Tag: Kowacie Reeves Jr.

Gators expected to lose Trey Bonham to NCAA transfer portal

Florida continues to lose players to the transfer portal after Year 1 of the Todd Golden era. Guard Trey Bonham is expected to be the latest Gators to leave the team this offseason.

Florida has already lost a good chunk of its 2022-23 men’s basketball to the NCAA transfer portal, and junior guard [autotag]Trey Bonham[/autotag] is the latest name expected to step away from the program, according to a report from All Gators.

Bonham appeared in 30 games for the Gators during his one year in Gainesville, starting 13 of those contests and reaching 20 points three times. The Virginia Military Institute transfer averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Although he did make a string of starts early in the season, Bonham’s production dropped significantly after the calendar turned over. Offensively, he was an energetic leader off the bench, but Bonham’s defense left a lot to be desired.

[autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] was the better option at the other guard spot to complement [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag], and there’s no guarantee Bonham takes over either’s role during his senior year. It’s not too surprising to see Bonham leave. Plenty of players gave Todd Golden a chance but there are always going to be those who don’t end up fitting.

Bonham is unique in that he’s the only Golden-era transfer to depart the team after just one year. [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag], [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag], [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] and [autotag]Kowacie Reeves Jr[/autotag]. were all added to the team during the Mike White days.

The other 2022 transfers are either still with the team or out of college eligibility. [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] should be foundational pieces of the lineup next season for the Gators, and Lofton is done with college hoops after five years.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1365]

[mm-video type=video id=01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v-ce81f56192edd4f52d0b1f3b0a471855.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida guard Elijah Kennedy enters the NCAA transfer portal

New Florida basketball head coach Todd Golden has three scholarships available after guard Elijah Kennedy entered the NCAA transfer portal.

The Florida Basketball Hour podcast reported that new head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] will suffer more attrition this offseason on Thursday night. They tweeted that Florida freshman guard [autotag]Elijah Kennedy[/autotag] will enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Former head coach [autotag]Mike White[/autotag] added Kennedy as a late addition to the 2021 recruiting class in August. The 247Sports composite rankings have him as the 164th best player overall and as the 42nd-best shooting guard.

In 23 games last season, Kennedy averaged only 1.3 points on 21% shooting from the field, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 6.4 minutes per game.

Playing time would’ve been hard to come by for Kennedy if he elected to stay. Golden brought in guards [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Bonham[/autotag] while [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] and [autotag]Kowacie Reeves Jr[/autotag]. remain on the Florida roster.

His departure frees up a third scholarship spot that Golden can use this offseason. Florida will likely use two spots on guards and another one on a big man.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1tz9ax32v1mafmfpd playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1tz9ax32v1mafmfpd/01g1tz9ax32v1mafmfpd-bbe2b0d226efdbeab675b024e332b1c7.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=82941,82772,82761,82758,82744]

[listicle id=81437]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Do the Gators have any 2022 NBA draft prospects?

Take a look at our 2022 NBA draft prospects on the current Florida basketball roster.

During the 2021 NBA draft, the Gators saw two of their players — Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann — selected by pro teams. Both now playing in the G League for their respective clubs, Florida basketball has restocked its cupboards and has yet to lose a basketball game in their non-con schedule.

As this team finds its identity and virtually the entire college basketball season still lays before us, it is a bit too early to speculate heavily about the 2022 NBA draft. However, could the Gators have any players involved in the draft process at all this season? Most of the big-time recruits Mike White has brought into the program have moved onto other opportunities and none of the remaining players, though successful in college, have drawn much attention from the draftnicks.

Let’s take a look at some of the pillars of this roster and examine what they have to offer a pro team and what they’d have to improve to get a genuine chance at the next level.

Kowacie Reeves looks to make an immediate impact at Florida

Reeves was the top signee in Florida’s 2021 class, and he could be an immediate impact player in Gainesville.

Name: Kowacie Reeves Jr.

Number: 14

Position: Guard

Class: High School Recruit

Height: 6’6″

Weight: 182 lbs

Hometown: Macon, Georgia

High School: Westside

Twitter: @wacie_wacie

Overview:

Reeves spent much of his recruitment as the only commitment in Florida’s 2021 class before the Gators eventually signed a pair of unrated prospects in Tuongthach Gatkek and Elijah Kennedy. But Reeves was the real prize here.

A four-star recruit on the 247Sports Composite (but a five-star according to Rivals), Reeves rated as the No. 41 player in the country and the nation’s No. 9 shooting guard coming out of high school.

He has great size for a scoring guard at 6-foot-6-inches, and his elite shooting makes him a wing attacker with a lot of potential. He’s the kind of player that Florida has spent some time looking for, and he could make an immediate impact as a true freshman, though the Gators have a lot of guard depth after adding three in the transfer portal.

While his offensive game doesn’t have a lot of question marks and he’s a good ball-swiper, 247Sports’ Jerry Meyer wrote that he needs to develop more physicality as a rebounder. Reeves has a great frame, and he should be able to develop into it nicely.

Reeves was the only elite signee in the 2021 class, but he has the potential to be a very valuable addition to the roster.

Video:

[listicle id=56483]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

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.