Gators can bolster backcourt with Steele, Rosario

Wednesday, OGGOA reported that two young guards who could very well be available for the Florida Gators to procure in the near future. Each faced a roadblock to being officially courted by Florida, and both appear to be on the verge of clearing those issues.

After falling in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the Gators inquired about the availability of 2010 three-star point guard recruit Jalen Steele (Knoxville, TN). Steele, who committed to the Auburn Tigers in September, was looking to get out of his letter of intent after the team fired head coach Jeff Lebo following the 2010 SEC Tournament.

The Knoxville News-Sentinel now reports that Auburn has released Steele from his National Letter of Intent, making him free to field other offers. Other teams interested (in addition to Florida) are UCLA, Cincinnati, Alabama, Georgia and Miami. Prior to committing to the Tigers, Steele also held offers from Marshall and Western Kentucky and was garnering interest from Southern California.

The Gators are also looking at potentially receiving a transfer from Rutgers. Sophomore G Mike Rosario, who was “considering” transferring from the Scarlet Knights if head coach Fred Hill was fired, has Florida as one of his top options. ESPN is reporting that Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti and Hill are currently negotiating a buyout.

“It sounds like [transferring is] what he wants to do,” Rosario’s family friend and old coach Rex Durso told ZagsBlog. “Florida, USC and Michigan State are places he’s looking at.”

It could very well be sooner than later that the Gators acquire pieces to add depth to a backcourt that just recently lost sophomore G Ray Shipman to transfer.