Florida sophomore guard Riley Kugel’s performance on the court in the latter half of last season elevated him into the national spotlight. With multiple 20-point games, the 19-year-old proved he can be a threat both in college and in the NBA.
Instead of leaving UF’s program for a chance in professional basketball, Kugel returned with one thing on his mind: leaving the program with some winning history behind.
“I want to be on a winning team, show people that I can play on a winning team and I just want to make it as far as we can and hopefully compete for the national championship,” Kugel said.
The Florida Gators 2023-2024 men’s basketball team brought nine new additions and had six returners, including Kugel, who look to compete collectively to reach this goal.
In the backcourt, Kugel is joined by returners sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen, junior guard Will Richard, transfer guards junior Walter Clayton Jr. and graduate student Zyon Pullin.
Richard, who averaged 10.4 points per game last year, has looked more natural than ever in practice this offseason with a knee injury behind him. The Belmont transfer ran in transition and used dribble moves with comfort for opportunities to shoot in preseason practice.
Even though there are no definite starters yet for the point guard position, the competition between Pullin and Clayton heated up with both guards' resumes and performance in scrimmage play.
Both veteran guards are high-usage players, with Pullin and Clayton being former primary scorers for their previous teams.
Pullin’s offensive presence at UC Riverside last season was vital. The 22-year-old provided 3.10 offensive win shares, a metric that estimates the number of wins a player produces due to their offensive performance. Along with averaging 18.3 points as a senior, Pullin will aid in the perimeter shooting woes that plagued the Gators last season.
Clayton took a massive leap last year with the Iona Gaels. The Florida native made strides in all offensive categories last season as a sophomore. Clayton averaged 16.8 points and 3.2 assists per game — more than double what he averaged in his freshman year.
At UF, Clayton’s growth as a vocal leader has been showcased by communicating plays with teammates and leading by example on the floor. His work throughout practice has shown he’s capable of keeping up with the pace of the SEC, and he can contribute on and off the ball.
The biggest worst-kept secret around the gym is the development of Aberdeen. The Orlando native appears to be jumping high, seems more physical on defense and looked comfortable with the ball over this summer.
It’s a jump his teammates are not surprised by because of his work ethic.
“Denzel, he’s been killing it lately,” Richard said. “Just seeing how much work he’s put in, I know his time is coming.”
The depth of Florida’s roster doesn’t stop from beyond the 3-point line but also goes deep into the frontcourt. With sophomore forward Aleks Szymczyk still sidelined due to a foot injury, transfer forwards Micah Handlogten and Tyrese Samuel have been impressive in camp.
The duo bigs provided a one-two punch inside on both ends of the floor. Handgloten’s 7-foot-1-inch length and Samuel’s 239 pounds of strength create a force that can intimidate any opponent driving inside defensively.
This also translates to their game in transition. Both forwards are versatile defenders along with their teammates.
“Yes, we are very tall, very long, but we can all move really well,” Handlogten said. “I think we are gonna use our speed to our advantage, our quickness to our advantage and play to our length.”
One of the most heated competitions down low for Florida is between the freshmen forwards Thomas Haugh and Australian Alex Condon. The two have shown intensity in practice, especially in scrimmage play.
Condon can stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting and use his 6-foot-11-inch, 230-pound frame to score in the paint — the ideal pick-and-pop player.
Haugh is capable of these things as well, but with graduate forward EJ Jarvis leaving basketball, Haugh may be asked to play on the wing. It’s a position he played before in high school at Perkiomen School in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania.
With Jarvis leaving the program and Szymcyzk’s return still on the horizon, both forwards can find minutes early in their collegiate careers.
Gators head coach Todd Golden welcomes the idea of player positionless basketball this season, he said.
“With this group, we can play a lot of different things,” Golden said. “We can play 3-around-2, we can play 4-around-1, we can play some of the 5-out stuff we ran last year. So, yes, the depth gives you some options with some things that we’ll look at.”
A lot of the practices in camp have been focused on working on weaknesses from last year.
Perimeter shooting and rebounding have been a big emphasis for Golden to his team. Florida shot 31.9 from beyond the arc and finished 12th in defensive rebounds in its conference last season.
“We were really good in some areas, but we couldn’t make an open shot, " Golden said. “So those are areas that, if we can improve and just become average in those areas, we’ll take a big, big jump.”
Possible opening night starting lineups
A few players for the Gators will not be available for UF’s opening game at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center against Loyola Maryland Nov. 6.
Szymczyk’s return from injury is still to be determined, and Pullin will begin a three-game suspension for his participation in the Portsmouth Invitational.
At the guard position, Kugel and Richard could see significant playing time and start throughout this year. Kugel will most likely take the two-guard position, and Richard can be used on the wings.
With Pullin’s suspension, the position will be replaced by Clayton, who’ll be tasked with holding the fort for the first three games. These games include matchups against Virginia and Florida A&M.
The forward position is where it gets tricky.
Bigs that stretch the floor appear to fit better in Golden’s offensive scheme. Handlogten will likely be the starting center despite shooting less than 10% from 3-point range last season at Marshall. The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year has the shot-blocking ability to contest anyone in the paint and versatile defensive abilities.
The four position, as of now, belongs to Samuel for his overall movement down low and veteran mindset on the court. However, Condon or Haugh could find themselves starting minutes on the court this season.
Condon has run many drills and scrimmage play with the expected starting rotation players. The freshman is coming into this season with an NBA coaching pedigree from the Australian NBA Academy, perimeter shooting to his game and the size to compete against the best in Division I basketball.
Both Condon and Haugh have been aggressive in practice. The duo have shown signs that they aren't afraid to take experienced players one-on-one. Here is the lineup I expect for Florida against Loyola Maryland:
PG: Walter Clayton Jr
SG: Riley Kugel
SF: Will Richard
PF: Tyrese Samuel
C: Micah Handlogten
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on X @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
