More from Austin Rivers on Gators decommitment

By Adam Silverstein
April 12, 2010

Five-star 2011 guard recruit Austin Rivers (Winter Park, FL) decommitted from the Florida Gators and re-opened his recruitment last Thursday. Sunday, Rivers spoke with CarolinaBlue.com to further explain his reasoning.

Though some believed this decision was a long time coming, Rivers said it only became a thought about a month ago. He plans to make his decision in August and, from some of his comments, the Gators appear to legitimately still be at the top of his consideration list.

Check out what Austin Rivers had to say about Kenny Boynton, Billy Donovan and Florida being a football-first school…after the break!

“I’m really close with Kenny Boynton. I grew up playing against him,” Rivers said. “[Head coach Billy Donovan is] very special, man. He’s a great coach, great guy. He supported me, and he told he still loves me, and I love him as a coach, and he’s said he’s going to be there and recruit the heck out of me.”

Rivers implied that Donovan knew his decision was coming because of all of the rumors. He also provided some insight into why Florida may not be the choice for him anymore.

“I want to go to a program where it’s the big stage. If you can shine on the prime time stage, you’re pretty much good,” he said.

What about the Gators being a football-first school?

“Yeah, they are. You know, I chose [them] right after they won two national championships when they were prime time,” Rivers said. “So they’ve kind of had a difficult couple of years rebuilding, but they’re getting better and better and made the tournament this year. I really don’t look at people’s success the year I wasn’t there. I look at how good they’re gonna be when I get there, because that’s all that matters.”

“I love Florida. I love Florida the same way I do when I committed. I just feel like I’ve gotta look at all opportunities. […] I’ve only got one choice to make this right, so I really feel it’s important to be able to compare. I need more schools than Duke and Florida. I didn’t really think it’s right to compare just those two, so that’ll make it a lot easier.”

OGGOA will continue to stay on top of Rivers’ recruitment as more information is made available and he nears a final decision.

Photo Credit: Rivals.com

10 Comments

  1. Mitch says:

    Sounds like a politically correct i’m not going to UF statement. This point guard issue reminds of the long running tailback issue in football. I think we have worked that out now, but come on, time for a top flight PG to come to UF.

  2. Mark01 says:

    Ummmm….Ya. He’s not coming

  3. Mitch says:

    Maybe Brandon Knight will shock the world. Can’t hurt to dream

  4. Ryan says:

    How can you blame him with our pathetic fan support?

  5. Joe says:

    I’m not sure what fan support has to do with it. Gators actually have good, if not the best, attendance among the D1 programs in the state.

    You could hypothetically have die hard fans for a losing team, it doesn’t mean top tier talent wants to lose.

    The issue is it’s UNC and Duke, two very prestigious powerhouse programs.

  6. G8R8U2 says:

    First, our fan support isn’t that bad at all. Second, players like Rivers increase fan interest and support. Florida doesn’t have to be a one sport or the other kind of program; it has the staff, support, and resources to excel at a wide variety of sports, and does so year in and year out. Personally, if I was a basketball recruit, I wouldn’t want the school I attended to have to sacrifice another sport, like football, to have a successful basketball program; and that’s what UK, Duke, and UNC have done. Their football programs are pathetic; and one thing Gator players get to experience is year around excitement from the programs other than the one in which they participate. Basketball players get caught up in the excitement of a great football season, and vice versa. Most players are sports fans too; and I’d hate to think my fun with collegiate sports was basically over once my own season ended… and that’s what UK, Duke, and UNC basketball players get every year.

  7. Rowdyreps says:

    I’ll take a kid who wants to be a Gator. He wants to be in that tobacco road battle, so let him. Patric Young will have a few suprises for him when we kick his ass in the tourney.

  8. Mr2Bits says:

    Last I checked, The Gators have a pretty big stage presence.The SEC games are plastered all over ESPN a few times a week. I compare us to Ohio State, both programs are good but not elite yet get players to where they want to go. If he wants to go elsewhere, please be my guest as the Gators do not want someone who needs a spotlight to perform.

  9. brlgator says:

    The kid is going to duke unless their backcourt fills out real quick. Our best shot is for him to not sign over the summer and wait. So he can see how duke s guards do next year.

    I mean you can’t blame a florida kid for wanting to go to Duke to play basketball. Just like you cant blame a carolina kid for going to UF to play football. just ask UNC clemson and USC about haden dunlap spikes and harvin.

  10. LT says:

    Ill have to agree with the previous poster who criticized Floridas fan support. Homers need to quit fooling themselves. I went to the Tennessee game, which was a very important game for Floridas tournament hopes, and there were empty seats everywhere. The Gainesville Sun printed a story about how the O Dome regained the energy it had when the 04s were playing that night. Thats laughably stupid. There wasnt 2000 empty seats for UT when the 04s were playing. A school with REAL fan support fills up gyms twice as large as the O Dome EVERY GAME. Florida packed the house when the titles were being won but now, we cant even fill up the seats for a critical conference game. Spin it however you want, Floridas fan support isnt where it needs to be if we want to be an elite basketball program. People were buying tickets from the ticket booth for UT the night of the game. Name one top program where you can just walk up and buy a ticket from the ticket booth the night of a big game vs a rival.

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