Top 10 Heat players from Florida colleges
MIAMI — By the end of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament only one school from the state of Florida remained standing, Florida State perhaps the least likely candidate among the state’s big three to advance.
For the Heat, though, among the state’s schools it is the Florida Gators who have contributed the most to the franchise’s success, including multiple championships. Former Miami Hurricanes and Seminoles also have been featured on the Heat roster, as have players from Florida International (Carlos Arroyo), Central Florida (Matt Williams) and South Florida (Gary Alexander).
So amid the madness, we consider the Sunshine State impact on the Heat’s roster over the years.
Throughout this 30th-anniversary season, the South Florida Sun Sentinel will look back at three decades of the Heat, at the men and the moments that have made this an exhausting, exhilarating and enduring ride.
Today, we look at the top 10 players from Florida colleges to play for the Heat.
10. Robert Hite, Miami
After spending four seasons with the Hurricanes, leaving fifth on the school’s all-time scoring list, the Cincinnati native left undrafted in 2006. The diminutive scoring guard then played for the Heat during 2006 summer league and in the Heat’s 2006-07 season opener, one of 12 appearances with the Heat that season, his lone NBA season. A DUI charged followed in the wake of celebrating Dwyane Wade’s 25th birthday on Feb. 1, 2007, with charges later dropped. He never again played in the NBA.
9. Alexander Johnson, Florida State
After three seasons with the Seminoles, the 6-foot-9 forward was drafted in the 2006 second round by the Pacers, then traded on draft night to the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies. After an uneven rookie season in Memphis, he signed with the Heat in the 2007 offseason, appearing in 43 games for the Heat in 2007-08, starting six, when the Heat went 15-67. He was released following the season, never to play again in the NBA.
8. Tim James, Miami
A product of Northwestern High School in Miami, James spent four seasons with the Hurricanes, the small forward then selected with the No. 25 pick by the Heat in the first round of the 1999 draft. His Heat career was limited to four appearances in 1999-2000 before he was dealt to the Hornets in the Eddie Jones trade. He would go on to play another season and a half in the NBA, before eventually moving on to a career in the military, honored by the Heat for his service in 2011.
7. Okaro White, Florida State
After bypassing scholarship offers from Miami and Florida, the Brooklyn native went on to start for two NCAA Tournament teams for the Seminoles. Undrafted in 2014, the versatile forward spent a season in Italy and a season in Greece before joining the Heat for the second half of the 2016-17 season. He wound up playing 41 games for the Heat before being dealt at the Feb. 8 NBA trading deadline to the Hawks. He currently is on a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers.
6. Toney Douglas, Florida State
After starting his collegiate career at Auburn, the combo guard transferred to Florida State with the promise he would be allowed to play point guard. After three years at FSU, he was selected with the No. 29 pick in the 2009 draft by the Lakers. He eventually would join the Heat for 27 games in 2013-14, including 17 starts, before appearing in 10 playoff games during the run to the 2014 NBA Finals. He later would resurface in the NBA with the Pelicans and Grizzlies, now playing in Turkey.
5. Carlos Arroyo, Florida International
The native of Puerto Rico spent four years at Florida International, leaving as the school’s all-time leader in assists, his No. 30 eventually retired by the school in 2007. He went undrafted in 2001, beginning an odyssey through international and NBA destinations that eventually would land him with the Heat in 1999, having returned to South Florida seeking an NBA opportunity after a season in Israel. He spent a season and a half with the Heat, first replaced by Mario Chalmers as a starter and then by Mike Bibby on the roster. He has spent recent seasons playing in Puerto Rico, now 38.
4. James Jones, Miami
A product of American High, the Miami native spent four seasons with the Hurricanes, eventually to be inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He would go on to be drafted by the Pacers at No. 49 in the second round in 2003. After additional stops with the Suns and Trail Blazers, he would play for the Heat from 2008 to 2014, sharing in the team’s 2012 and ’13 NBA championships. Following reduced playing time, he would move on to continue to play alongside LeBron James with the Cavaliers, now serving as the Suns’ vice president of basketball operations.
3. Jason Williams, Florida
After playing his freshman season at Marshall, Williams followed coach Billy Donovan to Florida, where he thrived after sitting out the required transfer season, before a suspension ended his time with the Gators. White Chocolate nonetheless went No. 7 in the 1998 draft to the Kings. He then moved on to the Grizzlies before being acquired by the Heat in the 2005 offseason in advance of the Heat’s’ 2006 championship. He would play with the Heat through 2007-08, now playing in the halfcourt BIG3 league.
2. Mike Miller, Florida
The South Dakota native spent three seasons with the Gators, helping lead Florida to the 2000 NCAA championship game, where they lost to Michigan State. He then was the No. 5 selection in the 2000 NBA draft by the Magic. His career path would then take him to the Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Wizards before the Heat signed him as a free agent in the 2010 offseason to provide floor spacing for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. NBA titles would follow in 2012 and ’13. The luxury tax eventually would lead to his departure in the 2013 offseason.
1. Udonis Haslem, Florida
After helping Miami High to state championships in 1997 and ’98, Haslem would go on to play four seasons for the Gators as an oversized power forward, advancing to the 2000 national championship game and later inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. After going undrafted in 2002, the collegiate roommate of Mike Miller spent a season in France re-sculpting his body, signing with the Heat as a free agent in the 2003, with the team ever since, including through NBA championships in 2006, ’12 and ’13.