Florida Men’s Basketball: Additions, Possible Losses

There is good and possible bad news for Florida basketball fans this week. The Gators gained a commitment from 2025 four-star guard Alex Lloyd and signed Washington State transfer Rueben Chinyelu. And Will Richard declared for the NBA draft.

A Future In NBA

The Gators may lose a veteran presence in Richard. He posted on X Wednesday that he will retain his collegiate eligibility and only play for Florida if he returns to college.

https://twitter.com/willrxch/status/1780713121193324986

Richard has been with Florida for the past two seasons and averaged double digits in scoring each year. He’s been a valuable starter for the Gators. This past season he played every game, starting in all but one. He averaged the third most minutes per game and had the second most made 3s on the team.

He had two 23-point games, which were just one point shy of his career high, in wins over Mississippi State and Alabama. He has proven to be an important member of the Gators roster and won’t be easy to replace.

Coach Todd Golden now needs to prepare for a possible future without Richard and Walter Clayton Jr. who declared for the draft April 8.

High School Commit

The Gators landed a commitment Wednesday from high school top-50 prospect Alex Lloyd. He is a four-star guard for the 2025 recruiting class. Lloyd is 6-foot-3 and weighs 165 pounds. He’s from Fort Lauderdale and goes to Westminster Academy. Some of Lloyd’s offers included Florida State, Miami, St. John’s and Florida Atlantic.

https://twitter.com/gatorsszn/status/1780695384274444637

Lloyd averaged 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game last season, according to MaxPreps. He shoots 45% from 3, which was better than anyone on the Gators last year (besides center Micah Handlogten who made five out of his 10 shots).

Landing BIG Transfers

Golden addressed the team’s need at center by bringing in Washington State transfer Rueben Chinyelu, whose signing was announced Thursday by UF. The Gators need help at center after the loss of Tyrese Samuel and questions surrounding Handlogten after fracturing his left leg in the SEC final left a hole in the roster.

Chinyelu is heading into his sophomore year and at 6-11, 245 pounds, is a great fit alongside 6-9 transfer forward Sam Alexis of Chattanooga. Alexis signed with UF earlier this month.

Washington State transfer center Rueben Chinyelu has committed to Florida

The 6-11, 245-pound freshman chose the Gators over Mississippi State.

Welcome to #GatorNation @am_rueben! #GoGators #Gators@SSN_WSU ➡️ GNV pic.twitter.com/7CZnSKuCUG

— Sidelines: Florida Gators (@SSN_Gators) April 18, 2024

Last season Chinyelu averaged 4.7 points, five rebounds and 1.3 blocks while only playing 13.9 minutes a game. He will pair nicely with Alex Condon as the two are great rim protectors. Chinyelu set a school record for most blocks by a freshman at Washington State with 45. He is also an efficient scorer with a 61.7 field-goal percentage.

One thing he will need to work on is free throws. Last season, the Gators struggled with lackluster performances on the line. That is something Samuel struggled with as he shot 56.2% from the line. Chunyelu isn’t any better and shoots 48.9%.

Things are looking bright for Gators men’s basketball under Golden.