Gators' Noah is ready to return to the court

The popular forward has turned down NBA offers.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Joakim Noah sat at his locker Friday, his legs bouncing up and down as he constantly fiddled with his cell phone and Sidekick.
His hair was disheveled, some strands having slipped out of a loosely fastened ponytail. His shoes were untied. His voice was mostly a quiet whisper. He was surrounded by tape recorders, cameras and reporters, politely answering questions and often repeating himself along the way.
He was tired of talking, even more tired of waiting. He was ready to move on -- to practice, to tonight's game against UCLA, to Florida's chance at repeating as national champion.
"This is so hard because I feel like all we do is talk, talk, talk," Noah said. "Let's talk for a half-hour here. Let's talk for a half-hour there. All we want to do is play basketball."
Although Noah gets more attention than any of his teammates -- from fans and media -- the 6-foot-11 forward feels most comfortable on the court.
Dunking, rebounding, blocking shots, running the floor, thumping his chest, screaming after baskets -- that's what he likes best.
The other stuff -- interviews, autographs, dealing with sky-high expectations, outside influences and the NBA -- is all distractions that, at times this season, took a toll on him.
"Sometimes that's draining. Not physically, but more mentally," Noah said. "This has definitely been the hardest thing I've gone through as a player. But we're here now, and we realize we're so close to the ultimate goal."
Mental tiredness
At least twice this season, Noah approached coach Billy Donovan about his mental fatigue.
"He would tell me, 'OK, would you trade all of it?' " Noah said. "There's no way. I wouldn't trade none of this. I don't regret anything."
He doesn't regret staying in school after his breakout sophomore year and turning down NBA riches. He doesn't regret frustrating opponents and infuriating opposing fans with his energetic, enthusiastic play that often comes across as showmanship. And he doesn't regret that crazy dance he performed after winning the Southeastern Conference tournament title.
Getting to the Final Four may have been more difficult this time around, but Noah believes having the chance to repeat is worth everything the Gators endured.
"Last year, everything was about the right things," Noah said. "We weren't really in the spotlight, and people didn't really know us. People were just like, 'Ah, this is great for the Gators.' This year, it's like every move we made was talked about and critiqued. We're under this microscope."
He is an avid Bob Marley fan, a Rastafarian devotee and is fascinated with Arabic studies, foreign policy and global warming. He has avoided paparazzi in Paris, polished his game on the famed courts of Rucker Park in New York City and hiked the jungles of Maui.
He ended up at Florida after falling in love with the campus and everything about Donovan and the program.
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