NCAA News Wire
Florida reinstates C Horford
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Florida center Jon Horford was reinstated to the team on Friday but will sit out the Gators’ next game against Mississippi State along with suspended freshman guard Zach Hodskins.
Hodskins, a preferred walk-on who plays sparingly, remains suspended for Saturday night’s SEC game in Gainesville, Fla.
Horford and Hodskins were suspended by coach Billy Donovan after Florida’s win at South Carolina on Wednesday night for conduct detrimental to the team.
Horford, a transfer from Michigan, is averaging 8.3 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds per game. He has started 12 of the Gators’ 13 games this season.
“It’s one of those things where you’re always fighting for your culture and what you believe your culture is,” Donovan said. “I really believe culture wins. … I’m not selling out for winning. I’m not doing that because, inevitably, you sell out for one win, it’s going to come back and get you. You’ve got to sell out for your culture and what you stand for and what our program stands for.
“Our guys understand that this is what it is. There’s some guys that may not want that. And that’s OK, too. But I think over the years when we’ve had guys who have bought into the culture and what we’re doing, we’ve been able to be pretty successful and pretty competitive.”
