Mitchell Departure Expected

Anyone reading this site had to know there was a very strong chance that Jonathan Mitchell would be leaving the Gator Basketball team at the end of the season. Friday’s announcement that he would indeed do so is not at all surprising and has no major impact on the Gators.

Mitchell has had a disappointing two seasons in Gainesville by any standard including his own. The 6-6 forward from New York was originally expected to replace Corey Brewer in the “3” spot in the Florida lineup but he could never get his game going to make that happen.

There were times when we would see glimpses of what Mitchell was capable of doing on the floor. He scored 15 against Temple and 12 in the next game against High Point, but did not reach double figures again. He scored nine at Ole Miss and added eight in an NIT win over Creighton, but performances like that were few and far between. For the year he ended up averaging just 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds.

Mitchell is likely to return home to the New York City area and schools like Hofstra, Manhattan and Iona have all been mentioned as possible destinations.

His departure eliminates one issue surround the Gators. Florida no longer has to be concerned about being one over the NCAA scholarship limit of 13. Of cours,e if Marreese Speights decides to stay in the NBA draft the Gators will be one under the limit. That’s still a lot better than being four scholarships short as they were this past season. With Walter Hodge the lone senior next season and 6-9 forward Erik Murphy already committed for the next signing class it would be surprising if the Gators were to use Speights’ scholarships if it becomes available.

Questions or comments? Contact FightinGators.com's Larry Vettel