Florida’s entire roster has finally arrived on campus, with Lithuanian Kajus Kublickas the last to make it to Gainesville completing the team that will represent the Gators in the 2023-24 season. With practices underway and a number of players well into their strength and conditioning program, coaches are finally able to fully evaluate the team they have in front of them. Here are some insights I have heard about the Gators from various sources around the team.
Overall, and this will come as no surprise, the Gators are looking like a deeper team–particularly in the front court. This has allowed the Gators to have some practices that are a lot more competitive on the glass as a number of players fight for their spot in the rotation.
This also looks to be a group much more comfortable on the offensive end, particularly when it comes to creation with the ball. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton bring a level of aggression with the ball that Kyle Lofton and Myreon Jones did not have a year ago and it should make the Gators a lot more difficult to guard.
Speaking of Pullin, he has put on noticeable weight since his time at UC Riverside–now coming in at 206 pounds (though, it’s worth noting the Gators measured him at 6’4”–an inch shorter than his previous listing). Pullin made adding strength a priority making the leap to the SEC and he hopes that his added muscle will help him on drives both offensively and defensively when there will be contact. The biggest question mark right now is Pullin’s three-point shooting. He has looked to change his form a bit from what it looked like a year ago and while he’s not yet shooting at a high clip, there is confidence he’ll be a much improved shooter this season.
Riley Kugel returns to Florida after having his name continue to grow in NBA Draft circles in the offseason, and he came to Gainesville with a level of swagger he didn’t have coming in as a freshman. Kugel has had the ball in his hands a lot in practices and has been working on being more of a distributor, priding himself on his vision and playmaking abilities. Florida’s staff has pushed him to be tighter on the defensive end, and they have seen improvement on that end.
Marshall transfer Micah Handlogten is said to be up to around 235 pounds, which at 7’1” still looks a bit thin–though he is already larger than he was as a freshman. There are members of the Florida staff that want to see him as a regular starter, and Handlogten is aware of the expectation. His effort in the weight room has been respected by everyone on the staff, and they’ll hope to see him dominate the paint in practice the rest of the offseason.
Walter Clayton has “football strength and toughness” and Florida’s staff thinks that despite being only 6’2” he’s not going to be out of place whatsoever on an SEC floor. They see him as someone who will play both point guard and shooting guard, adding to the ambiguity of what Florida’s starting lineup could look like in the backcourt.
Seton Hall transfer Tyrese Samuel is another player that looks bigger this season which wasn’t expected given the fact that this is his fifth year of college basketball and you don’t often see gains like that this late in a career. This is because at Seton Hall the 6’10” Samuel saw himself as somewhat more of a power forward, though he is now embracing more of an interior role that will hopefully give him the best opportunity at the pro level next season. I’ve been told the staff knows exactly what they’ll get from Samuel every day, and the fact he has been through the difficult Big East means that nothing he sees here will scare him.
Incoming freshman Thomas Haugh has been impressing people with his shooting and ball handling roles and has been playing in certain lineups as a small forward. At 6’9” and 210 pounds (with multiple pounds of added muscle since he got to Gainesville this offseason) he would bring outstanding size to the “three,” and it’s clear the Gators want a lot of length on the floor this season.
Aleks Szymczyk came to the Gators rather late in the offseason last year and he looks a lot more comfortable this season as a returner who knows the ropes. His jump shot has been consistent but he is looking to be more of a force on the inside this season both offensively and when it comes to rebounding the ball.
Yale transfer EJ Jarvis was one of the later Gators to arrive as his academic requirements kept him at his previous school longer than most transfers would have to be. Luckily for Jarvis, he isn’t someone who needs a lot of work in the strength and conditioning program–but still the Gators think he can make some gains in that area. Jarvis is said to know exactly what he is as a player and embraces his role. Florida’s staff thinks his athleticism is underrated, and he’ll surprise people this year with some highlight reel plays.
Lithuania Kajus Kublickas was the last Gator to make it to campus after competing with his national program this summer. Kublickas was playing in the BC Zalgiris system, an elite pro club that perennially competes at the top of Euroleague, so he has experience with excellent coaching and competing with older players. The biggest concern with Kublickas is his size, listed at 6’1” and 171 pounds when he got to campus, but his ability to read the game is far beyond what you see from most freshmen.
That is all for now, but as I get more insights you’ll be sure to read about them at Gator Country.