Florida head basketball coach Todd Golden has a ton of roster spots to fill heading into Year 2 with the Gators, but it might be keeping the talent that’s already on the roster that proves to be the biggest challenge. A core of [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] next season is a decent one to work with, but there are questions about whether or not Kugel will make it back to Florida for another season.
Although he denied transfer rumors a little over three weeks ago, Kugel’s name has continually come up in draft conversations since. There’s little doubt that Kugel has the skill set to play in the association one day, but could that day come as soon as next year?
If Kugel declares, there’s no guarantee he’ll be selected. Returning for another year would give him a chance to continue his development and evolve into a bonafide first-round pick. That said, Kugel has already made incredible strides over just one season at the college level.
“The jump he made within the SEC play was remarkable,” Golden said regarding Kugel’s play down the stretch, according to 247Sports. “Like you don’t see that very often. You know, I think the last eight or nine games he was averaging close to 20 points a game. I mean, just pretty, pretty impressive stuff.”
Kugel averaged 17.3 points per game on 49.6% shooting for Florida to close out the season. He can finish at the rim and shot 45.7% from three-point range late over the final six games of the year.
There are plenty of reasons for NBA teams to be interested in a 19-year-old that shows such promise. Golden and the Gator Collective will pull out all the stops to get him to stay, just as they did to keep [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] a year ago. But, it’s Kugel’s call whether or not he begins his professional career.
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