Tag: Alivia McGill

Incoming Florida WBB star Liv McGill earns gold with FIBA U18 AmeriCup

Florida women’s basketball’s highest-ranked signee in program history just won a gold medal at the FIBA 18U Americup in Colombia.

Kelly Rae Finley and the Florida women’s basketball team are preparing to welcome the seventh-ranked recruit in the nation, [autotag]Alivia McGill[/autotag], to campus, but the soon-to-be Gator had to stop and win a gold medal before starting her career in Orange and Blue.

McGill was named to the USA junior national team in May and has been in Colorado Springs practicing with the team ahead of the FIBA Women’s U18 AmeriCup in Colombia. McGill and Co. won an 11th-straight gold medal for the U.S. at the event, defeating Canada, 80-69, on Sunday.

Coming off the bench, McGill found two teammates for assists in the victory. Her best showing came in the quarterfinals against the Dominican Republic. She scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and had four assists and three rebounds. She also scored eight against Brazil during group play.

The Americans dominated group play, beating Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico by a combined 221 points, including an 80-point and 95-point win. Bracket play saw continued American dominance as the U.S. demolished the Dominican Republic, 125-27, in the quarterfinals and beat Argentina, 109-32, in the semis.

Canada was the only team that put up a real fight, even though the U.S. won, 80-69. The Canadians were the only team to outscore the Americans in a quarter, taking the second by six points.

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Lady Gators add 5-star PG to 2024 class

Florida women’s basketball might be the best recruiting team on campus after landing a second five-star recruit in as many years.

The Florida Gators women’s basketball team added five-star point guard [autotag]Alivia McGill[/autotag] to its 2024 recruiting class on Monday, according to an announcement video she posted to social media.

The 5-foot-7-inch tall Hopkins (Coon Rapids, Minnesota) product is ranked No. 19 overall on ESPN’s 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, also known as the Super 60. It’s the second-straight year that Florida has locked down a five-star recruit for the women’s basketball team. [autotag]Laila Reynolds[/autotag], the team’s five-star signee in the 2023 cycle, will join the team this upcoming season, and McGill is set to arrive in Gainesville for the 2024-25 campaign.

McGill averaged 14 points and three assists per game as a junior. She led Hopkins to a second-place finish in Minnesota’s Class 4A state championship and is likely looking to win it all next year before heading off to college.

Women’s basketball head coach Kelly Rae Finley has changed the program dramatically over the past few years. Two seasons ago, Florida was still dealing with a coaching abuse scandal that put a cloud over the program for some time. Then, superstar [autotag]Lavender Briggs[/autotag] transferred to Maryland, and things looked bleak for the Gators.

Now, Finley has two five-star recruits headed to the Swamp and things look like they are taking a turn for the better. Here’s hoping they do.

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