Bassett picks Florida

Oldsmar Christian (Fla.) power forward Dontay Bassett planned to announce his future college home, Colorado or Florida, on Tuesday, but the California native already knew where he wanted to go and was too anxious to sit on the news another day.

"I couldn't wait," said Bassett. "I called Coach Mike White and we talked for a little bit then I told him that I made my decision. I said I'm sorry to tell you this, then I paused for a couple of seconds, then I was like I'm committing to the University of Florida. He was scared for a moment but then he said he was happy and glad I'm on board."

The three-star prospect, who has been playing organized basketball for less than three years, took his official visit to Florida last week and decided then that he had seen all he needed to see in order to make his decision.

"I arrived on October 8th and left on the 10th," Bassett said. "As soon as I got on campus I knew that I wanted to spend my next four years here. Just the vibe on campus, the energy, the coaches. Everyone I met I just connected with so it just felt like a great place to be."

Although Florida had just recently offered Bassett, the relationship he developed with the Gators coaching staff was very strong.

"I love all of the coaches," Bassett said. "Coach White, Coach (Dusty) May, Coach (Darris) Nichols, Coach (Jordan) Mincy, they're all pretty young but I felt like we connected on that level. I felt like I could talk to them and they would understand what I'm going through say if I was having a problem or something.

Academics were an important part of Bassett's decision, so getting to know the team's academic adviser during his visit also played a key role in his decision.

"The academic adviser, Tom Williams, is really active with the guys," Bassett said. "He was even at the team's practice. He really cares about you as a person and really wants to see you succeed as a person."

Bassett's parents joined him on his visit, as did his AAU Coach Raymond Young of the Oakland Rebels. who paid his own way, per NCAA rules. Gators freshman forward Kevarrius Hayes hosted Bassett on his visit.

"Kevarrius showed me around, we went to his dorm and everything," said Bassett. "I played 2k with Kasey Hill, hung out with Devin Robinson and KeVaughn Allen - lots of the guys I'll be playing with next year. I watched the guys work out. They got after it, I liked it. There was a lot of energy in the gym, talking and competitiveness, going after each other, really getting each other better."

Bassett is Florida's second verbal commitment in the 2016 class, joining four-star combo guard Eric Hester, his Oldsmar Christian teammate.

Russ Wood is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. Click here to follow him on Twitter.