Friday afternoon, redshirt sophomore forward, Cody Larson announced that he has left the Florida men’s basketball team.
“After a lot of careful thought, I have decided that I need to place my focus on my personal life and my academics,” said Larson in a press release from the University of Florida. “I really appreciate Coach (Billy) Donovan and the whole staff here at Florida for the support they have given me and that made this decision even harder.”
Larson sat out the 2010-2011 season with a redshirt. The 6-foot-9 forward couldn’t find a role last year’s Gators team that finished 26-11 and a trip to the Elite Eight. Larson played in 25 of Florida’s 37 games, only averaging 0.5 points and 0.8 rebounds per game.
It appeared the Larson would be asked to play a bigger role this season for the Gators. Although he struggled to make an impact on the floor, the reserve forward made headlines off the floor.
In April 2011, Larson was arrested, along with teammate, Erik Murphy, charged with one count of third-degree burglary after allegedly attempting to break into a car outside a St. Augustine bar.
In the summer, head coach Billy Donovan took away Larson’s scholarship, but Larson stayed on as a walk-on. Larson will remain at Florida, taking classes, for the remainder of the fall semester.
“I know this was a difficult decision for Cody,” said Donovan in the release. “He has made great strides in his personal growth and I’m very proud of him for that. All of us here wish him the best as he moves on from our team.”
Florida enters the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll released Friday. The Gators open the season against Georgetown on Nov. 9.
Terrence is also the lead writer at NEHoopNews.com and can be followed on Twitter: @terrence_payne
