Lon Kruger's Florida team bonded on trip to Australia

By Michael Baldwin | Published: July 12, 2011 Comment on this article

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“That's when it all started,” said Craig Brown, a senior guard on the '94 team. “We really rolled into preseason with some momentum.”

Coming off a 16-12 season that ended with a first-round NIT loss, national analysts didn't forecast big things for the Gators.

Bolstered by momentum gained during the summer, Florida started the season 14-2.

The Gators finally cracked the national polls in late January. They tied for the SEC East regular-season title and finished as the runner-up in the SEC Tournament.

“We didn't have any superstars or McDonald's All-Americans,” Brown said. “We were just a bunch of guys committed to playing tough, hard defense. We believed in the coaching staff. After we got back (from Australia), we knew we had a chance to have a special season.”

Orlando Magic media relations director Joel Glass was the basketball sports information director when Kruger was at Florida.

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