After 11 days filled with pain, questions and around-the-clock treatment, Chandler Parsons was ready to contribute Thursday night.
The senior forward spent 11 minutes feeling things out before exploding for 12 points and five rebounds in a dominant second-half performance.
Parsons’ return sparked No. 13 Florida (22-5, 11-2 Southeastern Conference) in a 71-62 win over Georgia (18-9, 7-6 SEC) in the O’Connell Center.
And there’s no question he earned it.
“I’ve never seen a guy work harder than he’s worked (to recover),” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “He plays hard, he’s aggressive, but what he did to get himself back was unbelievable.”
Donovan added that Parsons spent at least five hours each day getting treatment, from 8 a.m. all the way though having an assistant trainer in his room each night.
UF’s coach even recalled finding Parsons asleep on the trainer’s table one morning, leg wrapped in a boot.
“I’ve put in more hours in my life in the training room than I ever had, combined, in my whole career,” Parsons said.
Parsons’ hard work paid major dividends for the Gators, as his seven points, two rebounds and one assist in the first three minutes of the second half erased a seven-point deficit.
After sitting for the game’s first 7:11, the senior played 30 minutes, wearing only a skin-tight thigh pad as he flashed his usual form.
“I just tried to play my game and let it come to me,” Parsons said. “In the second half, I started crashing a little bit more, started getting a little bit more active. I think my legs started to loosen up a bit.”
Parsons recorded only four points and two rebounds in the first half, something Donovan expected in the senior’s first game following a contact injury.
But that all changed over the final 20 minutes, when the senior returned to his usual, aggressive self.
“In the second half, he just went out and played,” Donovan said. “He just kind of said, ‘I’m going after it,’ and got back to playing like he did.”
From there, the Gators never looked back, riding Parsons’ wave of energy to the win.
“Just his presence picks up the team,” junior guard Erving Walker said. “He’s a great player. He does everything for us.”
The Gators struggled mightily in the first 14:40, falling behind 28-18 as Georgia shot 65 percent to UF’s 31.6.
But Parsons’ performance gave the Gators a lead, and Kenny Boynton fueled a run that helped to extend it.
After a 2-for-9 start, the sophomore guard drained a trio of three-pointers in just less than a minute and a half as the Gators expanded their advantage to eight.
“He opened up the game. Those nine points were huge,” Donovan said. “That’s what he does.”
After connecting on the first two attempts, Boynton was confident he would hit the third if he got the opportunity.
“I was just thinking, ‘If I get open, I knew I was going to knock it down,’” Boynton said.
With the victory, Florida clinched at least a share of the SEC East title.
Still, the team’s focus remains squarely on capturing the overall SEC championship, with the next step coming Saturday at Kentucky.
“We came in focused when the SEC started, and I think we’re on a mission,” Boynton said. “We just want to win it all.”
