Transfers have been the talk of the town in Gainesville over the last few weeks but with the roster now finalized for the 2019-20 season we can now look towards the traditional recruiting of players in the class of 2020. Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Tyree Appleby may have kept the coaching staff busy recently but it wasn’t going to keep them from looking towards the future and staying in touch with some key athletes that could don the orange and blue in the future.
Over the last two weeks here were all the players the staff went out to watch.
Moses Moody
BJ Boston
P.J. Hall
Matthew Murrell
RJ Davis
KK Robinson
Elijah Taylor
Niels Lane
DJ Gordon
Christian Fussell
Josh Hall
Caleb Murphy
Of course, these aren’t the only targets right now but they just so happened to be what lined up for the staff. Here are some notes on the players they watched.
P.J. Hall
Hall has been a priority recruit for some time for the Gators and they’ll be hoping to land his commitment soon. The entire staff was in Birmingham to watch him play on the weekend before they headed home for Tyree Appleby’s visit and having everyone on the trip to see him should really send a message. His sister Thayer is a stud for the UF volleyball team and his parents seem to love the Gators so I think they’re in really good shape here. On Twitter he announced that he’ll be dropping his list of final five schools on Friday and the Gators will almost certainly be on it. The 65th ranked player in the 2020 class, Hall is looking to be an impactful 6’9”, 220-pound frontcourt player in college. In several interviews he has stated that he’ll be looking to make a decision before his senior year of high school starts and I think Florida is in the driver’s seat to land him.
Niels Lane
This may be a name you’re not too familiar with but talks of him getting serious with the Gators have been intensifying recently. A native of Roselle, New Jersey his other top schools are Xavier, Seton Hall, and Providence but the Gators may lure him south. Listed at 6’3” for most of his high school career it’s been reported he’s shot up to 6’5” and as someone who can be a primary ball handler he offers a lot of intrigue and potential upside. Along with that size and skill he has great leaping ability and he offers a good deal of athleticism in the backcourt. The Gators recently landed a recruit in Jason Jitoboh in a situation where no one really considered them to be a leader and I could see a similar story with Lane. It should also be noted that he plays AAU ball with DJ Gordon and Elijah Taylor, two other players the Gators are in on.
BJ Boston
A top-10 player in 2020 BJ Boston could change the face of whatever school he goes to and the Gators remain in the mix for his services. Given the fact that he’s got 5 stars and a top-10 ranking to his name the Gators are battling the likes of Duke and Kentucky to land him but it wouldn’t be the first time Coach White beat them out. One this that is interesting about Boston’s recruitment is that he mentioned he’s not looking to decide soon and would be willing to wait things out and decide late in the season. More time would be great for the Gators, especially considering the talent they have on the roster this season, and a good performance may entice him.
Moses Moody
It’s clear that Coach White is targeting elite wings in 2020 and Moses Moody is someone who fits the bill. At 6’5” with a good frame and polished scoring touch he’s the exact player everyone wants in modern basketball and it’s clear why the Gators would make him one of their priorities. According to some insiders the Gators have been trending positively when it comes to this one which makes sense given the fact that he attends Montverde Academy. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas the Razorbacks are though to be one of the favorites and it’s likely he’ll be watching to see how new coach Eric Musselman does before he makes a decision. The Gators should be in this race right until the end.
Other News
The Gators made the final eight schools for 6’7” forward Taj Thweatt. Obviously it’s a final eight list so I don’t think this is one we have to be watching super closely quite yet but I think it’s notable that he plays AAU ball for Team Rio, the same team Scottie Lewis and Alex Klatsky played for. There might be a bit of a pipeline developing here.
Lynn Greer III, a point guard from Philadelphia, has schedule a visit to Florida in September. He’s a top-150 player according to most services and Villanova has been after him hard which I think tells you the caliber of player he is. He’s got great basketball pedigree with both his father and grandfather playing high-level basketball and it shows with how good a feel he has on the floor. He’s a true floor general and I can see why the staff likes him so much.