These days in college basketball it’s normal for multiple players to hit the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season, and that number is usually even high for teams that go through coaching changes.
Things are no different for Florida, as in the early days following the season ending loss, multiple players had meetings with head coach Todd Golden and decided they would be entering the transfer portal. With the book likely closed on the Florida careers of each of these players, let’s take a look back at their time with the Gators and say our final goodbyes.
Kowacie Reeves was a player who brought a lot of hope when he committed to the Gators as a top-50 recruit who had the potential to bring a lot to the table that the roster had lacked in recent years. He was a 6’6” wing bringing size the perimeter the Gators hadn’t seen in a while and he was known as a big-time shot maker in high school–the kind of size and skill set that had NBA scouts buzzing. However, his two seasons at Florida didn’t go exactly according to plan. He struggled to earn the trust of both coaching staffs–first Mike White’s, and then Todd Golden’s, largely due to his shot selection. In his freshman season you could describe his shooting as streaky, something that carried over until his sophomore season but unfortunately turned into a lot more cold than hot. Ultimately his shot making potential never really turned into production, and he’ll finish his time as a Gator shooting a career 29% from three. With his shot not falling he did make strides as a driver and finisher at the rim but without the consistent jumper he fell into a role off the bench for much of the season.
Reeves’ will be remembered as someone who completely bought into being a Gator early in his high school career, committing much earlier than most recruits in the modern era. He’ll also be remembered as well for his flashy hairstyles that changed every week, and the angry dunks he would throw down from time to time.
As a 6’6” wing who has shown ability at the SEC level, Reeves is getting looks from multiple high major programs and will likely stay at this level.
A player that will go down as a crowd favorite is big man Jason Jitoboh who spent four years at Florida. Injuries plagued him throughout his time in Gainesville, never really allowing him to get into the shape required for a man of his stature to get a regular shift in the SEC. Even though he didn’t play a whole lot in his four years at Florida he was beloved by fans for his smile, his soft touch around the rim, and the resilience he showed fighting back from injury–particularly the freak eye injury he suffered last season.
Nearly every team in college basketball is looking for size, and while a couple of high majors have shown interest, Jitoboh will likely end up in a high quality mid-major conference.
When New Jersey product Niels Lane committed to the Gators he was a physical 6’5” guard who handled the ball a bit in high school but was projected to come to the SEC and be a lockdown perimeter defender. That seems like a long time ago, and while he spent three years with the Gators, he only saw 49 games of action–truthfully, a number that is almost higher than expected. While Lane brought stellar point of attack defense to the perimeter his offensive struggles made him a liability in the eyes of coaches who didn’t see getting him on the floor as a positive, and he ended up being a seldom-used player. Throughout his time at Florida there were some fans and media alike who pushed for him to have a bigger role, but ultimately there were two separate coaching staffs to see him in practice and decide they didn’t see much of a role for him in the rotation.
Lane is likely headed for a mid-major league like the Atlantic 10, American Athletic Conference, or Conference USA–all who have teams showing major interest right now.
A sad story when it comes to Florida’s transfers out is that of CJ Felder who was in Gainesville for two years but never really got his footing. The Boston College transfer came to Florida as an active 6’7” forward who was physical on the glass and known for his defensive versatility–but from the opening night of the season in 2021-22, you knew something wasn’t right. He came out looking significantly heavier than he did at Boston College and he even got a breakaway dunk opportunity–where he elevated and couldn’t get the ball above the rim. This was due to a host of injuries that nagged him entering the season, and injuries that still nag him to the day. The Gators absolutely could have used CJ Felder if he was healthy, where he could provide shooting, physicality, rebounding, and defense–but the injuries never allowed him to be what he was at Boston College. It was a very frustrating two years for Felder, who will likely be headed to a mid-major level. We wish Felder the best as he hopefully gets healthy for wherever he is playing in the 2023-24 season.
Finally, there is Trey Bonham. Bonham committed to Todd Golden’s staff rather early in the offseason, buying into the analytics message that Golden was selling. Early in the season Bonham seized every opportunity he got, providing offensive juice that no other Gator guard really had, pouring in points and commandeering a starting role that very few people would have expected him to have entering the season. With multiple 20+ point games you would have thought Bonham would have remained a key player for the entire season, but that wasn’t the case. He fell into the doghouse, due to his defense, according to the coaching staff, and wasn’t able to provide the offensive firepower he brought the team earlier. Given Florida’s struggles on offense you would have thought that there would have been some more opportunity for Bonham to come in and provide some shotmaking, but that wasn’t the case. With the Gators actively searching out other point guards to play ahead of Bonham, he decided to transfer out. This was no easy decision as he will likely have to redshirt next season (as he already used his one-time transfer), but he didn’t see a path to playing many minutes at Florida. It’s worth noting that he has kept open the opportunity to return to Florida if the staff is interested in re-recruiting him, but it seems like he will almost certainly move on.
Bonham was known as a monster in the weight room and as a player with character who treated everyone he saw with respect, as seen when he was named to the SEC’s Community Service team. He has had interest from some high level mid major programs which is likely the level he will be headed to.