Rutgers and Seton Hall often tried to land those players, and sometimes, as in the case of Shaheen Holloway (Seton Hall), they succeeded.

But more often than not, Boyle’s top players went to places like North Carolina (Strickland), Duke (Irving) and Kentucky (Kidd-Gilchrist).

“You always want to give the local schools a fair chance to recruit the kid, and you’d like to see them do well…but it’s also hard if you’re building, if it’s Seton Hall and Rutgers and Duke comes in, and North Carolina comes in,” Boyle told SNY.tv by phone this week.

“Its hard to not have a kid look at that. If you get beaten, it almost looks like you’re there doing something wrong and you’re like, ‘What the hell’s going on?” and….the kid went to Duke.”

Now that Boyle is coaching Montverde (Fla) Academy, he is no longer pressured to send kids to Rutgers and Seton Hall. He is no longer dealing with programs struggling to move from the bottom half of the Big East to the top.

Instead, the program he coaches is now located in a state where the University’s head coach won back-to-back national championships in 2006-7, yet comes off as a regular guy.

“Billy Donovan has a great reputation as an individual-improver as well as a great coach,” Boyle said. “Not just winning two national championships, Billy’s a really humble guy. He’s just a good person. You’d never know he’d won two national championships, he’s just a regular guy.”

In just the few months he’s been at Montverde, Boyle has already sent two players to Florida in 2012 shooting guard Michael Frazier and 2013 point guard Kasey Hill.

“He’s not Kyrie Irving good, but he’s potential first-round NBA good,” Boyle said of Hill.

Florida is one of many schools also involved with Dakari Johnson, the talented 2014 center who left St. Pat’s long with Boyle for Montverde.

(For more on Florida’s recruiting goals moving forward, read my Five Star feature here.)

Still, Boyle said his son, Brendan, is “the biggest Seton Hall fan” and Boyle himself hopes both Rutgers and Seton Hall do well.

“Both staffs have done a really good job,” Boyle said. “You think that Mike [Rice] did a great job last year and you see their recruiting class and they’re going to be fine as time moves on and they might turn the corner eventually and become that Top 25 team.

“And then Seton Hall, it looked like last year [coach Kevin] Willard was dealt with that bad hand coming in, and you say, ‘Wow, they’re in trouble right now with the classes they had.’ And so far, he’s done a terrific job this year where most people think they were dead in the water.”

The Pirates were 13-2 coming off Tuesday’s upset of No. 8 UConn and could be ranked in the Top 25 by Monday if they handle Providence Saturday.

As for his own team, Montverde (12-1) is ranked No. 10 in the Five Star Basketball Power Rankings and No. 9 by ESPNU. Their only loss came in the semifinals of the City of Palms Classic — the same event St. Pat’s won for the first time in 2010 after losing five times in the final.

“Apparently, we’re going to have a legitimate choice to be in that national [ESPN] tournament and end up No. 1,” Boyle said. “I think we have  a chance to go the distance without losing again. But obviously you gotta play really well and beat some great teams to do that.

“But we could end up being the best in the country by the end of the year.”

After holding the No. 1 ranking for much of last year, Boyle, Kidd-Gilchrist and St. Patrick lost to Kyle Anderson and St. Anthony in the mythical national championship game at Rutgers.

That loss was especially painful, but Boyle, unlike his former St. Pat’s players, has another shot.

“I hate to lose and I’m as competitive as anybody,” Boyle said. “But I’m pretty good at it two days later, moving on from it and dreaming and hoping for the next trip.”

Photo: Naples Daily News

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The No. 13 Gators are loaded with guards now and have several signed or committed for 2012 and 2013, but they need to address their frontcourt needs immediately.

If sophomore center Patric Young jumps to the NBA after this season – DraftExpress.com projects him as the No. 16 pick in the Draft – “you lose the whole frontcourt,” a source close to the Florida staff told FiveStarBasketball.com.

Thus, the Gators are working hard on landing bigs in 2012 and ’13.

They are involved with Pittsburgh transfer Khem Birch, as well as 2012 late signees Anthony Bennett, Ricardo Gathers and JaKarr Sampson.

Click here for the full story on FiveStarBasketball.com.

**And here’s the Recruiting Big Board for Florida

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Mike Rosario’s

“He’s still questionable,” a family source told SNY.tv Tuesday, referring to Rosario’s back issues. “He wants to play, but I don’t think he’s going to play.”

The 6-foot-3 Rosario, averaging 9.4 points off the bench, has not played since a Dec. 17 win over Texas A&M because of what the Orlando Sentinel termed a “strained back.” The source said Rosario may have a herniated disc in his back.

“I’m concerned from the standpoint that he’s going home and he’s not going to have any rehab for Christmas,” Florida coach Billy Donovan told the Orlando Sentinel before the holiday.

“Right now, I would say he’s probably doubtful for Rutgers. That would be my guess just because he’s not gonna be around the medical staff and be able to do treatment and rehab and the things he needs to do. We’re gonna come back and practice on the 26th. We’ll see how he is, but I would be shocked if he plays right now, with the way it is, against Rutgers.”

After leading Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony Friars to an undefeated season in 2007-08, Rosario was the first McDonald’s All-American to land at Rutgers.

But then-coach Fred Hill pretty much let Rosario do whatever he wanted, and shoot whenever he wanted, and the situation soon unraveled. By the spring of 2010, both men were gone.

“I think when he was at Rutgers he was ‘the man,’” Donovan told SNY.tv in July. “He took a lot of shots. Everything ran through him. And I also think going through that, he even realized that he needs more help.

“And I think coming out of St. Anthony, I think he really started to evaluate how important winning is to him.”

Photo: Orlando Sentinel

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Billy Donovan

“The Florida visit last night went very well,” Kyle Anderson Sr. said by text. “Coach Donovan left no stone unturned in reference to how important Lil Kyle could be to his program. What was extremely impressive and important was his video presentation.

“Lil Kyle has a very unique skill set for a kid 6-9 and all the other coaches explained to us how they would use him. Billy showed us. He showed video of similar players to Lil Kyle’s skill set — Chandler Parsons, Mike Miller and Nick Calathes — and how he allowed them freedom to make plays. 

“It’s one thing to tell me that you know how to maximize Lil Kyle’s versatility — it’s another thing to show me you have experience doing it.”

While the dominant paradigm has Anderson staying at one of the local schools (St. John’s or Seton Hall) or potentially hooking up with Shabazz Muhammad at UCLA, Florida could come in here and win this thing down the stretch.

Donovan has won two NCAA titles and has experience putting players similar to Anderson into the pros.

Florida, while not that close to the New York/New Jersey area, is only a few hours away by plane.

This weekend’s official visit to Florida comes just as Anderson is due to make his decision Sept. 19.

“This weekend’s visit to Florida could be very instrumental in Lil Kyle’s recruiting process,” his father said.

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Florida coach Billy Donovan and assistant Norm Roberts will now get their shot to persuade Anderson, who scored 35 and 31 points, respectively, in two wins for the Playaz Basketball Club Sunday at IS8. They have a home visit with him Monday night and then host the St. Anthony star this coming weekend for an official visit that will include Saturday’s nationally televised SEC football game with Tennessee.

Florida will point to Donovan’s history of preparing players like 6-10 Chandler Parsons for the NBA and the coach’s success winning back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006-7.

The SEC Player of the Year, Parsons averaged 11.8 points per game in the regular season, while finishing third in the SEC in rebounding (7.8 rpg) and seventh in assists (3.6 apg). He was chosen in the second round by the Houston Rockets and then signed with French team Cholet.

Florida can also offer the opportunity to play alongside other talented players like Brad Beal, Mike Rosario and Patric Young.

Georgetown has a home visit with Anderson Tuesday.

“[Anderson] is a very, very special player,” one coach said. “You cannot make a mistake on where he goes.”

Anderson skipped a chance to announce his choice on ESPN, and will inform reporters of his decision Sept. 19.

(Photo courtesy NY Post)

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Chris Walker

The Florida native spent Saturday on the campus of the University of Florida, one of several schools he’s considering.

“It was nice,” the 6-foot-9 Walker, the No. 2 small forward in the Class of 2013, said by text. “I watched Florida work out and scrimmage and got to have a one-one-one talk with Billy D [Donovan].

“He told me they are recruiting me the hardest and I could get it done in my own state and I could come in and be an impact player.”

Walker shared the visit with 2013 small forward Brannen Greene of Georgia.

“I met the academic [person] and trainer and weight lifting [guy],” Walker said. “I met all the players and chilled with Brannen Greene. We took a tour of the school and watched the football game [a 41-3 rout of Florida Atlantic]. So it was a success.”

Walker plans to take another visit next weekend, although he’s not sure where yet, and will then hit Florida State the weekend of Sept. 16.

He also plans to attend Kentucky’s Midnight Madness Oct. 15.

“Yes, I am,” he said.

The Louisville Courier Journal reported that the Wildcats could host a monster group that weekend including 2012 recruits Shabazz Muhammad, DaJuan Coleman, Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress, T.J. Warren and Willie Cauley, along with Walker and the Harrison twins, Andrew and Aaron, from the Class of 2013 and 2014 standout Dakari Johnson of Montverde (Fla.) Academy.

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“He enjoyed it,” his father, Tim, told SNY.tv. “He liked the campus. He said there’s a lot of beautiful women on campus.”

The 6-foot-10 McGary out of Brewster (N.H.) Academy won’t take any more visits until next month.

“Not until September,” his dad said. “We’re going back to Michigan. On the way back we’re going to North Carolina and Duke. We’re going to go to Kentucky but I don’t know when. We haven’t been able to line anything up but we want to go.”

McGary recently trimmed his list to Florida, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky, but his father said there are no favorites at this point.

“I dont think there’s any favorites,” he said. “He genuinely is interested in all six schools. We owe it to the schools to check it out. We owe it to Mitch to get him there and see how he likes it. He’s worked hard.”

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NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C.

In addition to returning its two leading scorers from last season in Erving Walker (14.6 ppg) and Kenny Boynton (14.2), the Gators add Brad Beal, the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year, and Rutgers transfer Mike Rosario.

“I think there’s going to have to be a level of sacrifice with all of our team, you know?” Florida coach Billy Donovan told SNY.tv at the Peach Jam.

“They’ve all got to try to make each other better. That’s got to be the goal, to make each other better.”

Walker and Boynton bonded last season after they became roommates and helped the Gators reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Butler.

Now they add the 6-5 Beal, the MVP of the U17 FIBA World Championships in the summer of 2010.

As a senior, the McDonald’s All-American averaged 32.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game in leading St. Louis Chaminade to a 27-1 record and an appearance in the state quarterfinals.

The 6-3 Rosario joins the loaded rotation after averaging 16.7 points at Rutgers in 2009-10 and sitting out last season.

“Mike comes in with a lot of experience,” Donovan said. “I think he’s a proven scorer at this level. But can he make Boynton better? Can he make Walker better? Can he make Beal better? That’s going to be the big challenge.

“But I’m excited to deal with those guys because I think we become a better shooting team, which I think that’s always a good thing.”

After leading Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony Friars to an undefeated season in 2007-08, Rosario was the first McDonald’s All-American to land at Rutgers.

But then-coach Fred Hill pretty much let Rosario do whatever he wanted, and shoot whenever he wanted, and the situation soon unraveled. By the spring of 2010, both men were gone.

“I think when he was at Rutgers he was ‘the man,’” Donovan said. “He took a lot of shots. Everything ran through him. And I also think going through that, he even realized that he needs more help.

“And I think coming out of St. Anthony, I think he really started to evaluate how important winning is to him.”

Ironically, Rosario and the Gators will play at Rutgers Dec. 29 in what surely will be an emotional homecoming for the Jersey City native.

“I think it’s always hard,” Donovan said. “I think Mike has a lot of strong feelings towards Rutgers, towards New Jersey in a very positive way. He probably could’ve coming out of high school gone anywhere in the country and he wanted to go to Rutgers because he wanted to stay home and he wanted to help build Rutgers’ program.

“And it didn’t work out with Freddie, with Mike. Not with them, but with Freddie moving on and the Mike just feeling like he needed a fresh start. But I’m sure it will be emotional going back there.”

Rosario and 2012 shooting guard Ricky Ledo of Notre Dame Prep have also both been invited to play with Puerto Rico in Olympic qualifying Aug. 30-Sept. 11 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

And while Gregory Echenique, Rosario’s former Rutgers teammate from St. Benedict’s Prep, will suit up for Venezuela, no final decision has been made on the status of Rosario or Ledo.

“I respect the fact that the Puerto Rican National Team reached out,” Donovan said. “They mentioned to me about Ledo, too, being invited. But I don’t know if the dates are going to work.”

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For six years as the head coach at St. John’s, Roberts tried his best to keep the best talent from the New York metropolitan area at home.

Now, he’s working on getting the top area players to leave the Big Apple for Gainesville, Fla.

At this week’s Peach Jam, Roberts and Florida head coach Billy Donovan tag-teamed to attend every one of Kyle Anderson’s game with the Playaz.

“With Norm Roberts at Florida, they become a contender,” Kyle Anderson Sr. said when Roberts was hired in April.

The 6-foot-8 Anderson, a point guard who has drawn comparisons to Magic Johnson, nearly averaged a triple-double as the Playaz reached the quarterfinals before losing to the Oakland Soldiers, 79-73, in a game in which Anderson had 20 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 2 turnovers.

The No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2012, he is considering Seton Hall, St. John’s, Georgetown and UCLA in addition to Florida.

Anderson said he plans to visit Florida sometime in September, before announcing on his 18th birthday, Sept. 20.

“Kyle Anderson, if he works on his body and gets stronger, is Magic Johnson,” said one coach recruiting him. “He has a chance to be like Magic Johnson and have that type of an impact on the game.”

Roberts was fired after the 2009-10 season during a whirlwind New York-area coaching carousel that also saw Seton Hall cut ties with Bobby Gonzalez and Rutgers let go of Fred Hill.

After spending a year as an analyst with SNY, Roberts reached out to several programs, including Florida, this spring.

“When I lost Larry Shyatt [to Wyoming], I think the feeling was that I would bring back an older coach,” said Donovan, the reigning SEC Coach of the Year. “And I think Norm had kind of reached out just expressing interest to some people that I knew. And then a couple days after that, I ended up losing two more guys [Richard Pitino and Rob Lanier].”

He added: “I just thought Norm would be great. I think he’s recruited at this level. He’s been in some great programs. I thought his experience as the head coach being at St. John’s would be very, very valuable to all of us.”

Donovan, who won back-to-back NCAA titles at Florida in 2006 and ’07, said he didn’t hire Roberts exclusively to recruit the fertile New York/New Jersey area.

“I’m more inclined to get a total-package person,” Donovan said. “I’ve never ever believed if you’re really going to try to help an assistant coach, you say, ‘OK, you’re the recruiter, you’re the on-the-floor coach, you deal with the big guys.’

“You know, Norm someday wants to go back and be a head coach and he’ll do a great job.”

Still, make no mistake.

Florida is in the Kyle Anderson Sweepstakes because of Norm Roberts.

Ironically, Roberts is competing head-to-head with his former program — among others — for Anderson. St. John’s coach Steve Lavin and his staff were on one side of the gym while Roberts was on the other for several games at the Peach Jam.

“Really, none of my guys are there anymore [at St. John's],” Roberts said. “Nobody from my staff is working at the school anymore, and none of our players except for Malik Stith are still there. That’s a totally different regime that’s over there.

“I like Coach Lavin a lot. He did a terrific job. I was happy with his success last year.”

Roberts said he was pleased when the Johnnies reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 last season with a team almost comprised entirely of players he committed.

“I was happy for them with something that we had built toward doing,” he said. “When I brought in those freshmen some four years ago, I said that this is how it’s going to go. You are going to take your lumps as freshmen, sophomores you’re going to improve. And we got to the CBI Tournament. And I said that next year, that junior and senior year, is when you’re going to make that jump. And those kids did exactly that.”

As far as the recruitment of Anderson goes, St. John’s and Seton Hall will make their own cases, emphasizing the opportunity to play close to his home in Fairview, N.J, and to attract other elite players to those programs.

And while the possibility of Kyle Sr., the coach of the Playaz 17 squad, being hired as an assistant coach at the local schools has been discussed, it won’t end up happening, multiple sources with knowledge said.

“He’s a guy who makes other players better,” longtime New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski said of Kyle Jr. “First of all, I think he will other attract other good players to those programs, especially for Seton Hall he would be a landmark recruit because kids like to play for Rutgers. They likes to play with the Myles Macks’, he’s a good kid. Not because he’s such a special passer or distributor, just because of his personality and whatever. But with Kyle, I think he makes everyone better and I think other players realize that.

“But I would be surprised if his list — even though it’s supposed to be a hard five — doesn’t expand because some other big guys are going to try to get involved…I have no idea, but let’s say if a Kansas or a Kentucky or a North Carolina came in hard, I think it would be hard for him not to consider them.”

For now, Georgetown will likely emphasize its system, and UCLA can point to the string of point guards it’s sent to the NBA.

Florida, by contrast, will point to Donovan’s history of preparing players like 6-10 Chandler Parsons for the NBA and the coach’s success winning titles.

The SEC Player of the Year, Parsons averaged 11.8 points per game in the regular season, while finishing third in the SEC in rebounding (7.8 rpg) and seventh in assists (3.6 apg). He was chosen in the second round by the Houston Rockets and is now considering playing in Europe during the NBA lockout.

Florida can also offer the opportunity to play alongside other talented players like Brad Beal, Mike Rosario and Patric Young.

“[Anderson] is a very, very special player,” one coach said. “You cannot make a mistake on where he goes.”

Every school in the hunt will make its own case and the decision will come soon enough.

But for now, a former St. John’s coach is keeping Florida in the hunt.

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“He just felt it was a good fit, their style of play,” Walter Pitchford Sr. said by phone. “On his visit he had a great visit. He felt it was a good fit for them.”

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound Pitchford is a postgrad at Summit Christian Academy in East Lansing, Mich., and a native of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Pitchford joins 6-3 shooting guard Bradley Beal of St. Louis Chaminade in Florida’s 2011 recruiting class.

After getting his release from DePaul last July Pitchford considered Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Arizona State and Minnesota.

He took his only visit to Florida.

“He’s got a chance to be a dynamic wing/forward, kind of a modern four,” Summit Christian coach Steve Ernst said. “Certainly his athleticism and his shooting for a kid his size are pretty rare.”

He’s averaging 17.2 points and 9 rebounds for a team that is 19-16.

Pitchford initially told ZAGSBLOG last summer he wanted out of his NLI to DePaul due to the coaching change that brought in Oliver Purnell and also because of concerns about crime in the Chicago area.

Purnell initially declined to give Pitchford a release, but later relented.

“We were very thankful [for the release],” Pitchford Sr. said in July. “It’s been frustrating but we’re thankful and we’re just going to move on. We thank DePaul for everything they’ve done. DePaul is a fine institution and we wish them great success.”

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