Jonathan Mitchell enjoyed his visit to Seton Hall this past weekend and is headed to Rutgers for another 48-hour official visit beginning Monday morning.
“Everything was fine, it was a good visit,” Herb Mitchell, Jonathan’s uncle, said Monday by phone. “It’s quite evident that they want him and need him. We basically told them everything was positive. And we’re heading over to Rutgers and we’ll be back in touch with (Seton Hall) soon.”
The 6-foot-7 Mitchell is a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y. and a former Mr. New York Basketball who announced his transfer from Florida and will likely end up at Rutgers or Seton Hall. He played high school ball with current RU freshman guard Mike Coburn and played a year of AAU ball under Seton Hall assistant Derm Player. He will have to sit out next season as per NCAA transfer regulations.
Mitchell watched film and played pickup with the Seton Hall players over the weekend at Walsh Gym.
“It was a pickup game,” Herb said. “Jonathan looked good with them, he fit right in. They embraced him and would love to have him. The players were real nice, the coaches. Now we’re just comparing one to the other.”
Herb said they were told by head coach Bobby Gonzalez and his staff that Jonathan would come in and play a role similar to Brian Laing, who won first-team All-Big East honors this past season.
“They don’t have anyone in the program that does the things that he does,” Herb said of his nephew.
“From what we gather, everything goes off of the four man,” Herb added. “Jonathan is a four/three. He’s very interchangeable. He would really be filling the shoes of Brian Laing. They don’t have anyone to play that position. (After) that year sitting out he would fit right in.”
Mitchell could also complement Duquesne transfer Robert “Stix” Mitchell, a 6-5 wing who was the A-10 Rookie of the Year and will be eligible next season.
“Stix and Jonathan would be playing together,” Herb said. “It would be a mismatch problem because of the way that both of them play. They played together (in the pickup game) and they looked good.”
Herb also said he was impressed with Paterson Catholic guard Jordan Theodore, the 2007-08 Herald News Player of the Year, during the scrimmage.
“Jordan Theodore’s a good player,” Herb said. “He’s really quick. With two point guards (including Eugene Harvey), there are some positive things there.”
As for Rutgers, Herb said, “They’ve got some (frontcourt) recruits that they’ve already gotten. We’ll talk about how they see Jonathan.”