Rarely does Austin Rivers not look relaxed, on a basketball court or off.
The 15-year-old son of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers deals with the spotlight as flawlessly as he handles the ball.
That was the case again Monday as Rivers scored 20 points in leading Team Stat to a 62-49 victory over Connecticut Basketball Academy in the AAU 16-and-under National Tournament.
Rivers said he is playing with even more peace of mind after announcing July 3 his plan to sign with Florida when the time comes in 2010. That promise is nonbinding until Rivers plays out his sophomore and junior seasons at Winter Park and actually signs as a senior.
"People say I should wait and go look at other places. But at the end of the day they're all going to be similar. They'll have great facilities, nice campuses, good programs. I went with who I know. I really feel comfortable with Florida."
Doc Rivers, who watched Monday from a top-row seat at Cypress Creek, said he gave Austin his blessing after a long-distance phone conversation. Austin called in the heat of the Celtics' victorious run through the NBA playoffs to say he was ready to commit to UF, where big sister Callie is a volleyball star.
Dad's initial response: "You haven't looked at any other schools."
Doc said Austin had a tongue-in-cheek reply that said it all. Name a school a couple hours from home, in the SEC, and with all the trappings of a national-title program and he'd go take a peek.
"Some kids grow up following a certain school and knowing that's where they would like to play,"
Doc said. "That's Austin."
Team Stat (2-1), which lost one game by forfeit, plays a 1 p.m. quarterfinal today at Disney's Wide World of Sports against the New York Gauchos.
In 17s nationals play, defending champ Team Breakdown (3-0) hopes to have star scorer Kenny Boynton back from an ankle injury for a 7 p.m. game tonight.
Team Daniels Q6 All-Stars went 2-1 but failed to make the championship bracket. Florida Assault and Kissimmee Wildcats went 2-1 to advance and both play at 11:30 a.m. today
