FINAL FOUR NOTES
INDIANAPOLIS – The lineups of the two teams playing tonight could have had a very different look if a couple of decisions had gone different ways.
UCLA point guard Jordan Farmar was initially very interested in attending Florida. He took an official trip to Gainesville and Florida coach Billy Donovan thought he was close to getting a commitment from the California prep star.
“He’s really made a poor choice, didn’t he,” said Donovan.
Florida center Joakim Noah, of New York, was somewhat of a late-bloomer. Before he got to Poly Prep and began drawing national interest, the 6-11 sophomore had already been noticed by then Pittsburgh coach Ben Howland.
“I remember him saying that one day he would recruit me,” said Noah.
But Howland took the UCLA job and Noah signed with Florida.
“Recruiting UCLA is much, much easier because of the tradition, the history, the quality of the institution, the location,” said Howland. “I mean, Arron [Afflalo] he’s about eight miles away, Farmar he’s about 15 miles away, Ced [Bozeman], how far is Inglewood [from UCLA], 10 or 12 miles away? Ryan [Hollins] is a whole 20 miles away from Pasadena. And Luc [Richard Mbah a Moute] is about 8,000 miles away over in Cameroon.”
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Not only did Noah decide to play a different sport than his father, former tennis great Yannick Noah, but the two have very different personalities during the game. Joakim is an intense, fun-loving player who often pounds his chest and exhorts the crowd. Yannick is a worrywart.
“It’s the first time in his life he can’t control what goes on on the court,” said Joakim. “I know he’s nervous. He always tells me to calm down and take a deep breath. I should tell him, ‘Chill out. Drink a couple of beers.’ He stresses me out.”