2022 Record: 16-17 (9-9)

Head Coach: Todd Golden (Career Record 73-53) (Florida Record 16-17)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside 18.3 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 4.2 Ast)

SG: Walter Clayton Jr (Iona 16.8 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 3.2 Ast)

SF: Riley Kugel (9.9 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 1.0 Ast)

PF: Tyrese Samuel (Seton Hall 11.0 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 0.7 Ast)

C: Micah Handlogten (Marshall 7.6 Pts, 9.8 Reb, 1.2 Ast)

6: SG Will Richard (10.4 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 0.8 Ast)

7: C Alex Condon

8: PG Denzel Aberdeen (1.6 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.2 Ast)

9: PF Thomas Haugh

10: SG Julian Rishwain (San Francisco 5.0 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 0.9 Ast)

11: PF Aleks Szymczyk (2.1 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.2 Ast) (Injured)

12: PG Kajus Kublickas

Florida returns the backcourt duo of Riley Kugel and Will Richard. Kugel is on NBA radars this season and has a chance to be one of the breakout players in the SEC. Kugel is an extremely athletic guard who can score on all three levels. He plays at a very high level and excels on both sides of the floor. He shot 46% from the floor overall and 38% from three this past season. He will also take on a new role of being the #1 option on the team this season. Will Richard is a high level shooter for the Gators. He’s capable of doing a lot more including driving to the hoop and scoring in the mid range but he really excels in the catch and shoot. Denzel Aberdeen also returns to the Gators. It’s been reported that he’s made huge strides this summer and should see more play time this season. Big man Aleks Szymczyk also returns but he injured his foot this summer and is out indefinitely.

The Gators took to the transfer portal where they were able to add guard transfers Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton. Pullin comes to the Gators from UC Riverside where he was a productive high volume scorer the past 4 seasons with the Highlanders. Pullin was a very efficient player who shot 48% from the floor and 39% from 3 this past season. He’s also a solid rebounder for a guard and passes at a high level while also taking care of the ball. Pullin is suspended the first 3 games of the season (Loyola MD, Virginia, and Florida A&M) because he participated in the Portsmouth Invitational this summer. Walter Clayton from Iona is an extremely gifted offensive player. He’ll be one of the best shooters in the SEC this season. He has that knack for scoring the ball and that will be on full display in a Gator uniform this season. Florida now has 2 guards that can both run the point at times and score at an extremely high level. Julian Rishwain also joins the Gators this season. He’s out for a little while with an injury, but when he’s healthy he will be an elite shooter off the bench.

Florida also adds the big man transfer duo of Tyrese Samuel and Micah Handlogten. Samuel is going into his 5th season of CBB and brings a great deal of experience to this Gators frontcourt. Samuel started all 33 games this past season with Seton Hall shooting an overall 55% from the floor. Samuel also attacks the glass well and defends the interior at a high level. Micah Handlogten a transfer out of Marshall is a young player with immense potential. He was a fantastic rebounder and shot blocker as a freshman last season at Marshall. Florida as a team overall last season struggled with rebounding so he’ll for sure help in that regard. The Gators initially had another frontcourt commit in Yale transfer PF EJ Jarvis, but he’s no longer with the team and opted to retire from basketball.

The Gators added 3 freshman to the team this offseason. PF Thomas Haugh is the lone domestic commit for the Gators. The 3 star PF from Pennsylvania ranked #181 in the country was a very underrated recruit. He’s a really athletic player who can play both on the perimeter and down low. He also shoots the ball at a high level and could be in the rotation early. Australian big man Alex Condon is another player who is impressing early on in camp. There’s been rumors that he could start, but that could be a lot to ask for a freshman. He formerly played Australian rules football and is a very athletic big. PG Kajus Kublickas is a bit of a developmental project but he is an elite passer and shot creator that could develop into a high level player.

This Florida team is being severely underrated by the media due to how last season ended. Coach Golden and staff rebuilt the roster and fixed the main issues this team had last season: rebounding and three point shooting. The additions they made this offseason mixed in with some of the returners should lead the Gators to have a way better season than the general public expects. This is a roster that could easily return to the NCAA Tournament and grab a good seed if everyone stays healthy.