Florida forward C.J. Felder set to return vs. Alabama after being out for a month

The Florida Gators will be getting an important piece back on the hardwood Wednesday night against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Gators’ forward C.J. Felder is set to return against the Crimson Tide, after taking a leave of absence that forced him to miss Florida’s last seven games. In his absence, the Gators went 4-3 overall. Florida and Alabama are set to tip-off on Wednesday night at 9:00 PM EST. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

When Felder decided to leave the team last month, Golden and the rest of the Florida Gators’ basketball staff were fully behind Felder.

“CJ Felder is going to take a little time away from the team for personal reasons,” Golden told the media last month. “Definitely nothing disciplinary. He’s still a part of our family and we love him. He’s going through a little bit of a time right now, and we’re leaving the door open for him to join the team again this season whenever he feels ready.”

Felder has averaged 2.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this year for Florida. He’s also drilled 53.6% of his shots from the field. The last game he played in was against the Georgia Bulldogs on Jan. 7, when he played two minutes. His best season for the came in 2020-2021, when he averaged 9.7 points and 2.2 blocks per game for the Boston College Eagles. While the forward stands at 6-foot-7, he actually has a wingspan of 7-foot-1, a big factor that makes him such an excellent defender.

Coming out of Sumter High School (Sumter, South Carolina), Felder was nominated for the 2019 McDonald’s All-American game. He was also named second team on the 2018 USA Today/American Family Insurance team.

Alabama jumped on Florida early in Wednesday night’s matchup 29-11 early in the first half.