Florida transfer Riley Kugel trims list to four top basketball schools
Riley Kugel announced that he’d be entering the transfer portal just over a day ago. Interest has now clearly come fast and furious for him as he is already down to a final four in regards to his next program.
Kugel shared his list of finalist options on social media on Thursday. Arizona, UConn, Kansas, and Houston were the four schools that made the cut to potentially receive his talents for next season.
Todd Golden and the Gators have yet to gain or lose anybody else in the portal to this point of the cycle. Kugel himself isn’t even officially in yet upon his tweet on Thursday after announcing his departure on Wednesday.
Kugel just wrapped up his second season at Florida. In 65 games with the Gators, including 28 starts, he averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and a steal a game in 23 minutes. He did so while shooting 42.3% from the field and 34.2% from three, although his freshman-year clips were better than his sophomore year’s at 45.6% overall and 37.6% from deep.
Kugel played high school basketball at Dr. Phillips in Florida where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 72 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also rated as the No. 10 SG in the class and a Top-15 player out of the state.
It looks as though that Kugel will be ending up at a top-tier program based on his four finalists. Each have been major contenders in the NCAA Tournament with a dozen top-four seeds between the four of them in the past four years, including seven No. 1 seeds combined. Three of the four will now participate in this year’s Sweet 16 with the Jayhawks, the one who isn’t, being consistently there under Bill Self.
A significant name will be adding a legitimate talent in Kugel out of the portal once his process officially begins. The question now is which one depending on how it all plays out for Kugel during his transfer.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
More on Kugel planning to enter the transfer portal
Riley Kugel is on the move and no longer with Florida.
According to On3’s Joe Tipton, the sophomore out of Orlando is entering the transfer portal.
During the ’23-’24 season, Kugel averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Gators.
However, expectations were much higher coming off an impressive freshman campaign. He also started to lose minutes deep into the season. Kugel was then benched for the final two games of the SEC Tournament.
The 6-foot-5 guard announced posted the following statement on social media:
“First, I would like to thank God for all things,” Kugel wrote. “I’m thankful to Gator Nation for nothing but love and support over these past two years. It’s been fun and I appreciate everyone who has supported me through thick and thin.
“I will always be thankful for the bond I have built with my teammates in my freshman and sophomore years. Thank you to the family who has always supported me. Thank you to all of my coaches and special thanks to Coack Korey McCray for extra support on and off the court.
“With that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal.”