Tag: CJ Felder

Hoops transfer CJ Felder should provide an immediate impact for Florida

The Gators added a talented scoring forward and rim protector in CJ Felder, who was one of the best players on a bad Boston College team.

Name: CJ Felder

Number: TBA

Position: Forward

Class: Junior

Height: 6’7″

Weight: 230 lbs

Hometown: Sumter, S.C.

High School: Sumter

Previous School: Boston College

2020 statistics:

GP FG% REB AST PTS
19 45.9 5.9 0.9 9.7

Overview:

A three-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class out of Sumter, S.C., Felder chose Boston College over offers from major programs closer to home like Auburn, Clemson and Georgia Tech. He was an immediate impact player for the Eagles as a freshman in 2019-20, starting 18 of the 31 games he appeared in. He averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds, and he came close to a double-double in a game against Syracuse, scoring nine points with nine boards.

He saw a much bigger role this past season with Boston College, starting all but two of the 19 games the team played. He boosted his scoring average to 9.7 points, and his rebounding average increased to 5.9. He managed his first career double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds in a game against Wake Forest, and in an early-season matchup against Florida, he scored 11 points but was held to just one rebound. Despite his size, he also demonstrated his presence as an elite rim defender with 2.2 blocks per game.

After a 4-16 season in which the Eagles finished last in the ACC, Felder announced that he would be entering the transfer portal on March 21. On April 2, he announced his commitment to the Gators. He returns closer to home, where he will help replace the production of Omar Payne, who transferred to Illinois.

Video:

Meet Florida basketball’s five incoming players for next season

The Gators lost over a third of the 2020 roster but they’ve been active in the transfer market and reeled in a quintet of impactful players.

In the weeks following the Gators’ early exit from the NCAA tournament, six of the team’s players departed the program. In response, head coach Mike White has been hot on the recruiting path, quickly pulling in four transfers to add to a single 2021 recruit in an effort to patch up this leaky roster.

Florida’s approach so far this season has been consistent with previous years, mostly targeting older, high-performing players from weaker conferences looking for a new challenge in the SEC. One of the advantages of this approach is adding experience to a team filled with a lot of younger players whose youth sometimes got the better of them last season.

All in all, the Gators’ basketball program will be taking on a very different look next season, so let’s examine the players who White has already gotten to sign on with the team next season.