Gator Country

After the verbal commitment of Chris Walker, Orlando (Fla.) Boone power forward Schuyler Rimmer was unsure about his feelings towards Florida and if the Gators still wanted him.

However, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward made an unofficial visit earlier this week at the request of Billy Donovan to try and clear up any concerns the 2013 prospect may have.

“I talked to coach Donovan, and he said he thought I should come up,” Rimmer said. “With the whole Chris Walker thing, I just wasn’t sure if there was a spot for me and if they still needed me. So Donovan told me to come up on a visit so I could voice my concerns and they could address them directly.”

When Rimmer sat down with him, Donovan talked about the career outlook for Rimmer if he decided to come to Florida.

“The way he put it, my freshman year there would be a lot of recruits and veterans in the front court, but in my sophomore year, things would open up a lot more since some guys will be leaving,” Rimmer said. “As the years go on, there would be progressively more opportunities for me to play.”

“[Early playing time] won’t be a hold up for me. Looking at it from a four- or five-year perspective, I think just developing over your whole career is more important than playing early,” he said.

The Orlando native feels much more comfortable about the situation and believes it was a productive visit.

“I’m definitely glad I went up there. The staff cleared a lot of things up, and I feel a lot better about the situation,” Rimmer said.

After the visit, Rimmer said the Gators remain a top school on his list, but he does not want to rush the recruiting process.

“They are still one of my top choices,” he said. “I was kind of second guessing, but after today, I realized there is still an opportunity for me there. I don’t know necessarily about committing early. I still want to go on my official visits and go to every school to make sure.”

As for which schools will receive those visits, Rimmer says he’ll have to narrow the list down but has a few programs in mind.

“Obviously Florida, but besides them, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Southern Cal, Stanford and Tennessee,” he said. “I’d like to go on official visits as soon as possible, but I don’t get back to school until Aug. 20, so I’m going to have to wait.”

Rimmer said he wants to make a decision and sign during the early signing period in mid-November.

About the author

DrewLaing

Drew Laing is a junior at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Before college, Drew lived in Lakeland, Fla., his entire life. He began in journalism during his senior year of high school and has continued studying it throughout college. In addition to his internship at Gator Country, he is the Editor-In-Chief of The Samford Crimson and a collegiate correspondent for USA Today. Drew enjoys the finer things in life like Tampa Bay Rays baseball and PB&J sandwiches.

More Basketball Recruiting | RSS