Huskyforlife
Akokbouk
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2013
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He just entered the portal yesterday. So it's been prior channel talk.I like our chances because this has been kept quiet. I dont like our chances because Hurley isnt focused on recruiting right now and if he makes a decision soon it isnt us.
Now we're cooking.
Kugel's got great positional size for a guard (6'5 207) and is a very good floor spacer. He had awful non-conference shooting efficiency (25.0 3P%), but his three-point shooting jumped up to 39.6% in SEC play. Shot 37.6% in his freshman season too. Played PG in high school but has played mostly the 3 and the 4 at Florida.
Finished the season with Florida's second best defensive efficiency metrics, according to EvanMiya, and also had the team's best steal rate.
Long story short, Kugel is a big 3-and-D guard who could start at the 2 or 3 for us next year. Between playing with on a roster with two other PGs, he didn't have to handle the ball often, but he's got PGs skills in his DNA, so there's a nice ceiling there too between his passing and physicality to get to the rim.
Looking at his other choices, the only team not still playing is KU. Guess is he plans to wait until after the championship game. But who knows? Kids these days...doomed.I like our chances because this has been kept quiet. I dont like our chances because Hurley isnt focused on recruiting right now and if he makes a decision soon it isnt us.
It doesn't have to be legit to be legit.So a kid who basically played his way off the roster at Florida jumps into the portal with a list of schools. Like 18 hours later, he has a final four consisting of Kansas and three schools that are too busy to take his call right now. Okay.
Yeah, I am gonna call BS on this one. Nothing about this seems legit.
From Sam Vecenie's Athletic Article:
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 207
The way high majors evaluate Kugel after his season will be among the most fascinating things to track in the portal this year.
The 6-foot-5 scoring wing is arguably the best athlete in all of college basketball. No, I’m not exaggerating. Few players possess his blend of power, explosiveness and coordination. He’s built like an NBA player and moves like one. His first step is lethal and he is able to bend his body to leverage that explosiveness. Many, including me, thought had a shot to be a 2024 first-round NBA Draft pick if he developed properly. He was coming off one of the most impressive closing stretches of any freshman in 2022-23, averaging 17.3 points in SEC play while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from 3.
But man, did Kugel have a bad season. He averaged just 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and was removed from the Gators’ starting lineup after 11 games. His shot selection and decision-making during that time were horrendous, and he only made 39.4 percent of his field goals and 31.2 percent of his 3s over the course of the season while committing nearly two turnovers in 23 minutes per game. Even if bigs Tyrese Samuel and Micah Handlogten clogged the paint on Kugel’s drives, his reads weren’t good enough. Worse, he let his offensive struggles affect his defense, though he at least brought more energy later in the season.
We have Kugel ranked here based mostly on his 2023-24 performance, but his upside is genuinely tantalizing. I bet a big school takes a swing. — Sam Vecenie
If you note, 3 of the 4 teams are still playing.I like our chances because this has been kept quiet. I dont like our chances because Hurley isnt focused on recruiting right now and if he makes a decision soon it isnt us.
Wasn’t there an “attitude” problem with Tyrese Martin too? Hurley and staff know what they’re doingMy only concern with this is there was an attitude problem with him. He was benched 2 games in SEC tourney
This has been mentioned several times in this thread, but I don't see why that matters. Spencer is out of eligibility and we don't have a SG coming in as a freshman. We're going to be taking a SG and nobody on the roster will be surprised by this.If you note, 3 of the 4 teams are still playing.