Niels Lane – Syndication Server

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 basketball loses third player to NCAA transfer portal after season’s end

As expected, another Gators basketball player is seeking greener pastures after a subpar season.

Florida’s men’s basketball program got some bad news on Monday afternoon when it learned that center [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] plans on exploring his options in the NCAA transfer portal, multiple sources told Swamp247’s Jacob Rudner.

The departure of the big man makes it three players who have already signaled their intent since the Gators were knocked out of the NIT by UCF last Wednesday, joining guards [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] and [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] who made their announcements on Thursday.

Jitoboh’s performance this year was clearly hampered by an eye injury he sustained last season that required four surgeries so far — with one more remaining — which still resulted in significantly impaired vision in the affected eye. His path to recovery has been a harrowing one, according to assistant coach Carlin Hartman.

“Some of the things in which he had to deal with in his recovery are things I would never want to wish on my worst enemy,” Hartman told Swamp247. “He’s having to sleep with his face down in a hole in a certain part of his bed ‘cause he couldn’t sleep on his sides. Little things like that where you just don’t think about in terms of dealing with the eye pressure he was facing. Then, he had to withdraw from his classes in the spring, and so he’s having to take all these classes in the summertime all the way up until we just started fall semester.”

It is unclear where the 6-foot-11-inch, 300-pound center from Abuja, Nigeria, will land next season but he did manage to average 5.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in his seven starts after Colin Castleton was sidelined with an injury. Hopefully, he finds a program that fits him perfectly so he can finish up his collegiate eligibility in style.

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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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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.

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Florida basketball scores transfer portal win with this point guard

The Gators got their replacement for Tyree Appleby on Monday.

Florida basketball added another player from the transfer portal to its roster on Monday when former Virginia Military Institute point guard [autotag]Trey Bonham[/autotag] announced on Twitter that he is joining new head coach Todd Golden and the Gators for the 2022-23 campaign. After the departure of [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag] to the portal, it looks like UF has found its replacement at the one position.

The 6-foot, 170-pound from Mobile, Alabama, was a standout with the Keydets over the past two years, averaging 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, four assists and 1.3 steals per game last season en route to an even .500 record with 16 wins and an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational. His scoring efficiency stands out as his carrying trait, putting up a 47.8% mark from the field while nailing 34.8% of his three-pointers and 82.6% of his free throw attempts — numbers that Golden is certainly salivating over.

Bonham is the third player to arrive in Gainesville via the transfer portal, joining former LSU forward [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and Belmont guard [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag]. Florida will also benefit from the return of center [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], up-and-coming guard [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag], as well as guard [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] and forward [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag].

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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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Tag: Niels Lane

Gators expected to lose Trey Bonham to NCAA transfer portal

Florida basketball loses third player to NCAA transfer portal after season’s end

Florida losing guard Niels Lane to transfer portal

Florida guard Elijah Kennedy enters the NCAA transfer portal

Florida basketball scores transfer portal win with this point guard

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

2020-2021 Florida Gators Men’s Basketball Profile Card: Niels Lane