After announcing his intent to transfer to Florida via his Twitter on April 30, former Rutgers guard Eli Carter gave his official notification to the school on Friday.
Carter, who played two seasons at Rutgers and averaged 14.3 points in 56 games (46 starts), is attempting to receive a waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play for the Gators at the start of next season. Carter transferred to Florida in the wake of the Mike Rice scandal at Rutgers.
“I’m excited to get down to Florida,” Carter said in a release, “and I can’t wait to start gelling with the team and the coaches.”
Carter is the second former Rutgers leading scorer to transfer to Florida in the past four seasons. The first, Mike Rosario, led UF in scoring with 12.5 points per game last season -- his second in a Gators uniform.
But Florida center Patric Young believes Carter will prove to be a different type of player than Rosario despite their similar backgrounds.
While Rosario was better known for his three-point shooting — he was second on the team with 166 attempts last season — Carter’s greatest offensive strength is his ability to get to the rim.
“Some people might say Mike Rosario was a little insane at time with the shot selection that he took,” Young said during an interview at The Players Championship on May 8.
“I don’t think we have to worry about that with [Carter].
“He will come in and be able to get to the basket a lot better than our guards have been able to in the past and just change the whole dynamic of our team.”
As a freshman in 2011-12, Carter turned heads in a matchup against the Gators on Dec. 29. He scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting during an 85-83 Scarlet Knights double-overtime victory.
Florida saw seniors Rosario and Kenny Boynton graduate. The two guards were two of the Gators’ top three scorers in 2012-2013 and combined for an average of 24.5 points per game.
Carter joins a backcourt led by Scottie Wilbekin and Michael Frazier II. In addition to Carter, the Gators will bring in five-star recruit Kasey Hill.
“I’m really excited about him,” said Young, who hosted Carter during his visit to UF. “He’s just a great kid.”
Contact Phil Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org
Eli Carter (left), Rutgers' leading scorer last season with 14.9 points per game, announced April 30 that he will transfer to UF. Carter's decision to transfer followed the firing of former Scarlet Knights coach Mike Rice.
