Roosevelt’s Larson Leaves Gator Hoops

Roosevelt graduate Cody Larson announced Friday that he has left the Florida Gators basketball program.

Coach Billy Donovan said on media day earlier this month that Larson had not met expectations both on and off the court to remain on scholarship heading into this season.

“After a lot of careful thought, I have decided that I need to place my focus on my personal life and my academics,” Larson said in a Florida statement released Friday. “I really appreciate Coach Donovan and the whole staff here at Florida for the support they have given me, and that made this decision even harder.”

Larson was arrested with senior forward Erik Murphy back in April 2011 on charges of third-degree burglary.

Larson was reinstated and played in 25 games last season, but the redshirt sophomore played sparingly scoring 12 points and collecting 21 rebounds.

He accepted a deferred prosecution agreement in September 2011 after being charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing stemming from an April 10, 2011, arrest in St. Augustine for breaking into a vehicle outside a restaurant. Performing 200 hours of community service, completing a substance abuse evaluation and any recommended treatment, and paying $440 in restitution and court costs were among the conditions of the agreement.

This agreement violated a condition of a plea agreement Larson agreed to in May 2010 in Sioux Falls. Larson was sentenced to 120 days of suspended jail time and given two years' probation for inhabiting a room where drugs were knowingly kept and used because he gave an injured high school teammate a leftover prescription pain reliever. Larson also was ordered to avoid further legal trouble.

Larson could have faced jail time in South Dakota because of the Florida arrest; instead, a judge reinstated his 120-day suspended sentence and added an additional two years' probation.

Donovan said Larson's legal issues were not a factor in his decision to pull Larson's scholarship.