Several Gators crack CBS Sports’ top transfer rankings
With six players departing from the UF basketball program this offseason for the transfer portal and the NBA draft, as well as questions surrounding the health of Keyontae Johnson, the Gators had little choice but to invest in the transfer portal this offseason.
The result of those efforts was a very solid haul that includes some of the most coveted “free agents” around college basketball. In total, Florida added four players through the portal, and three of them (as well as an outgoing player in Noah Locke) appear in the top 85 of CBS Sports’ transfer rankings.
The rankings saw a bit of a shakeup as a new top player available entered the portal in Illinois star Kofi Cockburn, but that doesn’t affect things too much for the UF players. Here’s where every incoming and outgoing Florida prospect lands on CBS’ list, starting with the most high-profile player in the group, former Penn State guard Myreon Jones.
No. 16 - Guard Myreon Jones (Penn State to Florida)
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Jones led Penn State in scoring this past season as a junior and is a career 37.6% 3-point shooter who takes good care of the basketball. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention who will be tasked with helping replace the production of Tre Mann.
Easily the best scorer of the group, Jones should provide a much-needed influx of offensive production after Mann's departure. Facing big-time competition in the Big Ten, Jones averaged 15.3 points in 2020-21.
No. 30 - Guard Brandon McKissic (Missouri-Kansas City to Florida)
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McKissic led Kansas City in scoring at 17.2 points per game this season, but defense is actually his calling card. The 6-3 guard was the Summit League's Defensive Player of the Year. Not bad for a player who also hit 42.9% of his 3-point attempts.
The Summit is far from the peak of college basketball (pun slightly intended), but McKissic was about as productive as you could ask for from a mid-major star. A player who can dominate on both ends of the court, McKissic should see a major role in the backcourt rotation.
No. 39 - Guard Noah Locke (Florida to Louisville)
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Louisville ranked 330th nationally in 3-pointers made per game (5.4) and 303rd in percentage (30.8%), so the addition of Locke is a godsend for the Cardinals. The former top-100 prospect is a career 40.4% 3-point shooter on 538 career attempts. That is unquestionably his primary skill, and it's one Louisville desperately needs.
Locke is a skilled scorer and one of the best three-point shooters in school history for Florida, but he never developed into a takeover offensive player. On a Lousiville team that needs a jolt offensively, he'll hope to become just that.
No. 55 - Guard Phlandrous Fleming (Charleston Southern to Florida)
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Fleming is Florida's second transfer commitment who was both his team's leading scorer and the defensive player of the year in his old league, joining Kansas City's Brandon McKissic in that category. Fleming's accolades came in the Big South, where he averaged 20.1 points and 1.8 steals this past season for Charleston Southern.
Another dominant player on both ends of the floor, Fleming is a very similar player to McKissic in a lot of ways. They both should see key action in the rotation, though Fleming was the more productive scorer last season.
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