After saying that Florida was the “perfect” place for him on Oct. 10, sophomore forward Cody Larson decided to leave the men’s basketball team on Friday.
“After a lot of careful thought, I have decided that I need to place my focus on my personal life and my academics," Larson said in a release.
At the team’s media day on Oct. 10, coach Billy Donovan announced that Larson would not be playing on scholarship. Scout.com first reported the news of Larson’s departure.
In February 2010, Larson received two years probation after sharing Hydrocodone pills with a teammate. In April 2011, Larson was arrested on charges of third-degree felony burglary. Donovan said neither of those incidents factored in Larson losing his scholarship.
Donovan gave Larson the option to transfer after his scholarship was revoked, but Larson said he never considered leaving Florida.
“My teammates were so close, they were a big influence, and coach Donovan were the reasons I stayed,” Larson said on Oct. 10. “[Florida’s] perfect for me because I lost my scholarship. It sounds weird, but in life that’s what’s going to make me become a man. I’m going to learn from this stuff. I think being here is going to be hard. It’d be easy for me to go play somewhere else.”
According to reports, Larson will remain enrolled at UF for at least the remainder of the semester.
The 6-foot-9 sophomore is the second loss in the Gators’ frontcourt this season. Earlier in the month, transfer Damontre Harris suffered a labrum tear when a teammate fell on him during a weekend practice.
Although Larson only registered 12 points and 21 rebounds in 143 minutes across 25 games last season, he was expected to be a significant contributor to Florida’s frontcourt depth.
“I know this was a difficult decision for Cody,” Donovan said in a release. “He has made great strides in his personal growth, and I’m very proud of him for that"
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
