Florida Basketball summer speaking tour announced
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida announced the summer speaking tour schedule Tuesday for Florida basketball head coaches Todd Golden and Kelly Rae Finely. They will make four joint appearances around the state of Florida throughout the month of June. The events will be hosted by Gator Clubs affiliated with the UF Alumni Association and include stops in Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and Palm Beach.
For more information on regional events, please visit the UF Alumni Association’s website by clicking here. Ticket opportunities will be available on that site in the coming weeks and email invitations for UF Alumni and Gator Boosters will be sent out to those in each respective region.
The Gators went 16-17 in Golden’s first season but had a pair of top-25 wins and two All-SEC performers Colin Castleton (first-team All-SEC, All-Defensive team) and Riley Kugel (SEC All-Freshman). Kugel and starter Will Richard are back along with one of the nation’s top-ranked incoming transfer classes for 2023-24.
The women’s basketball program is coming off back-to-back postseason appearances under Finley’s guidance and welcomes back several significant returners along with multiple incoming transfers and McDonald’s All-American freshman Laila Reynolds.
2023 Florida Basketball summer speaking tour
| Monday, June 19, 5-7:30 p.m. | Central Florida Gator Club | Orlando, Fla. |
| Tuesday, June 20, 5-7:30 p.m. | Pinellas County Gator Club | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| Monday, June 26, 5-7:30 p.m. | Capital Area Gator Club | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Tuesday, June 27, 5-7:30 p.m. | Palm Beach County Gator Club | Palm Beach, Fla. |
Gators among winners in 2023 portal cycle
Golden and his staff signed the No. 12 class in the On3 team transfer portal team rankings and boast one of the nation’s highest average player ratings (91.50).
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Florida has landed a total of four transfers — Iona point guard Walter Clayton Jr., Marshall center Micah Handlogten, Yale power forward EJ Jarvis and Seton Hall forward Tyrese Samuel — to join four returning players, led by Kugel and Richard, and 2023 signees Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh.
UF is one of only five schools with at least four commits in the top 175 of the On3 transfer portal player rankings, with the others being St. John’s (5), Arkansas (4), Georgia (4) and LSU (4). Clayton is the coaching staff’s highest-ranked transfer signee at No. 20 overall, followed by Handlogten (40th nationally), Jarvis (171st) and Samuel (172nd).
On3 national basketball recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw broke down the biggest winners and losers of the 2023 transfer portal cycle, including the Gators.
“Micah Handlogten was one of the most intriguing players to enter the portal during this cycle. The 7-foot-1 freshman was the Sun Belt Rookie of the Year after finishing top 20 overall in D1 in rebounds (9.8) and blocked shots (2.3). Walter Clayton, a Lake Wales, Florida native, earned the MAAC Player of the Year award. He brings toughness to the guard position but also shot 43.1 percent from three and 95.3 percent from the free throw line. Tyrese Samuel is a 6-foot-10 grad transfer who has experienced success at the high major level. EJ Jarvis is a 6-foot-8 power forward who shot 40.6 percent from three and blocked 1.5 shots last season.”
