Mike Rosario schedules visit to Florida Friday

By Adam Silverstein
April 14, 2010

Former Rutgers Scarlet Knights shooting guard Mike Rosario will travel to Gainesville, FL, Friday for a visit with the Florida Gators and head coach Billy Donovan. According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com, Rosario has been given a conditional release by Rutgers with the two conditions being that he can neither transfer within the Big East nor to any school on the team’s 2010-11 schedule.

“[Rosario] just got off the phone with Billy Donovan [and] it’s a go,” his mentor Jorge Fontan told Zagoria late Wednesday. “We’re all happy, ecstatic right now. We’re glad Rutgers didn’t give us a hard time about [the transfer]. We respect them for that and now we’re going to sit back and see who calls us.”

It was previously rumored that Rutgers would make Florida, Kansas and USC (where Fontan’s son Jio Fontan is a point guard). Rosario averaged 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds in 30 starts this season. He would be forced to sit out a year as a transfer and would be eligible to play for the Gators or the team of his choosing beginning in the 2011-12 season.

UPDATE: The Orlando Sentinel‘s Jeremy Fowler is reporting that three-star point guard Chris Denson (Columbus, GA) will also be visiting Florida this weekend.

Photo Credit: Rob Tringali

10 Comments

  1. npgator says:

    This is huge if we get Rosario! He could be the missing piece of the puzzle to a great team next year. Here is hoping he is a Gator!

  2. JayV says:

    I can’t decide if I love or hate the way this is going to affect Austin Rivers’ choice.

  3. Rosario should not affect Rivers, as he the latter knows he will come in and start should he sign with Florida. Assuming the team does not land Rivers, bringing in Rosario, Beal and one more top recruit in 2011 along with the team already having Young, Prather and potentially a returning Boynton would make the Gators the team to beat, IMO. I don’t think people are giving Donovan enough credit for landing Beal – the kid who, some believe, may even be more talented than Rivers.

  4. Malikg says:

    With a few scholarships still out there available, here is a tentative roster/rotation for the 2011-2012 season — as you can see, I think UF would go to a 3-guard lineup:

    1 – SR Erving Walker, SO Brandon Young
    2 – JR Kenny Boynton, FR Brandon Beal
    3 – RJR Mike Rosario, SO Casey Prather, RSR Adam Allen
    4 – JR Erik Murphy, SO Wil Yeguete
    5 – SO Patric Young, RJR Kenny Kadji

    This would already be a team that would compete for the tournament and in the SEC. It would also start 4 upperclassmen.

  5. JayV says:

    I try to give credit where it is due, but until Beal signs his LOI I am not ready to signal the balloon drop. I also don’t know that its a forgone conclusion that Rivers will be handed a starting job with Boynton, Rosario, and Walker in the back court, particularly with Boynton currently being crosstrained at both guard spots.

    I do see your point though… a kid like rivers should probably expect to start at the point with either Boynton, Beal, or (potentially) Rosario starting next to him at the 2.

    I am a little surprised we are unable to get a top PG prospect for next season.. with the returning weapons we have it would like handing an 18 year old the keys to a ferrari.

  6. Malikg says:

    I think that the combined specter of Erving Walker already starting at the point and Austin Rivers being committed (until recently) AND the fact the UF was going after the big dog (Brandon Knight) meant that they could only promise so much to other point guards.

    On top of that, any top guard who wanted to sign early to get things over with was out of the picture as well.

    Say what you want about Erving, but he’s gotten a lot of playing time his first 2 years and has been productive — it’s not like that’s going to change, and that’s a factor for incoming players.

  7. JayV says:

    I agree with Adam here.. Walker faded down the stretch ON OFFENSE.
    He was a liability the entire season on defense.

    Erv brings an awesome toughness and confidence to the court, but he should be a spark off the bench and not a 40 minute starter.

  8. Rowdyreps says:

    Adam, your correct, But at the seasons end Walker was maxed out. So was Boynton.

    • Boynton played his BEST at the end of the year. Take a look at his game log. Walker struggled at least the last month of the season and, I could be wrong on this, I don’t think he had double-digit assists once all year. I’d have to look that up though.

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