GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Forward E.J. Jarvis's leave of absence from the Florida basketball team officially turned permanent Thursday.
Jarvis, the 6-foot-8 graduate-transfer from Yale, had been absent from the program for nearly two weeks while dealing with "personal" issues, according to Coach
Todd Golden. Jarvis, who came to town earlier in the week to gather his belongings and say his goodbyes, announced his decision via Instagram.
"I would like to emphasize how understanding and supportive Coach Golden, the coaching staff, and my teammates at the University of Florida have been," Jarvis said in a five-paragraph post. "I am genuinely thankful for all the relationships I have made while at Florida and will be cheering them on as they work towards their goal of winning a National Championship."
The Gators locked on in Jarvis early in the transfer portal phase and made him their first offseason acquisition. He was very much in the 2023-24 plans.
"While we're disappointed we won't have E.J. with us for the upcoming season this decision is best for him at this time of his life," Golden said.
Jarvis, a second-team All-Ivy League selection in 2023, looked like a pivotal part of the team's rebuild from a poor-rebounding and shooting team that went 16-17 – just the second losing record in the last 25 seasons – in Golden's first year. Jarvis, a Washington, D.C. product, showed up with a degree from Yale in Urban Studies and was set to pursue a master's degree in business, and bang around for one season in the high-major paint of the Southeastern Conference.
Jarvis averaged 11.4 points, shot 55.1 percent from the floor and grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game during his senior season with the Bulldogs, who captured the Ivy regular-season title. On his "Senior Night," Jarvis posted a 34-point, 10-rebound double-double against Cornell when he went 13-for-18 from the floor and hit three of four 3-pointers.
As summer practices commenced, Jarvis was deep in the mix of UF's remade front court, competing with 6-10 fifth-year
Tyrese Samuel (transfer from Seton Hall), 7-1 sophomore
Micah Handlogten (Marshall), 6-11 freshman
Alex Condon (from Australia) and 6-10 returning UF sophomore
Aleks Szymczyk. The scrum of long, live athletic bodies made for quite a different look than the '22-23 squad that finished last in the SEC in rebounding.
Thomas Haugh
Then Szymczyk broke his left foot and now Jarvis is gone, leaving the Gators with three true post players.
Thomas Haugh, the bouncy 6-9 freshman forward, has been taking reps at both his natural "3" position and the "4" to help shore up depth. He should be fine at both spots.
"I'm just doing whatever and going wherever they tell me to go," Haugh said last week. "I think since 'Jarvy' isn't here they have me at the '4' when we scrimmage. I played the '4' in high school. Some of it is new, like ducking in, but it's been fine. I like it."
He'll need to because the Gators need him. In fact, they'll need all four (eventually five) of now.
"Not having [Jarvis] in our program will certainly affect our depth, but it also opens up a great opportunity for a couple of our freshmen," Golden said. "
Alex Condon and
Thomas Haugh will be ready for their increased roles."
The loss of Jarvis puts the Gators at 12 scholarship players (instead of the allotted 13) for '23-24. With Szymczyk out, grad-transfer point guard
Zyon Pullin missing the first three games for playing in a draft-evaluation tournament over the summer and transfer shooting guard
Julian Rishwain, by way of San Francisco, still on the mend from reconstructive knee surgery in January, UF figures to have only nine scholarship players available for games against Loyola Maryland, Virginia and Florida A&M.
