ru lands ex gator

[smazza]

Knights add ex-Gator Mitchell to their round(ball) table

Sunday, May 18, 2008

BY ALEX DELANIAN

Star-Ledger Staff

Last November, the Rutgers men's basketball team traveled to Florida and lost to the defending national champion Gators by 25 points.

Consider this a little payback.

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Jonathan Mitchell, a 6-7 forward out of Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High School, who played sparingly the past two seasons at Florida, chose Rutgers as his transfer destination over Seton Hall and Marshall. He will have to sit out the 2008-09 season but will have two years of eligibility remaining as a Scarlet Knight.

Mitchell teamed with Rutgers point guard Mike Coburn at Mount Vernon in Westchester County and said his decision boiled down to comfort level with coach Fred Hill, whom he has known since seventh grade.

"It was a whole bunch of factors," Mitchell said, "but it was more me. It came down to what's the best fit. It was just coach Hill, I've known coach Hill for a while. ... I think I can excel playing in his system."

Jonathan's uncle Herb said the decision to leave Florida happened on good terms.

"We had a meeting with the coaches at the end of the year," Herb Mitchell said. "It wasn't conducive to him and we felt the need to move on. It was a decision made by both. ... I had a conversation with coach (Billy) Donovan and they have his best interest at heart."

Mitchell averaged 6.2 minutes per game his freshman year, contributing 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in the Gators' successful defense of their national title. Last year, his playing time nearly doubled and he averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds on 50 percent shooting.

Rutgers' recruiting class now resembles a formidable starting five. In addition to Hill's original class of Mike Rosario (St. Anthony of Jersey City), Patrick Jackson (Boys & Girls High School in Brooklyn), and Christian Morris (South Kent Prep in Connecticut), the team is also waiting to hear from the NCAA Clearinghouse if St. Benedict's center Greg Echenique will be eligible to play this season. Echenique may have enough credits to graduate from high school and enroll in college early.

In addition, other notable recruits who haven't made a commitment could be swayed by Mitchell's decision to transfer, but Herb Mitchell insists that his nephew's decision was made independent of other players' choices.

"He has to make the decision for himself and not be swayed by what everyone else is doing," he said. "And it's his decision based on personnel at Rutgers and what coach Hill is trying to build there."

[bulls96go]

and?

[USF-PMR]

They cherry pic  plenty from FLA - why leave N. Jersey - NJ no real talent.