GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida basketball team got major news on Friday afternoon, with a veteran player opting to return rather than enter the professional ranks.

Starting center John Egbunu, who suffered a torn ACL during conference play and missed the rest of the season, will return for his senior season. Egbunu was averaging 7.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game prior to his injury.

He had dipped his toes into the NBA Draft waters without an agent before opting to return, the school announced Friday.

"I'm a Florida Gator in my heart, so I wanted another chance to come back and be a Gator," Egbunu said in a press release. "I've graduated from here, and I love playing here, being a part of the culture and being with my teammates – it's a fun team to be around. It's also a chance for me to continue to improve and grow as a player and help the team however I can. And I can't forget to mention how great it is to play in front of the Rowdies and all of our Gator fans."

What's next for the Gators? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Gators newsletter now!

Egbunu has started 59 games for Florida in two years after transferring from South Florida.

Florida notes that Egbunu likely won't be ready for the start of the season due to his recovery from the torn ACL. The Gators press release states that Egbunu's recovery is proceeding on schedule and he is targeting a mid-January return to the court.

Be sure to enjoy VIP access to GatorBait.net with our Get $100 off an annual subscription promotional offer. Stay up to date with all the latest breaking recruiting news.

---------------

For more news on Florida sports and recruiting, follow GatorBait247 on Twitter or sign up for our FREE daily Gators newsletter!

Contact Thomas Goldkamp by 247Sports' personal messaging system or on Twitter at @ThomasGoldkamp.