Tag: myreon jones

Florida hoops hosting Iona transfer on official visit over weekend

The Gators are getting one of their top targets in the transfer portal on campus this weekend for an official visit.

Florida basketball’s efforts in the transfer portal continued on Friday when the team hosted former Iona guard [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. on an official visit, according to the New York Post.

Clayton broke out over the last two seasons with the Iona Gaels, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting an efficient 43.1% from three-point range in 2022-23. He led the country with a 95.3% free-throw percentage as well, making him one of the best shooters on the open market.

Despite entering the portal just a couple of days ago, Clayton is already down to two programs, the University of Florida and St. John’s University. Florida presents an opportunity to play in one of the toughest conferences in the country, and St. John’s is where former Iona coach Rick Pitino is headed after agreeing to a new deal.

“It’s really just between St. John’s and Florida, to be honest,” he said. “My mind is either going back down South or coming with Coach P.”

A reunion with Pitino seems like a tough story to beat, but student-athletes don’t always make decisions based on what their heart wants. The business decision might be going to UF and getting a closer look from pro scouts against tougher competition.

Clayton would immediately jump into the starting lineup with eight players from last year’s Florida team already gone. Right now, [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Klatsky[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag], [autotag]Jack May[/autotag], [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] and [autotag]Aleks Szymczyk[/autotag] remain on the team. Kugel could be selected in the upcoming draft, leaving Richard as the lone guard with playing experience on the team.

Adding a player like Clayton would be massive for Florida. It would give the Gators another scoring option in the backcourt that finished the season with almost twice as many assists as turnovers. UF didn’t exactly have that with [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] last season, and both are out of college eligibility anyway.

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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.

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Florida losing guard Niels Lane to transfer portal

Kowacie Reeves isn’t the only Gator hitting the transfer portal. Guard Niels Lane is also leaving the team in search of brighter pastures.

After news broke of [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] departing the Florida Gators on Thursday, Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun is reporting that guard [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] is also on his way out of the program.

Lane is the second Gator to enter the NCAA transfer portal just a day after UF fell to UCF in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. The departure was relatively expected by fans after Lane appeared in just 14 of Florida’s 33 games this season. He finished the season averaging 2.4 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game while playing just under nine minutes a game.

This season served as a major step back for Lane after he carved out a role as a defensive specialist under Mike White during his junior year. Todd Golden never seemed to be interested in making the most of Lane and it showed in him getting a third of the playing time he did last year.

With the departures of Lane and Reeves, Florida is running thin on players for the 2023-24 season. [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] are all out of eligibility, and [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] are both wrapping up their fourth year with the program. A COVID waiver could extend their college careers, but the offseason should still see plenty of turnover.

Lane will get a chance to prove himself elsewhere as a senior. He never really lived up to his four-star status in Gainesville, but things could be different after a fresh start.

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Pat Dooley breaks down Florida’s heartbreaking OT loss in the SEC Tournament

Here’s what Pat Dooley thinks about Florida’s near-win in the SEC Tournament.

It seems only fitting that the Florida men’s basketball team’s season may have ended Thursday on a missed three-point shot.

This time, it was shooting guard [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] giving Florida a chance when the ball was in the air to win a game in overtime at the SEC Tournament. Instead, it clanked off the rim and the Gators were out of the tourney as a one-and-done.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs pulled off a 69-68 win on Tolu Smith’s lay-up with just four seconds to play over the Gators, who are now 16-16 and probably through with their season. Oh, and Florida also finished with a losing record in SEC play, notching a 9-10 record, in Todd Golden’s debut campaign.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida basketball’s loss to MSU in SEC Tournament

Here are the highlights from Florida’s SEC Tournament-exiting loss to MSU.

Florida basketball dropped its lonely matchup in the 2023 Southeastern Conference Tournament with a 69-68 overtime loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Game 3 of the second round of play. The Gators fought valiantly without its star center [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], but in the end, MSU had just a little bit more in the tank.

The Orange and Blue was led by [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag]’s 14 points along with his six rebounds and two assists. [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] — the latter of whom made some clutch shots down the stretch — both finished with 11 points apiece. Tolu Smith led the Bulldogs with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

Take a look below at the best highlights from Florida’s brief appearance in the 2023 SEC Tournament against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Top-25 recruit arrives on campus for official visit to Florida

Florida is hosting a top-25 player in the class of 2024 over the weekend on an official visit, and he’s officially checked in from Gainesvile.

Four-star class of 2024 point guard [autotag]Dedan Thomas Jr[/autotag]. arrived on campus at the University of Florida for his official visit on Saturday, according to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.

Swamp247’s Jacob Rudner checked in with Thomas before the visit and learned that his decision will come down to comfortability when all is said and done.

“I just feel like for me to make a decision it’s going to be more of a feeling thing than anything,” Thomas said. “I want to get a feel for the place and see how comfortable I am.”

Thomas took officials visits to Arizona, Houston, Gonzaga and UCLA in 2022, but he’s saved the Gators for last.

This is Thomas’ first trip to Gainesville despite being in contact with the program since [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] took over. He met Golden at a camp in 2021 and has kept in contact with him, and Thomas knows associate coach Carlin Hartman extremely well after his younger brother played with Hartman’s son under him while they were in Las Vegas.

Those relationships should help out, but that’s what Florida has been leaning on for some time now. To seal the deal, the Gators will have to show him that Florida is the best fit. Thomas knows he’ll get a chance to play early at Florida with points guards [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] moving on from the college ranks next season, but he has to feel comfortable at the university to succeed.

There’s talk of Thomas reclassifying to the class of 2023 and joining the team next year, but that’s something he is still considering.

The 247Sports composite ranks him at No. 24 overall and at No. 4 among point guards in the country. He’s also the top-ranked player in Nevada from the class of 2024.

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PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida basketball’s win at Georgia Bulldogs

Take a look at a few photos from Florida’s Tuesday night win at the Georgia Bulldogs.

Florida basketball snapped its three-game losing streak on Tuesday night against the Georgia Bulldogs in Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Georgia, to notch [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s second win over former Gators head coach Mike White this season. The Orange and Blue looked solid throughout this one and finally loosened up enough to find some flow.

[autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] led the way for Florida scoring 24 points along with five rebounds and one assist while [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] added 19 of his own plus six boards and three dimes. [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] was the only other Gator to join them in double-figures, dropping 14 points along with an eye-popping 12 rebounds and four assists.

Take a look below at a few highlights from Florida basketball’s win over the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens on Tuesday night.

 

Alabama dominates Florida in near 30-point blowout

Well, that was ugly… Florida got 29 and 10 from Colin Castleton and still lost by nearly 30 points to Alabama.

The Alabama Crimson Tide entered Wednesday night’s matchup with Florida a perfect 10-0 against conference opponents, and the Gators didn’t come close to slowing down the Tide’s undefeated run in an ugly 28-point rout.

Florida’s strength is typically on defense, but that wasn’t the case against Alabama. Freshman Brandon Miller scored every way possible and shut down each of Florida’s comeback bids. [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] posted yet another 20-plus-point double-double and the Gators still lost by nearly 30 points.

Starting point guard [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag], guard [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] and forward [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] combined to go 0-of-15 from the field, and Alabama’s bench more than doubled Florida’s bench’s production. It was domination from start to finish from the Tide. Florida led for precisely 0:00 of this game.

Golden praises backcourt tandem for unselfish play in convincing win over South Carolina

Myreon Jones has been outstanding for Florida recently, and Todd Golden made sure to give him and Kyle Lofton credit after Wednesday’s win over South Carolina.

Most coaches would be ready to praise their squad endlessly in the moments immediately after a 21-point win, but [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] managed to open his post-game press conference with some criticism of the Florida Gators after an 81-60 throttling of South Carolina.

“I thought we did a nice job,” Golden led before jumping into what the team could have done better. “We still didn’t shoot it great, so if we can look at one thing to improve upon (it’s) that and getting on the glass — we didn’t do a good enough job defensively on the glass.

“But, a lot of great things, and what I’m most proud about is just the way we’ve continued to be unselfish and share the ball. You know, we had 21 assists and six turnovers tonight. It’s really hard to do at this level, especially when you only make seven threes.”

In one of Florida’s best wins of the year (and the fifth over the last six conference matchups), the Gators looked elite on the court, leading by as much as 30 points at one point. Unlike the Mississippi State game, there was no second-half collapse and Florida finished off a convincing victory.

[autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] led the team with 18 points and [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] trailed him with 15, but the real story was [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag]’ triple-double bid that saw him fall just short of double digits in each category (nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists).

Jones has seen more minutes lately after proving to be an effective second ball-handler for the Gators with point guard [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] on the court. The duo has spent a good chunk of time together in the same lineup and the results speak for themselves.

“Him (Jones) and Kyle (Lofton) have just played really well off each other and complimented each other really well,” Golden said. “I think over the past two games they are 22 assists and zero turnovers or something like that. It’s insane. But, when you have senior leadership out there, guys that have been through it a little bit, they are Batman and Robin in the backcourt a little bit running our team.

“They can both play the ball screens, both shoot the ball and they’re heady, IQ players that have made us really, really good over the past couple of weeks. But, really happy for Myreon because obviously he struggled at the beginning of the year. He couldn’t really get comfortable, but I felt like in that Auburn game, even though we lost, he kind of broke out and felt like he got back to himself and has played really, really well all through league play.”

Golden wouldn’t go as far as to say that Jones had to remake himself but instead pointed to the process of trying out different rotations and lineups as what was holding him back. Getting him on the court with Lofton seemed to make everything click. Golden also pointed out that Jones is more relaxed on the court, knowing that he has a defined role on the team.

Seeing it all come together on Wednesday was the cherry on top for a Gators team that is working hard to live up to its full potential. Let’s not forget that Florida is down two of its “bigger” players right now, forwards [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] (concussion) and [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] (away from team).

“It’s a great feeling for our guys to have kind of gotten through some tough times early and now see winning five out of six, and see multiple guys –– nearly almost had six guys in double figures tonight. It’s just a really complete effort from the team, and I thought our guys on the bench did a good job picking up for Alex being out tonight.”

Still, Golden isn’t calling this the perfect win. A lack of aggressiveness in the second half led to a worse performance on the boards, and that’s the kind of thing he’ll have the team focus on as a matchup with No. 5 Kansas State draws near.

Golden is slowly figuring out what works for this team, but February will be a big prove-it month for Florida.

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Pat Dooley’s instant reactions to Florida’s close loss at TAMU

Here are Pat Dooley’s quick takeaways from Wednesday night’s disappointing loss.

Florida has probably seen enough of Texas A&M this year.

The Gators had their three-game winning streak snapped because of a miserable first half and missed opportunities in the second, falling to the Aggies for the second time this year and the fourth time overall. The final was 54-52 and it was as ugly as it sounds.

The Gators rallied in the second half and even had a shot to win at the end, but after a turnover, [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] could only get off a forced three and it fell woefully short.

UF is now 10-8 and 3-3 in the SEC. Texas A&M is 13-5 and 5-0 in the conference.

UF never led in the game as the Aggies swept the two games by a total of five points.