GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Udonis Haslem isn't lying. He's not just saying this because the focus of the story is Matt Bonner. He really believes that Bonner, the 6-foot-10, redheaded junior forward from New Hampshire, is the best NBA prospect at Florida.

What?

Better than Brett Nelson, or even more likely to excell at the next level than Haslem himself? Not to mention newcomers James White or David Lee?

Come on, we're talking about a kid from New Hampshire. Hey, wait a minute, wasn't Mike Miller from South Dakota?

	The secret is about to be let out at Florida: Matt Bonner has a starting spot in the Gators' lineup this season.

And remember, this is Florida, where Billy Donovan and his staff tend to churn out potential pros with a personal basketball development program that could rival most in the country.

"I tell Matt all the time that I want to be just like him," said Haslem, who like Nelson is a preseason Wooden Award candidate. "He thinks I'm joking, but I'm not.

"Matt can dribble, shoot the 3 and do everything. I once saw him make 63 3-pointers in a row. If I had to pick the best NBA talent on the team, I would pick Matt Bonner. He's got game that takes big men to another level."

But, despite Haslem's high praise, Bonner remains clearly the third option within the Gators' offense, which makes them a legit Final Four contender yet again. Nelson will be the first option with his ability to score off the dribble and hit 3s from the perimeter. Haslem will either be the co-first or the second with the 6-8, 246-pound forward a menace inside once he gets position.

But Bonner is the third and, perhaps, most dangerous option because he can do a little bit of everything. His size allows him to go inside and bang, averaging a team-high 7.7 rebounds a game last season. But his 13.3 ppg came from a variety of places on the floor.

Teams tried to slack off him when he would sit at the top of the perimeter. Bad mistake. Just ask Alabama, which saw him hit five of six 3s in the SEC tournament on his way to a season-high, 22-point night. He finished with 40 3s on the season (38.1 percent), third best on the team.

"He's unbelievable," Nelson said. "He was so overlooked last year. He's got to be one of the most underrated players. He can shoot it, put it down and do everything. He's so skilled for a 6-10, 240-pound guy. If teams key on me and UD (Haslem) then Matt will light teams up."

But how did this happen?

"He didn't have a good summer before his senior season in high school, but I went to watch him work out in Concord (N.H.) and saw him run at 8 a.m., shoot and then work out with his AAU team later in the day," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "He worked out three times in one day. A guy who is 6-10 with his work ethic is going to be successful.

	“	I tell Matt all the time that I want to be just like him. He thinks I'm joking, but I'm not. Matt can dribble, shoot the 3 and do everything. I once saw him make 63 3-pointers in a row. If I had to pick the best NBA talent on the team, I would pick Matt Bonner. He's got game that takes big men to another level. ”
		— Udonis Haslem, Florida senior center

"I haven't gotten a lot out of Matt. Matt has gotten it all out of himself," Donovan adds. "He is meticulous about working out every single day. Coaching Matt takes very little maintenance. You don't have to worry about motivating him. He's such a treat to coach because he loves the game so much."

But Bonner doesn't hide from the fact that he wasn't ready when he arrived in the fall of 1999. He was, in his words, a bit lost.

"I couldn't guard a pick and roll. I couldn't post up, and I couldn't bench press 300 pounds," Bonner said. "I couldn't read defenses. I couldn't run."

It's a harsh but an honest appraisal. Bonner said he had two goals when he got to Gainesville: improve his game and get straight As. He's a potential all-American. He's already been an academic all-American.

He once received a "B+" on a chemistry exam. "I wasn't prepared enough for the test. It won't happen again," Bonner assured after his first grade below an "A" at Florida.

He takes the same approach to the court, whether it's in a game or practice.

"I guard him every day in practice and he's got to be one of the toughest players to guard," said the heralded freshman forward Lee, who will likely back up Bonner. "You can't get a half step off of Matt. He's got such a quick release on his 3-pointers. He's got to be the best shooter on the team. He's also got great penetration skills. He can ball fake and get by you and finish with his right or left."

Bonner would have taken a lesser role if Kwame Brown had chosen to go to Florida instead of the NBA. Brown would have likely started next to Haslem, pushing Bonner back to the bench, where he would have remained incognito -- to a point.

But ...

"Kwame never came, so I never got the chance to experience what that would have meant for me," said Bonner, who will get a chance for a homecoming in one of the most lopsided road games this season when Florida goes to New Hampshire Nov. 28. "But I'm the starting power forward now."

And, his days of being college basketball's best-kept secret are about to end.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.