by Alex Schwartz

Austin Rivers '11 is one of the best players in the nation regardless of class. The 6'4 combo guard proved that when he went head-to-head with the best guard in the country, Brandon Knight '10, on Friday. Rivers dropped 41 points and led his team to an 87-76 win in a game nationally televised on ESPN2.

Rivers, who was mobbed by fans in a way I have not seen since talking with Lance Stephenson '09 at the 2008 Prime Time Shootout. Much like Stephenson, Rivers has been on the scene for quite some time and is a huge name on a national level, partially due to his father.

Currently committed to Florida, Rivers is one of the rare basketball players who is a "soft verbal". The term is generally used in football recruiting and means that the player is committed to one school while still considering others. In this case, Rivers, the son of Boston Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers, is also considering Duke and has visited the ACC power.

Rivers said that as of now "that's the two schools" he is thinking about, but did state that there is a chance that other programs could get involved. No one new has entered the picture though, and those are the only programs he has been talking to.

The star guard said that he is committed to Florida at this point and that is why other schools have not been contacting him. He was approached by a number of Florida fans, but when a Duke fan came up to him he pointed and said "nice shirt".

Asked how he decided on Florida back in July of 08 and since somewhat reopened his recruitment, Rivers replied, "I chose Florida because at the time it was the right decision. I just thought I should look at other schools, that would be the right thing to do."

Austin said that location would not be a factor in his decision. "I'm going to have to go away one day," he commented.

I also discussed the showdown with Knight with Rivers. "It's awesome [to play against him]. He's one of the best players out there," remarked Rivers.

Rivers listed Knight and Cory Joseph '10, who he said is "so smooth", as the two best players he has played against. How does Rivers think he stacks up with Knight on the court? "I'll let you guys decide that. He's a great player. Some people say he's better, some people say I'm better."

With Knight's school being only about 30 minutes from Florida Atlantic, where the game was played, there were a lot of Pine Crest fans there and Austin discussed what it was like in the hostile environment. "It just adds fuel to the fire when they say stuff like that, chanting my girlfriend's name, my sister's name."

Asked what it is like getting so much attention and being swarmed by fans, Rivers replied, "It's fun." One kid had the talented junior sign his cell phone and I asked if it was the first time he has done that. "No. I've signed some crazy stuff," responded Austin.

How does his father help him deal with all the pressure and attention? "He says to be careful to say. You don't want anybody to hate you, especially the media." In general though, Rivers said of his famous father, "he really lets me do my own thing."

Whether it is Florida, Duke, or some other program that lands Austin Rivers, the coaching staff will be inheriting not just a phenomenal player, but a young man who has dealt with the hype, pressure, and attention that comes with being a star with a famous last name. Whatever he encounters at the next level just might "fuel the fire" even more.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/