Colin Castleton named to two All-SEC lists, Kugel honored
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two Florida men’s basketball players earned Southeastern Conference accolades on Monday as graduate forward Colin Castleton was named first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team and freshman guard Riley Kugel earned a place on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Castleton led the Gators in scoring (16.0) and rebounding (7.7) while his 3.0 blocked shots per game rank fourth in the nation and are a Florida single-season record. Castleton joined Dorian Finney-Smith as the only transfers to join the 1,000-point club at Florida, and his 1,165 points at UF rank 41st in program history. His 194 blocked shots are third all-time for the Gators, and his 2.49 blocked shots per game are a program record. Castleton had four straight 20-point games before suffering a broken hand on Feb. 15 vs. Ole Miss which has sidelined him since.
“He’s someone I’m just really, really grateful for,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “He decided to come and be part of this as we built a foundation and really not knowing what the season is going to look like — and played like one of the best players in the nation. Disappointed with the way the season ended for him, having to deal with the injury and not being able to finish but appreciative of how he’s gone about leading, traveling with us, and I’m glad the crowd will get one more opportunity to recognize him tomorrow.”
Castleton joins rare company in Florida history as a three-time All-SEC honoree becoming the fourth Gator this century, 13th all-time and the first in a decade to achieve that status (Kenny Boynton, 2011-13). He is also the third Gator to earn both first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive team honors, joining Chris Chiozza (2017-18) and Scottie Wilbekin (2013-14).
Kugel has been one of Florida’s best players this season. The freshman is averaging 12.6 points in SEC play while shooting at a .516 clip from the field and .407 from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in eight straight games to close the regular season, the longest double-figure scoring streak in SEC play by a UF freshman since Bradley Beal (10, 2011-12). Over that eight-game stretch, Kugel has averaged 18.3 points per game with three 20-point performances. With Kugel’s honor, Florida has had a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team in 11 of the last 16 seasons.
Three-Time All-SEC Honorees at Florida
| Colin Castleton | 2021-23 |
| Kenny Boynton | 2011-13 |
| Matt Bonner | 2001-03 |
| Udonis Haslem (4x) | 1999-2002 |
| Andrew DeClercq | 1993-95 |
| Dwayne Davis | 1989-91 |
| Vernon Maxwell | 1986-88 |
| Andrew Moten | 1985-87 |
| Eugene McDowell | 1983-85 |
| Ronnie Williams (4x) | 1981-84 |
| Chip Williams | 1973-75 |
| Tony Miller | 1971-73 |
| Andy Owens | 1968-70 |
