Tag: Jason Jitoboh

CJ Felder rejoining Florida basketball team ahead of Alabama matchup

Florida basketball is getting CJ Felder back after he stepped away from the team due to personal reasons.

After missing eight games over three weeks away from the team, forward [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] is rejoining the Florida Gators, according to Chris Harry of the University Athletic Association.

Felder started the season off as a member of the Gators’ starting five, averaging 17 minutes per game through Florida’s first eight contests. Head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] switched up the lineup against Stetson on Dec. 4, moving Felder to the bench and decreasing his playing time significantly. He averaged just under nine minutes per game off the bench before stepping away from the team.

The hiatus and lack of playing time appear to be unrelated, and Felder’s absence was described as a personal decision at the time. Golden openly said that Felder was welcome back to the team, but the expectation was that he’d be out for the rest of the year.

Felder’s return is a good thing for both him and Florida. The Gators lack depth in the frontcourt with [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] as the only true big men on the roster. Felder isn’t massive, but he provides a bit more size to the four than [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] does.

Alex Fudge will still likely serve as the team’s starting power forward, but Felder should slip right back into his old role now that he’s settled. It’s unclear if he’ll participate in Florida’s game against Alabama on Wednesday, but he will travel with the team for it.

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Florida likely to be without F Alex Fudge against South Carolina

Alex Fudge might not be available for Florida’s matchup with South Carolina, but head coach Todd Golden has a plan.

Florida forward [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] is doubtful to play in Wednesday’s game against the South Carolina Gamecocks after suffering a head injury on Saturday.

Fudge went down early in the second half after unsuccessfully attempting to draw a charge. He never returned to the floor after subbing out, and 247Sports’ Jacob Rudner is reporting that the diagnosis is a concussion. When talking to the press Tuesday, [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] indicated that Fudge could be back as early as Saturday, though, when Florida plays No. 5 Kansas State.

“Alex has been really good for us,” Golden said on Tuesday. “I don’t think we’ll see him tomorrow night (South Carolina). Hopefully, we’ll get him back for Saturday.”

Losing Fudge hurts Florida in the size department, especially following [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag]’s indefinite separation from the team. [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] are the only players on the active roster that are taller than 6-foot-6 inches. Freshman Aleks Szymczyk is 6-foot-10-inches tall but has only seen 11 minutes of action all season.

Golden says the plan is to play more spread out on the perimeter while Fudge is gone, but he’s not hiding the fact that Florida’s game needs to be altered because of the injury. It’s possible we see Castleton shift over to the four while [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] takes over at center, too.

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Gators hoops hosts this Buffalo transfer on campus

After missing out on Johni Broome, can Todd Golden land elite rebounder Josh Mballa from the transfer portal?

There are still two open scholarship spots on Florida’s men’s basketball roster, and [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] is combing through those available in the transfer portal to find the best fit. Former Buffalo forward [autotag]Josh Mballa[/autotag] was one of the players in Gainesville on Friday to meet with the team, according to 247Sports.

In his third season with the Bulls, Mballa averaged 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. He’s a monster on the offensive boards too, posting the 39th-best offensive rebound percentage among D-I players. He made the All-MAC second team and entered to portal following the season to seek brighter horizons.

In 2020-21, Mballa posted even better numbers. He averaged a double-double (15.3 points and 10.8 rebounds) and was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year.

This will be Mballa’s second transfer after moving on from Texas Tech following his freshman year, and he fits the needs of first-year head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]. The Gators lack size and rebounding ability past [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag]. [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] are returning and [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] came in through the transfer portal, but UF still needs one piece down low to complete the frontcourt.

That’s where Mballa fits in. It’s unknown how well the meeting on Friday went, but Golden has hand-selected the guys he wants to go after and landed most of them so far aside from power forward Johni Broome who chose Auburn.

Ole Miss also hosted him recently, so there’s likely to be some more SEC competition for him down the road.

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Florida basketball misses out on transfer PF Johni Broome to Auburn

Todd Golden couldn’t beat Bruce Pearl and Auburn for one of the top big men in the transfer portal.

It came down to Florida and Auburn for center transfer [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] on Saturday, but the Gators and [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] came up short and will now have to plan against him in the 2022-23 season.

Broome averaged 16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game for Morehead State as a freshman in 2021-22. The Eagles finished 23-11 and Broome quickly became one of the most intriguing names in the portal after announcing his intentions to move on from the program. Some of college basketball’s best (Gonzaga, Duke, etc.) were in the hunt early on, but Broome decided that the two SEC squads presented him with the best opportunity to take the next step in his development.

Bruce Pearl’s recent success with Auburn beat out Todd Golden’s year one pitch to the Florida native. Golden previously served as an assistant coach for the Tigers, so this was the first true battle between the former mentor and protege.

It would have been nice for Florida to add some more depth to the frontcourt for Golden’s first year at the helm. [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] is set to return as the team’s starting center and has LSU transfer [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag], [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] around him. Broome would likely have been paired with Castleton in the starting lineup, but instead, he’ll replace Walker Kessler at Auburn.

There are still some decent big men in the portal for Florida target, but this was a priority target for Golden. Now it’s time to go back to the board and figure out a different solution with three potential roster spots still open.

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Where does Florida basketball stand? The Athletic breaks down current roster

The Athletic broke down Florida basketball’s current roster while giving fans an idea of what holes head coach Todd Golden is trying to fill.

New Florida head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] earned his first significant victory when he convinced center [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] to return for a fifth season. He was Florida’s leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker last season.

However, Golden still has a lot of recruiting left to do with three spots left on the Gators’ 2022-23 roster. The Athletic spoke with Golden about Castleton’s return while breaking down the state of Florida’s current roster.

Gators Online reported that the Gator Collective played a factor in Castleton’s decision to return. However, Golden also pitched that he would build the team around the big man and that the team would be good enough to make the NCAA tournament.

“That’s similar to Colin, where my thought was if he came back and bought into what we were doing, it would be much easier to build an NCAA Tournament roster around him,” Golden said. “That’s something he’s really passionate about accomplishing, after having a sour taste in his mouth last season.”

Golden added that he wanted to develop Castleton’s touch from deep because it’s a critical part of the offense.

The former San Francisco head coach spent a lot of energy and time on recruiting guard [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] to come back for another season. After transferring from Penn State, Jones struggled mightily to find his footing with the team. Golden believes the key to getting Jones back to the sniper he was with the Nittany Lions is rebuilding his confidence.

Another recruiting victory Florida and Golden earned was when Belmont guard [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] chose to transfer to Gainesville. He should immediately slot in as a starter or as the team’s sixth man.

The Gators will also return [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag], [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag], [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag], [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah Kennedy[/autotag] while adding high school recruits [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag].

Reeves picked up his scoring quite a bit later in the season, averaging 16.3 points per game in the team’s final three contests after only scoring 5.5 earlier in the year. Felder had one of the team’s best plus-minus but only tallied the ninth-most minutes on the team. He should play a lot more next season given Golden’s emphasis on analytics.

Then The Athletic wrote that the Gators want to add a point guard or two and frontcourt depth. Florida’s targets in the backcourt include Bradley’s Terry Roberts, SMU’s Kendric Davis, Charlotte’s Jahmir Young and VMI’s Trey Bonham. Then its frontcourt prospects are LSU‘s Alex Fudge, Morehead State’s Johni Broome and Nevada’s Warren Washington.

Golden has made quite a bit of progress in retooling the Florida roster, so it can get back to the NCAA tournament next season.

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Previewing Florida basketball’s matchup with Oklahoma State

Does Florida basketball stand a chance against Oklahoma State without Colin Castleton and Jason Jitboh?

Florida basketball gets a break from conference play on Saturday with a home game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but the Gators will be without a true center on the team.

UF has been without preseason All-SEC center Colin Castleton for four games, and now backup center Jason Jitoboh has been ruled out after the season following eye surgery. It was Jitoboh’s injury, and a missed foul call on a Brandon McKissic three-point attempt, that seemed to turn the momentum on Wednesday against Tennessee.

Mike White watched his team lose an eight-point halftime lead and miss several big shots down the stretch. Forward CJ Felder came in for a few minutes in the second half despite not being healthy enough to play in the majority of the game. He’s been sick and lost some weight because of it. Felder and Tuongthach Gatkek should see more minutes moving forward as long as Castleton is out.

Anthony Duruji is the only forward listed in Saturday’s projected lineup as Tyree Appleby is expected to rejoin the starting rotation against the Cowboys. The Cowboys play four guards as well, but 7-foot-tall Moussa Cisse might be a problem for the Gators. Cisse only averages six points per game, but he’s the team’s leading rebounder and shot blocker.

Guards Avery Anderson and Bryce Williams are the only two Oklahoma State players averaging more than 10 points per game. Florida has had trouble containing dominant guards, but a good defensive effort all-around should keep this game competitive.

Florida is currently ranked 45th in the NET rankings, and Oklahoma State is No. 53. At this point in the season, a Quadrant 2 loss is enough to matter for the Gators, especially considering that they appear destined to spend the rest of the season on the tournament bubble. A win could get Florida back into the projected tournament field, but it won’t be easy now that the Gators are being forced into playing small ball.

How to follow Florida basketball vs Oklahoma State

Gameday betting odds for Florida basketball vs Oklahoma State

Tip-off is at 4 p.m EST at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville.

Projected Starting Lineups:

FLORIDA

Player Pos H/W Class
Anthony Duruji F 6-7 / 209 Senior
Tyree Appleby G 6-1 / 163 Senior
Kowacie Reeves G 6-5 / 182 Freshman
Brandon McKissic G 6-3 / 185 Graduate
Phlandrous Fleming Jr. G 6-5 / 205 Graduate

OLE MISS

Player Pos H/W Class
Moussa Cisse F 7-0 / 225 Sophomore
Avery Anderson III G 6-3 / 170 Junior
Bryce Thompson G 6-5 / 195 Sophomore
Rondel Walker G 6-5 / 180 Sophomore
Isaac Likekele G 6-5 / 215 Senior

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Florida’s Jason Jitoboh out for season after undergoing eye surgery

Bad news in Hogtown.

Fans of Florida basketball got some bad news on Friday when head coach Mike White announced that center Jason Jitoboh will miss the rest of the season after undergoing eye surgery to repair an injury sustained just before the end of the first half in the defeat at the Tennessee Volunteers on Wednesday night.

The loss of Jitoboh further decimates an already shorthanded frontcourt, which is missing leading scorer Colin Castleton for an indefinite period due to a shoulder injury as well as transfer C.J. Felder, who has missed time recently due to a non-COVID illness. That leaves the duties in the middle of the paint to JUCO transfer center Tuongthach Gatkek and athletic forward Anthony Duruji, who stand at 6-feet-9-inches and 6-feet-7-inches, respectively.

The 6-foot-11-inch big man out of Nigeria put up 4.1 points per game with 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks while averaging 10.7 minutes in his 18 appearances this season. However, Jitoboh saw increased playing time — including starts in his last four games — in the absence of Castleton and had been making the most of it, providing quality minutes on the floor for Florida. His eight points and 10 boards against the Vanderbilt Commodores, and 12 points and five boards against the Ole Miss Rebels represent the statistical highwater marks of his recent efforts.

The Gator Nation can expect a lot of small-ball moving forward as its beloved team continues to fight for a spot in the Big Dance this March.

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Jason Jitoboh should provide valuable size and depth to Florida as a junior

Jason Jitoboh worked on his conditioning during the offseason and is ready to get back into the Gators’ rotation.

Name: Jason Jitoboh

Number: 33

Position: Center

Class: Junior

Height: 6’11”

Weight: 305 lbs

Hometown: Abuja, Nigeria

High School: Hamilton Heights (Tenn.)

2020-21 Stats:

GP MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS
12 3.7 55.6 0.0 50.0 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.8 0.2 0.9

Overview: 

Jason Jitoboh was the only true center on Florida’s roster for the shortened 2020-21 season, but the former three-star recruit wound up sitting out of more games than he played in as a sophomore.

After a promising finish to his freshman season backing up Kerry Blackshear Jr., Jitoboh struggled with his weight and fell out of the rotation. He’d finish his second season at Florida with just 11 total points over 12 games.

Forward Colin Castleton took on the starting big man role for the Gators after transferring from Michigan, and Omar Payne once again finished the year ahead of Jitoboh in the rotation.

Both of Jitoboh’s best games in 2020-21 were against Tennessee. In a regular-season win over the Vols, he played a season-high 13 minutes and pulled in three rebounds. Jitoboh’s season-high in points (5) came in a second-round exit of the SEC tournament for Florida.

If Jitoboh can keep himself well-conditioned as a junior, he should be able to back up Colin Castleton and fight for minutes against bigger teams. Payne transferred to Illinois, so that’s one less big man to compete with.

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