Dan Werner an Unlikely Go-To Gator

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Two minutes, one ring.

That pretty much sums up Florida senior forward Dan Werner's experience at the 2007 Final Four.

Werner is the only remaining player from the Gators' 2007 NCAA title team -- which also was the Gators' last NCAA appearance. That year, they won the second of consecutive national titles.

That year, Werner admits he was a naïve freshman from Middletown, N.J. The Gators made it look so easy that season, he thought this was something he would be experiencing multiple times throughout his career.

"I was really naïve, coming in as a freshman to the No. 1 team in the country, winning it all," Werner said in the Gators' locker room the day before they'll face BYU in the NCAA tournament. "I was thinking to myself, it was this easy, we'll do this every year."

It didn't quite turn out how Werner -- or Gators fans -- envisioned the next two seasons.

The Gators won 24 games in 2008 and 25 games in 2009, but had to settle for a pair of NIT berths.

"Obviously the last two years have been a struggle for everyone," Werner said. "No one was satisfied with what we had accomplished.

"We had won 20-something games each year, but that wasn't the goal. I think the past two seasons have really made us stronger as a team. We've all grown the past couple of years."

"We had won 20-something games each year, but that wasn't the goal. I think the past two seasons have really made us stronger as a team. We've all grown the past couple of years."
- Dan Werner Also after the 2007 season, for a hectic six-day period in June, the Gators thought they had lost coach Billy Donovan to the NBA's Orlando Magic. Donovan had a change of heart and decided to remain in Gainesville.

"We just came out from the last championship," Werner said. "We were all flying high and stuff and coach decided to [go] to the NBA ... basically getting the carpet pulled out from under [our] feet.

"So there was a lot of guys upset, guys that were on my team that are no longer with us. We were all upset, but coach decided to come back and I'm glad he did because I'm a lot better player and person because he came back."

The Gators made quite the comeback on Selection Sunday.

Given up for dead -- i.e. the NIT -- after going 21-12, including losses in four of their last five games, the Gators were supposedly out of the NCAA tournament. At least according to all of the TV talking heads and expert bracketologists.

"Going by the experts on TV, we weren't in," Werner said. "Who else can you go by? When you start hearing things on TV, you start doubting yourself a little bit."

Donovan told his team he really had no idea if the Gators were in the field of 65.

"He didn't know," Werner said.

So the Gators gathered Sunday afternoon in the team's film room, waited and watched.

"We saw BYU come up as a seven [seed] and people say we were on the bubble, so I thought no way we get a 10 seed, since we were probably an 11 or 12 seed," Werner said. "So I wasn't even looking for our name and when it came up, everyone started screaming, running around, hugging each other."

Screaming, running around, hugging each other. Ironically that also is Werner's last memory from the 2007 championship in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Werner played 16 minutes for the Gators in the 2007 NCAA tournament. He was 1 for 3 with two points, five rebounds and one turnover. In the semifinal victory against UCLA, he played two minutes. He did not play in the final against Ohio State and the most action he got that night was when the game went final.

"Running on the court and jumping on everyone and seeing 'One Shining Moment' up there," Werner said. "It's only been a couple of years ago, but it feels like a long time ago."

Back in his room at his parents' home in New Jersey sitting on a shelf is his 2007 Final Four hat with a piece of the net he cut down tied onto it. The hat is strictly off-limits.

"No one's allowed to put it on their head," Werner said.

Unless the Gators make an unprecedented run to the Final Four -- the Gators are 0-2 in the NCAA tournament when seeded seventh or lower -- that will be the final net Werner cuts down.

Still, the 6-foot-8 forward is proud of the Gators for returning to the NCAA tournament. And Donovan said the Gators can build off this season.

"I think for our team, we're losing one player off this team in Dan Werner," Donovan said. "It's a great opportunity for our basketball team to really, really grow in a lot of ways and there's been a lot of growth up to this point in time.

"I think our guys, as any kid in the tournament when you're at this point, it's such an exciting time to be able to play and advance and move on and everybody wants to be able to do that. Our guys, certainly the goal was to get here. I think every team's goal is to get there. Once you get there, you have to really be focused on the opportunity that's in front of you and know you've got to really want to go out there and play your very best."

And with Werner being the only player with any NCAA tournament experience -- albeit not much -- his teammates have asked him what to expect in the Big Dance.

"I told everyone to stay focused on one game," Werner said. "You're only guaranteed one game, so if you don't play your best or make the most of your opportunity, you're not going to play another game here. It's all about BYU and giving all you got to beat BYU."

Werner, who started the first 16 games this season, has been coming off the bench in the second half of the season. He's still averaging 28 minutes a game, but only 4.7 points per game. He began the season by hitting 14 of 27 from 3-point range, but has made only 5 of his last 46 3-point attempts in the last 25 games.

His senior year hasn't exactly gone as planned, but at least it will end with another NCAA appearance.

"The NIT isn't good enough anymore," Werner said. "This is where you compete for a national championship."

Contact FanHouse senior writer Brett McMurphy at brettmcmurphy@gmail.com.