Position Preview: Riley Kugel already competing to start at two-spot

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Like the point guard position, the Florida Gators‘ shooting guard spot has produced questionable play in recent years.

The 2021-22 season featured Myreon Jones, Brandon McKissic and Niels Lane at the two. Jones and Lane return, but there will be more competition at this position this year.

One of the new faces is the No. 5 shooting guard in the Class of 2022, Riley Kugel, who committed to the Gators over Georgia and LSU in May. The former Mississippi State commit was a top-50 overall prospect in the On3 rankings at No. 47 nationally.

The Orlando native missed summer practice but has quickly made his mark on the team since arriving for the fall semester. In fact, UF head coach Todd Golden added Kugel to the starting five ahead of the Gators’ scrimmage with Miami last Saturday.

“His size, his burst, his athleticism, just really, really hard to guard,” Golden said of Kugel. “Then on the defensive end, he’s been advanced for a freshman. Just the way he picks up defensive concepts, he’s usually in the right place at the right time.”

Throughout the preseason, Kugel has displayed his 6-foot-5, 207-pound frame on the defensive end in practice. He’s also shown his determination to score regardless of who is opposite of him.

Still, making the jump from the high school level to the college game is a lot for an 18-year old to handle in just a few months.

“The pace is way faster coming from high school,” Kugel said. “In high school it was easier to control the tempo and run everything at your own pace. Now, everything is more sped up and you have [to] adjust and develop to a faster game, but I feel like I’m getting there. … I learned pretty quickly with the plays and adjusted really well after not being here.” 

Both Golden and Kugel acknowledged Kugel was behind the team by missing summer practice, but they also agreed the freshman has made up ground. UF associate head coach Carlin Hartman had high praise for Kugel in preseason camp.

“I had Trae Young at Oklahoma, who was obviously a savant on the court as a freshman in all kinds of ways. And obviously he’s shown that in the NBA,” Hartman said. “When it comes to size, strength, mobility, athleticism, skill, Riley is one of the better talents I’ve seen in my time — and I’ve come across some really good ones. He has next-level ability.

“He has all these physical gifts, as well as intangible gifts he brings to the floor. But the great thing about Riley is he’s extremely coachable and I think that’s what really going to set him apart from not just some of the freshmen around the country, but him making an impact on our team.”

Trey Bonham potentially playing multiple positions

Although Golden and the UF coaching staff brought Trey Bonham to Gainesville to play point guard, his abilities give him the chance to see the floor at the two-spot.

With Kyle Lofton essentially locking down the starting point guard position, Bonham has repped at shooting guard as well. The Gators have been working him there since the summer.

“It’s the same position, for the most part,” Bonham said. “It’s really just the start, but then after that it’s continuous offense. You do the same thing.”

“I kind of feel like I’m an all-around player on offense. I can get to the basket. I can shoot. I can pass. So, that’s exactly how I would describe myself.”

Bonham shot 34.8 percent from 3-point range a season ago, and he’s displayed his shooting ability throughout preseason camp. UF assistant coach Kevin Hovde raved about the VMI transfer guard last week.

“Trey is kind of a playmaker,” Hovde said. “He’s just so quick, and he’s a good decision maker with the ball. One thing about Trey is like he’s never in a hurry. So, when he gets in the paint, everything’s just moving slow for him, and it allows him to make the right play.

“And it’s a really hard thing to teach, but he’s elite that way. He’ll come to a two-foot stop, let the defense react, and all of a sudden, he finds a guy for a layup. So, he’s really, really a good player. He needs to keep developing, but we’re pretty pleased where he is.”

Jones, Lane returning for Gators

Returning to Gainesville for his fifth and final season of eligibility is Myreon Jones.

Considered a 3-point shooting specialist at Penn State, averaging 15.3 points in 2020-21, Jones shot just 32 percent from downtown last year after being a 40-percent shooter in each of his last two years with the Nittany Lions.

That topic was brought up when Jones sat down with Golden for the first time.

“The first day I met him at his office, we just talked about how he wanted me to get back to how I was at Penn State,” Jones said. “He didn’t really look at how I played last year. He just looked at numbers from Penn State. He was saying, ‘We know you’re still that type of player so if you come back, we’re gonna get you back there.’”

As for Niels Lane, the junior has continued to be a strong defender throughout preseason camp. He’s shown his ability to guard nearly everyone on this year’s UF squad.

“It’s a real underrated role that I take on,” Lane said. “That’s my strong suit. I feel like a lot of people’s strong suit is on the offensive end, but I take a lot of pride in my defense. Anything I can do to stop my opponent I’m going to do it because I know it’s going to help the team win.”

However, Lane must improve as a shooter to see the court this season. He shot just 16.8 percent from beyond the arc a season ago. Lane responded by adjusting his shooting motion.

“I’m just trying to make it all one motion and make it a lot smoother,” Lane said, “I’m working on knocking down open threes and knocking down some midrange shots.”

Position Preview: UF upgrades with ‘true point guard’ in Kyle Lofton

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