NEWSDAY <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>So I clicked on it to see that it was former Mr. New York Basketball Jonathan Mitchell of Mount Vernon that was bolting Gainesville. Can't say that surprised me because Mitchell has been riding the pine mostly in his two seasons down in beautiful Central Florida. Despite the Gators losing most of their team to the NBA Draft last June, Mitchell hasn't benefitted. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged just 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds during his sophomore season and has started only one game in his career at the college located just off I-75. I wanted to do a little more investigating so I checked out the Gainesville Sun. This is where Hofstra comes into the picture. In the story, Hofstra was mentioned as a possible destination for Mitchell. Herb Mitchell, Jonathan's uncle who's handling his transfer, apparently laughed when Hofstra was brought up by the reporter and said that's the first time he's heard Hofstra mentioned. I can tell you after speaking with several people in the know today that J-Mitch won't be wearing a Hofstra uniform after he sits out his mandatory one-year residency requirement. So let's just squash that rumor right now. It's almost a given, I was told, that Mitchell is headed to Rutgers. Former high school teammate Michael Coburn is already there and Fred Hill has a good relationship with Bob Cimmino, Mitchell's high school coach at Mount Vernon. Either way, Mitchell won't be in Hempstead -- unless somehow Rutgers plays the Pride at Mack Sports Complex within the next three seasons.</div>
