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Defending national champion Florida basketball should generate plenty of interest from players in the transfer portal this spring.
The first focus for the Florida Gators is on player retention. UF lost sophomore guard Kajus Kublickas to the transfer portal this week.
In addition, Florida is losing a starting backcourt trio of All-American senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr., senior Alijah Martin and senior Will Richard that proved it was the best in the country during its 36-4, national title run.
That's plenty of talent to replace, which is why Florida's focus will be on the backcourt this offseason. Florida coach Todd Golden remains high on the potential of returning guards Denzel Aberdeen (junior to senior), Urban Klavzar (sophomore to junior) and Isaiah Brown (freshman to sophomore), but the Gators could use another experienced guard or two to create a deeper rotation in the backcourt.
Florida returns a deep and talented frontcourt, but it could take a hit if sophomore All-SEC forward Alex Condon decides to keep his name in the NBA Draft. Golden said Condon is going to test the NBA Draft waters and has until May 28 to decide whether to return to school.
As always, Name, Image and Likeness funds will play a role in singing players from the portal as well. The Gators recently received a $1 million gift from booster Gary Condron toward NIL funding.
"It’s the lifeblood, and Gary gave us a great gift ― and the reality of it is we need a lot more," Golden said. "We need a lot more to retain our players. We have a good problem right now. We have a lot of great players in our program that we need support and retain, and we need to get a couple guys."
Here are five potential transfer targets for Florida basketball this spring:
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Lee visited Florida's campus on Tuesday after taking previous visits to Kansas and St. John's. A Toronto, Canada native, Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season to earn Ivy League Player of the Year honors.
Lee would bring instant chemistry with returning Florida forward Thomas Haugh, as the two were prep school teammates at the Perkiomen School in Pennsburg, Pa.
A junior, Lee has one year of eligibility remaining. He shot 43.9% from the floor and 36.6% from 3-point range this past season.
Brown, the older brother of Florida freshman guard Isaiah Brown, is the 6-foot-4 shooting guard coming off a strong sophomore season at Ohio University. He averaged 13.2 points for the Bobcats, shooting 47.1% from the field and 38.8% (54-139) from 3-point range.
The 6-0 Hargress emerged as a scoring point guard as a redshirt sophomore last season (20.2 ppg. 4.0 apg). He recently visited Colorado and also has visits lined up with Georgia Tech and Seton Hall. Florida has a connection with the UC Riverside program, as head coach Mike Magpayo worked with Todd Golden at San Francisco under Kyle Smith. Two years ago, former UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin transferred to UF.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Porter is another scoring guard who averaged 15.1 points per game while making 84 3-pointers and shooting 36.4% from 3-point range. He visited Ole Miss this week.
A wild card, the 6-foot-7 Watkins currently has a no-contact tag on him in the portal and has put his name in the NBA Draft. But he also has one year of eligibility left. Watkins emerged as one of the ACC's top players, averaging 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this past year while shooting 43% from the floor in 2024-25. Certainly, Golden is familiar with his upside having faced him the past two seasons at FSU. Watkins would provide insurance at the wing position if Condon decided to keep his name in the NBA Draft.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball transfer targets to watch this spring
Continue reading...
The first focus for the Florida Gators is on player retention. UF lost sophomore guard Kajus Kublickas to the transfer portal this week.
In addition, Florida is losing a starting backcourt trio of All-American senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr., senior Alijah Martin and senior Will Richard that proved it was the best in the country during its 36-4, national title run.
That's plenty of talent to replace, which is why Florida's focus will be on the backcourt this offseason. Florida coach Todd Golden remains high on the potential of returning guards Denzel Aberdeen (junior to senior), Urban Klavzar (sophomore to junior) and Isaiah Brown (freshman to sophomore), but the Gators could use another experienced guard or two to create a deeper rotation in the backcourt.
Florida returns a deep and talented frontcourt, but it could take a hit if sophomore All-SEC forward Alex Condon decides to keep his name in the NBA Draft. Golden said Condon is going to test the NBA Draft waters and has until May 28 to decide whether to return to school.
As always, Name, Image and Likeness funds will play a role in singing players from the portal as well. The Gators recently received a $1 million gift from booster Gary Condron toward NIL funding.
"It’s the lifeblood, and Gary gave us a great gift ― and the reality of it is we need a lot more," Golden said. "We need a lot more to retain our players. We have a good problem right now. We have a lot of great players in our program that we need support and retain, and we need to get a couple guys."
Here are five potential transfer targets for Florida basketball this spring:
Xaivian Lee, PG, Princeton
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Lee visited Florida's campus on Tuesday after taking previous visits to Kansas and St. John's. A Toronto, Canada native, Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season to earn Ivy League Player of the Year honors.
Lee would bring instant chemistry with returning Florida forward Thomas Haugh, as the two were prep school teammates at the Perkiomen School in Pennsburg, Pa.
A junior, Lee has one year of eligibility remaining. He shot 43.9% from the floor and 36.6% from 3-point range this past season.
AJ Brown, Ohio, G
Brown, the older brother of Florida freshman guard Isaiah Brown, is the 6-foot-4 shooting guard coming off a strong sophomore season at Ohio University. He averaged 13.2 points for the Bobcats, shooting 47.1% from the field and 38.8% (54-139) from 3-point range.
Barrington Hargress, UC Riverside, G
The 6-0 Hargress emerged as a scoring point guard as a redshirt sophomore last season (20.2 ppg. 4.0 apg). He recently visited Colorado and also has visits lined up with Georgia Tech and Seton Hall. Florida has a connection with the UC Riverside program, as head coach Mike Magpayo worked with Todd Golden at San Francisco under Kyle Smith. Two years ago, former UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin transferred to UF.
Jestin Porter, Middle Tennessee, G
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Porter is another scoring guard who averaged 15.1 points per game while making 84 3-pointers and shooting 36.4% from 3-point range. He visited Ole Miss this week.
Jamir Watkins, Florida State, F
A wild card, the 6-foot-7 Watkins currently has a no-contact tag on him in the portal and has put his name in the NBA Draft. But he also has one year of eligibility left. Watkins emerged as one of the ACC's top players, averaging 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this past year while shooting 43% from the floor in 2024-25. Certainly, Golden is familiar with his upside having faced him the past two seasons at FSU. Watkins would provide insurance at the wing position if Condon decided to keep his name in the NBA Draft.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball transfer targets to watch this spring
Continue reading...
