Welcoming the Florida Gators’ Class of 2011
Quick recap of the last few weeks for the Florida basketball program: overtime win, overtime loss, season over, assistants leave, assistants come, players arrested, players suspended, former player arrested. There you go. That’s what you need to know, even if you don’t want to know some of it. So how do we rebound from the negative news? We talk about the future of course. More specifically, the incoming Gators:
Brad Beal – SG – 6’4”, 195 – Rivals Ranking: 5 Stars, #2 SG, #7 Overall – The star of the class and the highest ranked player to sign with Florida since, well, since Rivals started ranking players. Yes, that includes Patric Young, Kenny Boynton, Nick Calathes, Chandler Parsons, and the 04s. A lot is expected of Beal, but he has the talent and potential to live up to all of the hype. The Gatorade National Player of the Year excels at both ends of the court as evidenced during the McDonald’s All-American Game where he scored 17 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out four assists, and played outstanding defense on other star players. He will be expected to play significant minutes for the Gators from day one and shouldn’t disappoint in his overall understanding of the game. Florida has a legitimate star in Beal and one that Billy Donovan will want to hold on to for more than one season. Beal’s arrival should lead to a shift in play with such a turnover of big men from last season. The Gators may go small more than usual in 2011-2012 and Beal will be one of the keys to making it work.
Jacoby Brissett – SG – 6’5”, 225 – Rivals Ranking: 3 Stars – Brissett is a hard read. Watching tape and reading about his basketball exploits, you get the feeling he could be a star if he dedicated himself to the sport. The same could be said about football though. We may not really know what we can expect from Brissett for another year or two when he decides which sport to focus on. Unfortunately for the basketball program, he’ll be in the middle of a quarterback battle for the 2012 season (and maybe even the 2011 season). Fortunately for the basketball program, there are plenty of minutes to go around and he could be given more than past two-sporters. Brissett’s biggest asset on the court may be his strength. Only an inch taller than Beal, he outweighs him by 30 pounds. Brissett can play outside, but also hold his own down low.
Walter Pitchford – C – 6’9”, 205 – Rivals Ranking: 3 Stars – Actually a year ahead of the others, Pitchford spent a year in prep school after deciding not to fulfill his letter of intent at DePaul. Florida just received Pitchford’s letter of intent on Wednesday and it was an important one. With the loss of Parsons, Vernon Macklin, and Alex Tyus, and Cody Larson and Erik Murphy on thin ice, the Gators need big men desperately. Pitchford may get significant minutes during his first year at Florida by default. Of course, that’s not a bad thing for his future. Early experience tends to speed up growth. Despite not being highly ranked, he could turn into a valuable part of the Gators’ future.
De’Ante Saunders – PG – 6’0”, 180 – Rivals Ranking: 3 Stars – There’s not a lot out there regarding Saunders’s basketball skills. Like Brissett, he’s a football signee first. Unlike Brissett, very few mention Saunders as a star in both sports. He could end up seeing the field and the court, but good money would be on him taking up football full-time in the future.
No list would be complete without mentioning another player who will see the court as a Gator for the first time during the 2011-2012 season:
Mike Rosario – SG – 6’3”, 180 – Rivals Ranking: 4 Stars, #8 SG, #55 Overall (2008) – Rosario has been part of the program for a full year now, but sat out the 2010-2011 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Rosario led Rutgers in scoring at over 16 points per game in each of his two seasons there. He enjoyed Rutgers and the atmosphere, but ultimately transferred to be part of a winning program. A proven college player, Rosario will be expected to step in be a scorer right away after spending the last year practicing with the team.