedto USC, realized that the Trojans were recruiting Turene of theExpress, they huddled around Turene and answered many of his questionsabout the program and the school. (This would be important later.)Meanwhile, Lyons -- who has UCLA on his list of potential schools --chatted with 1925 quarterback
Jerry Neuheisel, the son of UCLA head coach
Rick Neuheisel.The younger Neuheisel also tried in vain to woo some of his teammatesas Johnson, a former Trojan, extolled the virtues of USC. "Hey Key,"Neuheisel said. "If they like bowl games, they'll go to UCLA." Johnsonlaughed and fired back: "Hey Jerry, if they like bowl games, they won'tgo to UCLA."
Today's teens have a saying. Game recognizegame. It means that the best at anything will instantly offer respectwhen confronted with an obvious peer. At the barbecue, South Floridaplayers and Southern California players didn't talk trash to oneanother. They only compared notes. As the barbecue ended, more than adozen people -- including several top prospects -- stopped the BlackMamba and asked if he'd take a picture with them. Express playerswatched, knowing they would get their shot at the Mamba and his teamthe next day.
Sunday's early games played out as expected.The 1925s beat a team from Texas to reach the final, and the Express --playing with Cash, who received last-minute permission from his fatherafter sitting out Saturday -- pounded a team from Louisiana to reachthe final. The teams met at midfield, and the trash talk began. Itcontinued through the game, but on the side where the Mamba covered ElyHigh's Johnson, it was quiet.
Johnson scored the game's first touchdown, and the 1925s answered with a touchdown pass to class of 2012 USC commitment
Jordan Payton.The teams traded touchdowns again, but Holliman's interception of aconversion attempt allowed the Express to cling to a 14-13 lead. On thenext Express play, Bridgewater hit Johnson on a 10-yard hitch. Johnsonexploded upfield and outran the entire defense for a 40-yard touchdown."That just doesn't happen in seven-on-seven," Goetz said of the play.Players emptied off the Express sideline and dogpiled Johnson. TheExpress failed on its one-point conversion attempt, but when Lyonsbroke up a pass intended for USC commitment
Victor Blackwell, the Express clinched the win and the national title.
"That's the way you do it, Sports Illustrated," Miami Columbus High cornerback
Deon Bush yelled. "Miami, 305, we're in the building. The best football in America."
[h3]Going Home[/h3]
Theplayers won't all stay in South Florida after high school. After thetitle, Holliman and Southridge teammate Johnson decided to go publicwith their commitments to Ole Miss, given two weeks earlier on anunofficial visit sweep of the southeast led by Southridge coach
Patrick Burrows. The next day, Turene would call USC assistant
Willie Mack Garzaand decide to go public with his commitment to the Trojans. Turene hasyet to even see USC, but he plans to visit in a few weeks.
Playerscelebrated their title with a meal at Ryan's, an all-you-can-eat buffetin Tuscaloosa. Coaches wisely covered their drinks with napkins toavoid salt sprinkles from mischievous players, and players loaded up onfried chicken and ice cream. That combination would prove almost lethalin a closed space during the eight-hour drive to Gainesville for thetour's next stop.
The bus rolled into Gainesville at about1 a.m. Players either went to bed or walked to a 24-hour McDonald's.Later Monday morning, the bus arrived at Florida's campus for a trueunofficial visit. Because NCAA rules forbid schools from publicizing arecruit's visit, SI.com was not allowed to follow as Florida assistant
D.J. Durkin showed Express players the Gators' facilities.
Ininterviews later, Turene and Lyons -- two Florida targets -- said theywatched video with Durkin that showed how each would be used inFlorida's defense if he chose the Gators. Other than that, Floridacoaches barely used the advantage they'd received from the NCAA rule.The tour was short and sweet, and Express players were munching pizzaat a local buffet less than two hours later.
During thefinal team meal before the return trip to South Florida, Duboseapproached his coaches and offered a handshake and a thank-you forbringing him on the trip. Goetz smiled. That thank-you, he said, madeeverything -- the fund-raising, the out-of-pocket expense, the missedwork and the lost sleep -- worthwhile.
