When Mike Rosario won a New Jersey state title with his St. Anthony High School teammates in March 2008, he ran off the court at the Louis Brown Athletic Center at Rutgers and past Scarlet Knights coach Fred Hill. 'What? I don't get a hug?' Hill said as he jumped up and down in mock exasperation. Rosario, a McDonald's all-American guard who had already signed a national letter of intent to play for Hill, turned around and embraced his future coach. 'Sorry, Coach,' Rosario said. Two years later, Rosario is running away from the troubled Rutgers program and not stopping, even as Hill departs as well. Rosario's departure only deepened the issues the Rutgers program faces. Hill resigned Monday after an awkward month that included nearly being fired for a profanity-laced tirade at a Rutgers baseball game and refusing to accept a $600,000 buyout offer. Darren Savino, a Rutgers assistant and Rosario's main recruiter, was named the interim coach. 'I think that in everything we do -- and it's more important than ever -- that there's a process,' athletic director Tim Pernetti said. 'I think the important part of everything that went on was that we respectfully dealt with the process from start to finish.' In the wake of a 15-17 season, Rosario, who averaged a team-high 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds a game as a sophomore, said he thought his NBA potential was being hindered. After being granted a release by the Rutgers athletics department last week, the 6-foot-3 Rosario visited Florida over the weekend and committed to the Gators after meeting with coach Billy Donovan and touring the facilities. 'Mike told me he was 200 percent sure,' said Jorge Fontan, the father of Rosario's St. Anthony teammate Jio Fontan. The elder Fontan helped his son transfer to Southern California from Fordham in December and has served as a source of counsel for Rosario. Stipulations in Rosario's release precluded his going to another Big East program. He had considered visits to Arizona and Kansas State, but canceled them after returning from Florida. Fontan said that Donovan and his staff planned to visit Rosario's home in Jersey City on Wednesday to meet Rosario's mother. 'Not that I'm guaranteed anything, but I want to put myself in the best position to have a chance at making the NBA,' Rosario, who must sit out a year, said Monday in a phone interview. 'Florida has that history of developing pro guys.' Hill, 47-77 in four seasons, had gained his reputation as an assistant in the Big East by helping procure top New York metropolitan area players for coach Jay Wright at Villanova and Tommy Amaker at Seton Hall. Hill also landed the highly regarded center Greg Echenique, but he decided to transfer to Creighton in January after growing disgruntled with his development, too. 'This is a decision about my future and making sure I can support my family down the line,' Rosario said. 