The Florida Gator men’s basketball team picked up some much needed back-court depth today. Former Rutgers guard Eli Carter announced that he’s transferring to the University of Florida. Carter has been looking to transfer out of Rutgers for weeks now, amid the scandal involving former Scarlet Knights head coach Mike Rice. Programs across the country looked to pick up the scorer, but it came down to Florida and Maryland.
The Gators were looking for a player to add to their back-court, and that’s a role that Carter can fill. The 6-foot-2, 195 pound guard averaged nearly 15 points per game last season before fracturing his right fibula, missing the rest of the season (he should be back in plenty of time for the season). It’s not the first time that Gator head coach Billy Donovan has reached into the Rutgers program to pull out a scorer. Florida’s leading scorer from one year ago, Mike Rosario, came to Florida the exact same way.
With the addition of Carter, the Gators have filled all their scholarship slots for next season. Carter has also filled a petition with the NCAA to be able to play immediately for the Gators (as opposed to waiting a year) due to the circumstances involving Mike Rice.