Former Florida Gators guard Riley Kugel commits to play basketball at Kansas

Gary Bedore
·3 min read

Riley Kugel, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound sophomore guard from the University of Florida who entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, has committed to play basketball at Kansas, he reported Sunday on social media sites X and Instagram.

Kugel on Thursday had revealed a final four list of KU, Arizona, Houston and UConn. Kugel played two seasons at Florida, starting 17 games his freshman year and 11 this past season.

He averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 2023-24 for the (24-12) Gators. A preseason all-SEC selection, Kugel hit 110 of 279 shots for 39.4%. He was 34-of-109 from 3-point range for 31.2% and 48 of 69 at the free-throw line for 69.6%.

He scored 20 or more points in five games. He had 25 points in a 95-91 loss to Baylor; 24 points in a 82-71 loss to Wake Forest; 23 points in a 93-73 win over Loyola (Maryland); 22 in an 81-65 win over Auburn and 20 in a 90-68 win over Arkansas.

In his final game as a Gator, he scored 11 points with four rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes off the bench in a 102-100 loss to Colorado in a Round of 64 NCAA Tournament game in Indianapolis.

Kugel was benched two games by head coach Todd Golden in the SEC’s postseason tournament.

What happened?

“He was so solid down the stretch last season — he averaged 17.3 points over Florida’s final 10 games — that he considered turning pro,” read a March 27 Associated Press article printed on ESPN.com. “He ended up returning to Florida with hopes of being the team’s go-to scorer. Instead, he often looked lost on the court and disengaged on the bench. TV cameras caught him brushing off teammates and coaches. Coach Todd Golden had him coming off the bench by the end of December and playing fewer and fewer minutes the deeper the Gators got into the season. He eventually ended up out of the mix and clearly out of favor.”

Noted a writer from onlygators.com: “There was clearly a disconnect between Golden and Kugel throughout the season, most likely due to miscues on the court and occasions in which it did not appear Kugel was playing team basketball. He did have some bright spots down the stretch, and there were numerous big games in which he stepped up, played important minutes and made key contributions.

“It’s clear a change of scenery was needed for Kugel, and he now has the opportunity to start fresh with two years of eligibility remaining.”

Kugel had an outstanding freshman season, earning all-SEC freshman honors after averaging 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds. He shot 45.6% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range. His 12.6 points per game average in SEC games were the most for a UF freshman since Bradley Beal averaged 14.4 points as a freshman in his lone season with the Gators in 2011-12.

Kugel — he was Rivals.com’s No. 145-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2022 — helped lead Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, Florida to a state title in 2021. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

KU also has signed three high school players in the recruiting Class of 2024: Flory Bidunga, 6-9 center from Kokomo (Indiana) High School; Labaron Philon, 6-3 point guard from Link Year Academy in Branson, Missouri, and Rakease Passmore, a 6-5, 180-pound shooting guard/small forward from Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina.

Bidunga is ranked No. 6 in the recruiting Class of 2024 by Rivals.com, No. 9 by ESPN.com and No. 11 by 247sports.com. Philon is ranked No. 41 in the Class of 2024 by Rivals.com, No. 30 by ESPN.com and No. 31 by 247sports.com. Passmore is ranked No. 36 nationally by ESPN.com, No. 49 by 247sports.com and No. 50 by Rivals.com.

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