For Rosario, Georgia Game a Glimpse of Spark he can Provide Gators With Down the Stretch
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Mike Rosario had a rare post-game smile on his face after Florida's 70-48 beating of Georgia Tuesday night.
“This is a great feeling,” the junior guard said. “Best in the world.”
Exaggeration? Probably. But it was tough to blame Rosario for getting caught up in the moment considering what he's gone through trying to find his niche with the Gators the first two months of the UF basketball season.
His minutes significantly reduced from early in the season due to bouts with nagging injuries, Rosario popped off the bench against the Bulldogs and scored seven straight points early in the first half to push an 11-9 lead to 18-9. The Gators never looked back.
Imagine if Rosario can provide that type of spark going forward in Southeastern Conference play. His next chance will come Saturday when the 17th-ranked Gators (13-4, 1-1) visit South Carolina (8-8, 0-2), where they'll try to win their first road game in five tries this season.
“It was just a matter of time before he had a chance to break out and knock down some really good shots,” center Patric Young said of Rosario. “We all knew that.”
Maybe so, but few had seen signs of his scoring lately. Rosario, the former McDonald's All-American who transferred from Rutgers, scored 19 points against Jackson State in his UF debut to open the season and was averaging double digits (10.5 points) through eight games, but then came injuries to his back and ankle, plus some time in and out of Coach Billy Donovan's doghouse.
Rosario had just 19 points in five games over the last month, including a tough homecoming trip (and loss) at Rutgers, where the former Scarlet Knights star and 1,000-point scorer was booed relentlessly.
Then came the run of instant offense against the Georgia.
“He has always been a scorer, so what he did was not uncharacteristic,” Donovan said. “Getting those points in the first half, it helps our team.”
Especially after the Gators' reserves were outscored 25-1 by Tennessee's bench in the 67-56 loss that opened the SEC slate three days earlier.
Rosario missed his first shot, but then hit a runner, was fouled and converted the free throw for a 3-point play. Then he scored back-to-back baskets in transition, and off one of his two steals beautifully fed Bradley Beal for a 3-pointer in the corner for one of his two assists. Beal's bomb forced a timeout by Georgia and sent Rosario pumping his arms for the crowd.
Full disclosure: There were also two air balls (one off a hurried 3-point attempt) and he also got his shot swatted violently on a drive to the bucket.
Donovan may have yanked Rosario for that one ill-advised trey a few weeks back, but said his commitment in practice of late, Donovan said, earned Rosario the benefit of the doubt.
“I try to give him some freedom there and the one I got a little annoyed with was the air ball in the first half,” Donovan said. “He's beautiful. He said, 'Well, I was open.” I said, 'Well you know what? If you were that open, you're a really, really bad shooter.' At least tell me the ball slipped out of his hand.”
That exchange was a lot different than some of the heated ones Donovan and Rosario had over the holidays. The Gators hope the player is now coming around to the coach's thinking.
“I thought I brought some intensity to the defensive end and helped get those guys going, sort of like a boost coming off the bench,” Rosario said. “I think that's my role right now.”
That's a long way from starting and averaging 16 points per game, like he did for two years in the Big East Conference.
“I'm OK with it,” he said, flashing that smile that's been missing of late. “What I was able to do [against Georgia], I wouldn't mind being able to do that the rest of the season because it's going to pay off for our team.”
