Help Wanted: Golden Has Three Open Scholarships

By FRANZ BEARD

GatorBaitMedia.com

The great roster rebuild has just entered the home stretch for Florida basketball coach Todd Golden. He’s already landed three quality transfers from the portal but with three open scholarships now that Elijah Kennedy announced his departure, things are about to get very interesting.

Golden has already landed a pair of multi-position shooters in LSU transfer Alex Fudge and Belmont transfer Will Richard plus super quick point guard Trey Bonham from VMI. It’s one of the better transfer groups assembled this spring, but there is one glaring weakness and a couple of important decisions that have to be made.

The weakness is in the front court. Golden has three returnees in All-SEC Colin Castleton, Jason Jitoboh and CJ Felder. As we discovered last year, it’s next to impossible to make it through an SEC season with fewer than four big guys so at least one is needed, preferably one with experience. Mike White had two outstanding big guys signed in Malik Reneau and Jalen Reed, but when White left for Georgia both asked out of their scholarship commitments. Reneau has since signed with Indiana and Reed committed Thursday to LSU.

If there is one big guy that checks all the boxes for Golden it is Johni Broome, the Morehead State transfer who was the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Boome has done an official visit to Florida that reportedly went very well. All indications are that Broome will be deciding between Florida, Auburn and Kentucky. If the Gators have an advantage, it will be the fact that Broome is a Plant City native who played high school ball at Tampa Catholic. Obviously, playing in Gainesville would make it easy for family and friends to attend games.

There should be ample familiarity for Golden with Efe Abogidi, the Washington State transfer who played for Kyle Smith, one of Golden’s best friends and mentors. A rim protector like Broome, Abogidi doesn’t have elite offensive skills, but he’s a powerful rebounder. Is he willing to go cross country to a new location to play? And would having fellow Nigerian Jason Jitoboh on the roster be an advantage.

From the standpoint of having a game that is the perfect fit for what Golden likes to do offensively, Texas transfer Tre Mitchell is the ideal guy. Florida was in the final mix for Mitchell last year before he transferred from UMass to Texas. One year in Austin and he’s ready to go again. The Mike White offense wouldn’t have worked all that well for Mitchell, but the way Golden spreads the floor and opens things up for a shooter should have an appeal.

Florida recruited D.J. Jeffries hard out of high school in Mississippi, but he chose to go to Memphis for his freshman year. He transferred to Mississippi State last year, but is on the move again. He’s a stretch four guy who can score both inside and outside. This will be his second transfer and he’s nowhere close to graduating so would he be able to get a waiver to play immediately?

Landing at least one big guy is a requirement, but does Golden go for two bigs and one guard/wing to balance out the roster? Two bigs would certainly take the pressure off Castleton, who has had surgery on his shoulder and now has a four-month rehab ahead of him.

Bonham is the only pure point on this roster, but Golden’s point guard from San Francisco – Khalil Shabazz – entered the transfer portal Thursday. He only has one season of eligibility remaining but that would give UF two quick point guards who are excellent press defenders. Another point guard who lists Florida as a possibility is John-Michael Wright of High Point. He’s seriously quick but seems to be a Tyree Appleby clone – a shooting guard in a point guard’s body.

The shooter that hasn’t dismissed Florida from his list of suitors is Baylor Scheierman of South Dakota State. Florida is thought to be a long shot since bluebloods like Kansas, Kentucky and Duke are pursuing him along with the likes of Baylor and Gonzaga, but Scheierman can play three positions and the point in a pinch.

With Reneau and Reed gone from the recruiting class, Golden has only one high school signee in Denzel Aberdeen. Aberdeen’s high school teammate Riley Kugel was originally signed by Mississippi State but when Ben Howland was fired, Kugel asked out of his commitment. Florida got into the mix when Golden hired Korey McCray, the former Mississippi State assistant who was the lead recruiter for Kugel when he signed with the Bulldogs. By most estimates, Kugel is a mortal lock to Florida, but he hasn’t announced yet, so it’s still up in the air.

These aren’t the only possibilities to fill out Golden’s Florida rebuild, but they’re solid possibilities.

FOUR BIG GUYS IN THE PORTAL

Johni Broome (6-10, 240, Plant City, FL): Broome is a dynamic shot blocker (3,9 per game) who is a good scorer (16.8) and rebounder (10.5). He has a nice fadeaway jumper from the corners and the elbows but he doesn’t venture out beyond the arc (0 attempts in his career). Because of the COVID year of 2020, he has two full seasons of eligibility remaining. He’s been on an official to UF and is thought to have UF on his shortest of short lists. Auburn and Kentucky are thought to be Florida’s biggest competitors.

Efe Abogidi (6-10, 225, Lagos, Nigeria by way of Australia): He’s leaving Washington State where he played for Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked for at both Columbia and San Francisco. Also, he came to the US from Australia where Smith and Golden’s college coach Randy Smith recruit heavily, so this is a known quantity. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Averaged 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last year. Good rim protector. Midrange shooter, but bad from distance (career 25.5 percent).

Tre Mitchell (6-9, 220, Pittsburgh, PA): The Gators nearly snagged him a year ago before he transferred from UMass to Texas where he and Chris Beard’s style were bad fits from the beginning. Mitchell went from 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game to 8.7 and 4.0 last year. There is no question he could co-exist with Colin Castleton because he has an effective midrange game that stretches all the way out to the 3-point line where he launched 112 as a freshman in 2020 when he averaged 17.7 points per game. Mitchell would be an excellent fit if the Gators can land him second time around. Because of the COVID year, he has two seasons of eligibility.

D.J. Jeffries (6-7, 225, Olive Branch, MS): He’s a former 5-star recruit and has the power forward skills that Golden likes because he can play the high post, shoot from the corners and from the 3-point line (39 percent when he was a freshman in 2019). He averaged 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds last year at MSU after transferring from Memphis. The concern will be that this is his second transfer. Two years eligibility remaining.

NOT BIG GUYS BUT …

Baylor Scheierman (6-6, 205, Aurora, NE): This is the best offensive player in the transfer portal. At South Dakota State he averaged 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 50.8 percent overall and 46.9 percent on his 3-pointers. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Everybody wants him, but the Gators are in the mix along with Kentucky, Duke, Arkansas, Gonzaga and UCLA. Florida might be considered a longshot, but the Gators’ chances might be better than anyone can imagine.

John-Michael Wright (6-0, 186, Fayetteville, NC): Florida already has one point guard in Trey Bonham but Wright says the Gators are recruiting him. In the Big South Conference at High Point, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Averaged taking 14.3 shots per game for his career, 5.8 from the 3-point line. He has a COVID year so he has two seasons of eligibility.

Khalil Shabazz (6-0, 170, Seattle, WA): Shabazz was Todd Golden’s point guard at San Francisco, where he averaged 17.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season. Career averages are 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He’s a career 79.1 percent free throw shooter. He has one year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID year.

Riley Kugel (6-5, 180, Orlando, FL): He’s a high school senior and considered a likely Florida signee. He is versatile enough to play three positions including the point. Dr. Phillips won a state title when he was a junior and was runner-up this past season when Kugel averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

The roster as of April 28, 2022

BIG GUYS

Colin Castleton (6-11, 240, 5th Year): He played all last season with a torn labrum, which caused him to miss six games and essentially play with one arm the last six weeks of the season. Because he had to have surgery, he did the wise thing by returning to UF for his COVID year. With two healthy shoulders, he should be even more effective next season. He’s made All-SEC two straight years. Averaged 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 285, 4th Year): Jitoboh was showing enormous potential during the time Castleton was injured when he suffered a season-ending eye injury that required surgery. He’s no threat to shoot from the outside, but he’s a huge space eater in the paint who has soft hands and a good basketball IQ. He averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He has two years remaining. CJ Felder (6-7, 231, 4th Year): Injuries and illness curtailed his effectiveness last season when he averaged only 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds. He has a 7-1 wingspan and can guard multiple positions. He actually shoots well from 3-point range, which should make him a good fit in the new offense. It’s his fourth year, but he has two years of eligibility remaining.

WINGS

Niels Lane (6-6, 206, JR): He was the forgotten man on the bench until late season almost forced Mike White to play him. Given a chance, Lane emerged as a defensive stopper who wasn’t afraid to guard four positions on the floor. He got three starts, averaged 7.6 points per game in the final five games of the season and had an impressive 16 points and nine rebounds against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament. He has to develop an outside shot but his defensive skills make him invaluable.

Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 182, SO): The way he performed late season made everyone in the SEC question why Mike White hadn’t played him more. He averaged 5.5 points per game, but he opened eyes when he scored 21 second half points to help the Gators rally from a double digit deficit to force Texas A&M to overtime in the SEC Tournament. He is a former 5-star recruit that teammates say unequivocally will be a pro.

Alex Fudge (6-8, 190, SO/TR): Fudge has the scoring range of a guard and a 7-foot wingspan that allow him to defend small and power forwards. A 5-star recruit out of Jacksonville Lee, Fudge spent his freshman year at LSU where he averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. He can bomb away from deep and finish at the rim.

GUARDS

Myreon Jones (6-3, 175, 5th Year): He was a lost ball in the tall grass in Mike White’s stagnant offense, which has a lot to do with hitting only 32.1 percent of his 3-pointers. He should thrive in Golden’s offense, which spreads the floor and relies on constant motion. He averaged 8.3 points per game last season but was a double figures scorer two seasons at Penn State.

Trey Bonham (6-0, 170, JR/TR): The attraction was mutual and obvious for this transfer from VMI. Bonham is a water bug quick point guard accustomed to playing at a breakneck speed, which is exactly what Golden was looking for. He’s a pass first, score second point who had a nearly 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last year at VMI. He excels at getting into the lane where he knows when to dump it down to the bigs and when to take it all the way to the rack. He averaged 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game last year at VMI.

Will Richard (6-5, 195, SO/TR): Richard was one of the more highly sought prospects in the portal because he’s very capable of playing three positions, which makes him an ideal fit in Golden’s offensive and defensive schemes. He averaged 12.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists at Belmont, which won 25 games in the same league as Murray State and Morehead State.

Denzel Aberdeen (6-4, 180, FR): Aberdeen played the point at Dr. Phillips but he’s more of a natural wing. Signed by Mike White last November, he hasn’t wavered from his commitment to Florida since the transition from White to Golden.