Ever since coming to Gainesville Todd Golden has been bringing a steady stream in talent to the Gators and that continued on Monday as 2022 guard Riley Kugel announced his commitment to the Gators.
Kugel, the 48th ranked player in the class, gives the Gators a talented young piece on a roster that will be largely made up of transfers and older players. In addition to leveling up the talent on the Gators it will also help the balance of the classes and Kugel could end up giving Florida multiple seasons of quality production.
Currently Kugel is listed at 6’5”, though some scouts that have seen him recently suggest that he could be even taller. He’s closer to a combo guard than a wing, though he’ll be comfortable anywhere on the perimeter and it wouldn’t be at all shocking if at some point he took point guard reps.
Kugel’s number one skill is scoring the basketball, something that will make him a crowd favorite in Gainesville. He can electrify a building in multiple ways with his ability to put the ball in the hoop whether it be from outside with a deep three-point shot or in the paint where he can soar above the rim for show-stopping dunks. A quick internet search will yield multiple highlights of Kugel throwing down windmills with ease and he has also gone to multiple events with some of the top players in the country and came away with the top title in the dunk contest. Kugel made plenty of highlight reel plays in high school with his athleticism, but his game isn’t just flash and has plenty of substance. His skill set is already advanced and you’ll see him use decisive dribble moves on the way to the hoop that freeze defenders and create space for him to use his quickness to get to the rim. He’ll also showcase a variety of dribble moves that create space on the perimeter to get to his stepback, so his offensive game is a lot deeper than the ability to just win a dunk contest.
Right now Florida’s roster is deep with plenty of talent but they don’t have a lot of players with a proven track record of shot creation or scoring, so Kugel’s skill set will be welcomed. He may not be tasked to contribute a whole lot right away, but with his mix of shot making and athleticism it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him command minutes right away. In high school Kugel would occasionally run very hot or very cold, which is something he’ll need to work on as he matures, but in the short term means there will be a chance he catches fire from three and devastates opponents instantly.
Playing at Dr. Phillips in Orlando Kugel was able to play a difficult schedule and see a lot of high major talent. He showed fight on the defensive end and with his frame and athleticism his ceiling as a stopper on the wing is high.
Coming to Florida means that Kugel will be reunited with a Dr. Phillips teammate in Denzel Aberdeen who had first committed to Mike White at Florida and kept his commitment through the transition.
Kugel was originally committed to Mississippi State, but when Ben Howland was fired he re-opened his commitment. Florida was quick to reach out, and had an edge when Coach Golden hired assistant Korey McCray. McCray was at Mississippi State and was the lead recruiter for Kugel so there was a familiarity when the Gators entered the race for his services. Between the familiarity with McCray and the fact that Kugel is from nearby Orlando the Gators were favored for quite some time in the recruitment and were ultimately able to take care of business and land the commitment. Ultimately Kugel was down to Florida, LSU, and Georgia in an all-SEC battle the Gators were able to win.
Florida now has one scholarship remaining and they are eyeing a big man to fill that final spot. The roster has almost completely taken shape and that means that you can start to get excited for what should be a fascinating 2022-23 season.