Mike Rosario

Michael Rosario (born November 2, 1990) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN).

He played college basketball for Rutgers and Florida.

His performance helped him be the first freshman Scarlet Knight to score 17 or more points in the team's season opener since Mike Jones in 1993.

On April 6, 2007, Rosario committed to play for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team in college, being coached by Fred Hill.

Some of his other possible destinations included Georgetown, Penn State, Seton Hall, St. John's, and St. Joseph's.

He was rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.

During the summer prior to Rosario's matriculation with Rutgers University, future head coach Fred Hill made the comment, "This honor is further confirmation that Mike Rosario is one of the nation's premier players.” He also said, "Our mission at Rutgers is to build a National Championship-caliber program and Mike is the type of individual who helps further this process."

Following his years with St. Anthony, he took part in the 2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game with several other future stars, including Tyreke Evans, Kemba Walker, and Al-Farouq Aminu.

It made him only the sixth player from his high school to compete in the reputable game.

At its conclusion, Rosario scored eighteen points and recorded five steals in 19 minutes on the court.

Rosario debuted for Rutgers on November 14, 2008, with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist against Marist.

On November 21, 2008, Rosario recorded a season-high 27 points against the Robert Morris Colonials after being given 35 minutes of playing time.

Despite his electric scoring display, he finished with just 1 rebound and 0 assists.

He had his first 7-rebound game on November 26, 2008, against Lehigh.

This would meet his season-high.

Rosario would manage to do the same against Bryant on December 20, 2008.

He played his first game as the starting small forward on December 3, 2008, against Rider, scoring 25 points total.

Rosario also ranked 5th in points among all freshman playing basketball in NCAA Division I. His forceful season brought his name to the conference's All-Rookie Team for the 2008–2009 season along with Yancy Gates, Kemba Walker, Greg Monroe, Samardo Samuels, and Devin Ebanks.

Rutgers finished the year with an 11–21 record, 2–16 in their conference play.

Apart from his Big East honors, Rosario was named Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Rookie of the Year and a CollegeInsider.com Freshmen All-American.

After averaging over 16 points in his first season in college, Rosario made the decision to return to Rutgers for his sophomore year.

He was listed as one of the possible factors in the rebuilding of the Big East Conference along with Greg Monroe, Yancy Gates, and many other members of the 2008-09 All-Rookie Team.

On March 7, 2009, vs the South Florida Bulls, Rosario scored zero points for the first time in his college career on 0-of-5 shooting from the field.

He played his sole postseason game in the Big East tournament first round, against Notre Dame, finishing with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

At the end of the season, Rosario set the Rutgers freshman scoring record with 517 points.

He led all Big East players with his amount of college experience scoring-wise as well.

Rosario made his first appearance as a sophomore on November 14, 2009, against Marist, recording 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

He also saw 35 minutes of action.

He finally broke the 20 point barrier against Vermont on November 22, 2009.

This was his second Legends Classic appearance, the first one in which he scored 13 points against the Drexel Dragons at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC).

Due to his strong performance through the tournament, Rosario was named to the All-Tournament Team with Anthony Gurley, Erving Walker, Vernon Macklin, and Kalin Lucas.

On December 22, 2009, he broke his personal scoring record against Saint Peter's with 28 points total.

Rosario also added four rebounds and five assists, shooting 10-of-16 on field goals.

He, again, scored a career-high 33 points against St. John's, recording 5 rebounds and steals as well.

In his senior season, St. Anthony came inches from a rare state tournament loss, a matter that was featured in the 2010 documentary, The Street Stops Here.

He averaged nearly 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in this final year, and propelled the team to a 32–0 record along with the country's No. 1 ranking according to the USA Today Super 25 and ESPN High Elite 25 polls.

The Friars eventually won the state championship upon Hurley's comments on the year, "If you don't win a state championship, you will never be remembered."

On international duty, he represented Puerto Rico in the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament and FIBA Under-19 World Championship, never medaling in either competitions.

Rosario attended St. Anthony High School and was coached by the legendary Bob Hurley.

He spent four years with the Friars and helped maintain their position as a nationally recognized basketball powerhouse.