The Gators got their man.
With the start of the fall national signing period for basketball, five-star shooting guard Brad Beal signed his national letter of intent Wednesday.
Despite speculation in recent months that the Gators could lose Beal, the No. 7 overall recruit in the nation signed with Florida during a ceremony at his school, St. Louis Chaminade Prep.
At 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, Beal is the highest-rated player to sign with Florida under coach Billy Donovan since Rivals.com started ranking basketball players in 2001.
“Clearly, I feel like we signed one of the best guards in the country,” Donovan said. “We’re extremely excited about adding Brad, we believe he’s a special player and a winner, and we’re excited that he’s going to be a part of our program.”
Shortly after signing, Beal Tweeted, “I’m officially a Gator!”
He cited the system that UF runs as his reason for choosing Florida, saying it suits his style of play and adding that he thinks the program is on the rise again.
Beal is the first to sign with Florida’s 2011 recruiting class, and along with Rutgers transfer Mike Rosario, he’ll add depth next season to a team that has relied heavily on guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton.
In July, as a member of the USA under-17 basketball team, Beal was named the most valuable player of the FIBA U17 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany, after averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting nearly 50 percent from three-point range.
In the gold medal game, Beal shot 5 of 9 from beyond the arc en route to a 19-point, five-rebound performance that helped Team USA win the inaugural tournament.
Beal, who plays AAU ball for the St. Louis Eagles, is the second UF player to come from that team, joining former Gator and current NBA forward David Lee.
Considered a dynamic scorer for his shooting range and ability to drive to the hoop, Beal can also step up on defense. In eight games at the FIBA tournament, he totaled 18 steals.
