Washington State transfer center Rueben Chinyelu picks Florida Gators
The Florida Gators have found a big man in the portal.
Washington State transfer center Rueben Chinyelu committed to Todd Golden‘s program on Thursday over the likes of Memphis, Mississippi State and Kansas State.
Additionally, he already has signed with the Gators.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reuben into our basketball family here at Florida,” Golden said in a release. “He is an ultra-talented young man who fits into the culture of our program seamlessly. He has fantastic tools on both the offensive and defensive end, and we expect him to make a big jump across the board as he enters his second collegiate season.”
Chinyelu just completed his freshman year with the Cougars and will have three seasons remaining. He is listed at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds.
Chinyelu averaged 4.7 points and 5 rebounds a game while shooting 61.7 percent from the field during the 2023-24 season. He played an average of 13.9 minutes a game. Chinyelu reached double-figures in scoring six times and double-figures in rebounds in four games.
Additionally, he averaged a stellar 1.3 blocks per game.
Washington State went 25-10, finished second in the Pac-12 standings and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Of note, Florida was a finalist for Chinyelu during his initial recruitment from the high school level.
Rueben Chinyelu is a high-upside talent
Here is more info on Chinyelu from his official Washington State bio:
Chinyelu hails from Nigeria by way of NBA Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Senegal for the top high-school age prospects from across Africa. Chinyelu participated in the 2022 NBA Academy Games, a series of exhibition games featuring top NBA Academy prospects. Chinyelu helped lead NBA Academy Africa to a first-place finish in the tournament. Last spring, Chinyelu played for Mozambique’s CFV in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) as part of an initiative to include one NBA Academy Africa player on each team.
Chinyelu competed for Nigeria in the 2019 FIBA U16 Africa Championship, carrying his country to the third-place game while averaging 12.3 points and 17.6 rebounds per game and shooting .567 from the floor. He made his debut for the Nigerian Senior National Team in August, participating in the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers.
While the Gators will return some quality big men from last season, they will have to replace All-SEC second-team forward Tyrese Samuel. He had 11 double-doubles, the most by a Gator since Al Horford’s 16 in 2006-07.
The Gators went 24-12 last season, the second under Golden’s watch, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Colorado in the first round. Florida placed sixth in the SEC regular-season standings but reached the SEC Tournament finals.
One thing Golden has shown is that he’s an ace in the portal.
Just last week, Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis, one of the top top-ranked forwards in the transfer portal, committed to Florida. Alexis, a significant addition for Florida, chose the Gators over Xavier, Mississippi State, Providence and Georgia. He’s a native of Apopka, Fla.
“I committed (to Florida) because it was a great fit and has always been a dream to come play for the Gators growing up,” Alexis told Tipton. “Honestly I’m a UCF guy but the Gators have always been second and it felt like home and I love Coach Golden and the staff.”
