COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Schintzius and His Lobster Gone, but DeVoe Still in Hot Water

At the University of Florida, Coach Don DeVoe is working long hours with a very short team.

How small are the Gators? Well, they’re almost shorter than the hair of their best player, who quit the team in a dispute with DeVoe.

Gone is 7-foot-2 center Dwayne Schintzius, who was a real battler. Unfortunately, that was off the court. DeVoe suspended Schintzius Dec. 5 after he was involved in a brawl at an off-campus fraternity, the second time Schintzius was nabbed for fighting while in school.

DeVoe said Schintzius could come back to the team, but he first had to do something about his haircut. Sort of a flat-top with shaved sides and shoulder-length in the back, Schintzius called this style the lobster. But DeVoe said no Gator could have a lobster.

Then, nine days after DeVoe put Schintzius on the shelf, All-Southeastern Conference guard Livingston Chatman bolted the team. Eleven days after that, Schintzius decided he had enough of DeVoe and released a statement to the press that he was removing himself from the suspended list and putting himself on the quit list.

In his message, Schintzius said he would not “sail under the authority of Captain Ahab.”

DeVoe must have been relieved to know, if nothing else, that Schintzius had not shirked his reading of the classics. And Herman Melville would probably have been glad to know that “Moby Dick” got a nice mention in the nation’s sports pages.

As for DeVoe, it’s been tough sailing so far. The 48-year-old former coach at Tennessee replaced Norm Sloan at Florida on Oct. 31, but DeVoe’s tenure may be short-lived. He accepted the job for this season only, although he could be retained.

And what a season it has been for DeVoe. Here he was, a coach known as an authority figure in his 11 seasons at Knoxville, Tenn., given absolute authority for, oh, say six months. He replaced a coach who leaves under scrutiny by the NCAA. His top two players quit. There must be a better way to make a living.

DeVoe, though, remains philosophical about the troubles at Florida. He sounds upbeat but hoarse.

“Everything that has happened, this is all part of the journey we all must take,” DeVoe said. “Sometimes it’s an easier journey than other times.”

DeVoe said that nothing so far has come as a surprise and that he knew his task would be difficult before he accepted the job.

“I’m just trying to make sure we get the house in order,” he said. “In my opinion, what must be done here is to create a more positive image on a national basis. I just feel compelled to try to instill some pride and integrity back into the program.

“It’s going to happen,” he said. “We’re going to have a great basketball program at the University of Florida shortly, (but) whether I’m the permanent coach or someone else is, I guess remains to be seen.”

Without Schintzius, DeVoe’s starting lineup is three guards plus 6-6 freshman Stacey Poole at forward and 6-7 junior Dwayne Davis at center.

“We were small with Schintzius, so you take Schintzius off the team and we’re really small,” said DeVoe, who says that he harbors no anger toward his former star player.

“Captain Ahab, that didn’t bother me,” DeVoe said. “Things like that are usually said in a frenzy. I didn’t take that as being personal.

“Look, you carry a big burden when you’re a student-athlete. You’re an open book. You have to be very image-conscious. I just feel things work out for the best, and we’re trying to make the best of things here.”

Dwayne data: Most NBA observers believe that Schintzius is certain to be a first-round draft pick, pointing to his size and undeniable skills. Laker General Manager Jerry West said he would be surprised if Schintzius weren’t taken with one of the first 12 picks.

DeVoe may have actually helped Schintzius’ chances this season by moving him from a high post to a low post, which is where 7-2 centers play in the NBA.

“I think there are things he can do that can certainly help an NBA team,” DeVoe said.

However, Schintzius may find that his feudin’, fussin’ and fightin’ detract from his appeal as a pro.

Said Marty Blake of Marty Blake and Associates, a scouting service affiliated with the NBA: “Somebody once said that if Charles Manson were a center, a college would sign him and say, ‘He just had a couple of bad years.’

“I believe that Schintzius, on talent, is the No. 1 center in the draft. He doesn’t take authority, but I don’t want to get into that. I only evaluate the physical things.”

So is Blake sold on Schintzius?

“I like his ability, but I certainly wouldn’t take him (in the draft),” Blake said. “You’re on your own there.”

FYI: In a ceremony at halftime of Saturday’s game with DePaul at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA will retire the No. 32 jersey of Bill Walton and No. 33 jersey of Lew Alcindor, now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Here is a list of other players who wore those numbers at UCLA since 1949, John Wooden’s first year as coach:

32--Carl Kraushaar, Gene Williams, John Moore, Ben Rogers, Kent Miller, Dave Waxman, Doug McIntosh, Steve Patterson, Brett Vroman, Darrell Allums, Brad Wright and Greg Foster.

33--Willie Naulls, Nolan Johnson and Warnell Jones. After Jones, Alcindor took the number, which has not been used since.