For the second-straight year, Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden has secured the return of the top player set to depart his team.
On Tuesday, All-Freshman SEC guard [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] announced his decision to come back to the Gators for a second year after briefly considering the NBA draft. Kugel was Florida’s best scorer down the stretch, averaging more than 18 points a game over the Gator’s final eight games. He also scored 20 or more three times during that stretch.
Although he struggled early on, Kugel blossomed as he got more minutes on the court. Colin Castleton’s injury created a need for scoring, and Kugel didn’t miss a beat. He improved his three-point shooting throughout the year and will be a key piece of the lineup next year along with Alex Fudge and Will Richard.
— Riley Kugel (@RileyKugel) April 4, 2023
Kugel’s return to UF is also a huge boost in the recruiting department. Transfer portal players want to share the court with future NBA talents, and Kugel is already getting looks.
He was the first commitment for Florida under Todd Golden, so it’s only fitting that Kugel be the one to lead what everyone hopes is a far more successful second year of the new regime.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]
[mm-video type=video id=01gwm85jb2b4asy3ntsp playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gwm85jb2b4asy3ntsp/01gwm85jb2b4asy3ntsp-52d1861305e83287029956218ee16282.jpg]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.