Florida earns pledge from 2022 four-star SG Riley Kugel

Riley Kugel, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard out of Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips High School, announced his pledge to the Gators via Instagram Live on Monday. Kugel, who was the second-highest ranked uncommitted 2022 prospect, picked Florida over two other finalists, Georgia and LSU.

A four-star prospect, Kugel is ranked No. 78 nationally, No. 8 among shooting guards and No. 14 in the state of Florida on the 247Sports Composite, though he is viewed more favorably on the 247Sports independent player rankings, which have Kugel at No. 48 in the nation, No. 4 at his position and No. 11 in Florida.

The Gators’ 2022 high school recruiting class consists of Dr. Phillips High School’s backcourt with Kugel and three-star signee Danzel Aberdeen in the fold. Kugel is the first high school player to commit to Golden at Florida, though it was one of the team’s new assistant coaches who likely capitalized on his familiarity with Kugel to seal the deal.

Korey McCray, who spent the last seven seasons at Mississippi State, recruited Kugel there and even secured his signature, which Kugel backed out of after the Bulldogs made a coaching change.

“My relationship is great with Coach (Korey) McCray and he can’t wait to get me there next year,” Kugel 247Sports reported Paul Jones in February. “He loves the way I have played this year and he likes how I fit in the program.”

Kugel’s commitment to Florida is the program’s latest recruiting win under first-year head coach Todd Golden, who has completely reshaped the Gators’ roster in the two months since his hiring. Golden has secured four Divison I transfers — Belmont guard Will Richard, former VMI guard Trey Bonham, former LSU forward Alex Fudge and former St. Bonaventure guard Kyle Lofton — and owns the No. 5 ranked transfer class in the country as a result, according to 247Sports’ calculations.

Between Kugel, Richard, Bonham, Lofton and returning guards Kowacie Reeves and Myreon Jones, the Gators should have a reasonably solid backcourt that was quickly molded to fit Golden’s fast-paced style of play.

According to two of his former players from his time at San Francisco, Golden and his staff would focus on things like the amount of consecutive scoreless possessions the team could create in a game and maintaining at least an eight percent rebounding differential between the Dons and their opponents, each aspect playing a significant role in the team’s overall win probability in a given contest.

Golden’s system also asks players to maintain short and sharp possessions that move the ball around frequently in search of the fastest high-percentage look the team can take.

“Coach Golden believed in us,” former San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea told Swamp247. “He knew what he was looking for in the recruiting process and he brought guys in who wanted to win then he gave us the keys to the car.”

The Gators might not be done on the recruiting front, either. The team still has one scholarship spot available on its 2022 roster and multiple sources have told Swamp247 that the team plans to use it on a transfer big man.

The team has expressed interest in former Washington State forward Efe Abogidi, a 6-foot-10 big man who posted a 9.5 percent block rate last year, the 34th-best mark in the country, according to KenPom. Abogidi’s 66 blocks were the fifth-most in a single season by a Washington State player.

35COMMENTS

“I think the two areas that we’re going to really strive to be better at next year is shooting the ball,” Golden said when asked for his early assessment of his team. “The team I think was around 30.5% from the year on (three-pointers) and the way that I like to play that’s simply not going to be good enough. We’re going to have to go out and shoot the ball better to achieve the goals we want to achieve.

“Also, defensively, rebounding,” Golden continued. “That was an area that was surprising to me when evaluating the team and the roster that they didn’t have a lot of success in because I think the pieces are there, and I think the talent is there in terms of being able to get on the glass. I think if we can lift those two areas up a couple of pegs and stay consistent and get better in other areas, we should be back in the tournament next year.”

Good Morning Gators: Florida football continues to bolster walk-on roster

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Billy Napier and his staff continue to build and bolster Florida’s walk-on roster, with Nicolas Flynn being the latest addition.

He announced his commitment to the Gators on Monday. UF offered Flynn a preferred walk-on spot on Feb. 15 and hosted him for the spring game.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Flynn also had a PWO offer from Louisville and visited the school March 8.

Napier revealed a unique plan for his walk-on program back in January. The new skipper wants to maximize the walk-on capacity of his squad.

A full team has 125 active players, with a maximum of 85 scholarship players. That leaves room for 35 walk-ons in any given year. Napier, however, would like up to 50 walk-ons.

“We’re going to approach 130 — somewhere around that number — players. We have 85 scholarship players, and the goal is to have a 50-man walk-on roster,” Napier said. “That ratio there, when you really think about coach-to-player ratio, if you evaluate other sports, I think that coach-to-player ratio is much smaller.”

Since Napier’s comments on Jan. 14, the Gators have added at least nine preferred walk-ons to their 2022 roster.

OL Jackson Crozier (Jan. 31)

TE Scott Isacks (Feb. 1)

WR Alex Gonzalez (Feb. 2)

JUCO DT Keenan Landry (April 11)

DB Cruz Rushing (April 25)

Temple LB Kenneth Anyaehie (April 29)

DB Javion Toombs (May 14)

OL Nick Flynn (May 23)

In other Florida football news

• The Gators welcomed three more signees to campus on Sunday, with eight members of their 2022 class now in Gainesville.

UF recruiting roundup

• The Gators have secured an official visit from a top-50 overall recruit in the On3 Consensus. He plans to visit to the program next month.
• Gators Online goes one-on-one with four-star running back Treyaun Webb, who discusses a variety of topics within his recruitment.

Gators sports roundup

• Top-50 hoops recruit Riley Kugel pledged to UF on Monday, becoming the first commitment from the high school ranks for new coach Todd Golden.
• Former Florida Gators two-time national champion point guard Taurean Green is coming back to Gainesville as Director of Player Development.
• UF’s Brandon Neely is SEC Freshman Pitcher of the Week after tossing seven scoreless innings and a career-high 10 strikeouts last Friday.
• Three Gators were named Monday to the All-SEC teams, including one first-team selection, as voted on by league’s baseball coaches.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The booming voice and his signature “Oh My!” are unmistakable. As the longtime “Voice of the Gators,” Mick Hubert has called national championships, momentous plays and more than 2,500 games at Florida.

After 33 years, Hubert is calling it a career.

The 68-year-old Hubert informed Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin earlier this week that he is retiring following the UF-South Carolina baseball series this weekend at Condron Ballpark.

“That’s going to be it,” Hubert said. “This wasn’t the end of a five-year plan. I don’t know if I can explain how I knew, but I knew. I had been considering this for a little while. I just had to do some praying about it and enjoy every game.”

Hubert and his wife Judi sold their Gainesville home recently and will open a new season of life in Sarasota, where they bought a house in 2019 and plan to relocate next week.

While his departure is sure to startle diehard fans that have listened to his spirited style and meticulous preparation over the airwaves, Hubert said he is at peace and excited about living a different life in retirement.
 
“Five years ago, I’d probably told you I was going to do it until I was at least 80,” Hubert said. “That was five years ago. A couple of years ago, I started changing. I had a change of heart. Only God can change a person’s heart. I’m just being obedient right now.”

Hubert said he can’t identify a specific moment when he decided to step away from behind the mic that defined his professional career. He said it’s more of a feeling that now is the right time, a place he reached through his strong faith and discussions with his wife and their pastor. Judi retired after 32 years as a kindergarten teacher at Oak Hall in May 2021.

The Gators announced Hubert’s hiring on May 4, 1989, to replace David Steele as the “Voice of the Gators.” Hubert spent the previous 10 years as sports director at CBS affiliate WHIO in Dayton, Ohio. He also served as radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Dayton football and men’s basketball teams.

Hubert arrived as an outsider, but he became synonymous with the Gators over time. Hubert, Steele and Otis Boggs are the only three full-time play-by-play voices in UF sports history. He is the only broadcaster in history to call national championship wins for the same school in college football (three), men’s basketball (two), and baseball (one). He stopped doing radio play-by-play for baseball after the 2017 season but has continued to call games for the SEC Network and its streaming services.

 
MICK AT THE MIC
A look at Gators play-by-play voice Mick Hubert‘s career from 1989-2022 in numbers:

*Has called every UF football game since the 1989 season opener; **Does not include approximately 100 events in women’s basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and gymnastics
 

Hubert considers his call of Danny Wuerffel’s touchdown pass to receiver Chris Doering in the final seconds of a victory at Kentucky in 1993 as the one that “put him on the map” in Gator Nation.

“I’ve probably listened to that over 100 times in my life,” former UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “You could feel his passion. He wasn’t just calling that as a play-by-play guy. He was calling it as a Gator. That’s the magic he brought to a Gator broadcast.”

Hubert steps away with no regrets following a career filled with awards and recognition, including induction into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

Hubert made his play-by-play debut at a high school football game on WMDB in Peoria, Ill., as a student at Illinois State University nearly 50 years ago. He was inducted into his alma mater’s communications program’s Hall of Fame last month.

A native of St. Anne, Illinois, Hubert is grateful for longevity in a field that has undergone significant changes during his career.

“No one is invincible. You can be replaced at any moment, and I understand that,” Hubert said. “But like I [told Stricklin], I think by doing it now that I’m going out at what I consider the top of my game. It’s just time. It’s just time for me to go. I can still do it, but my wife has sacrificed her whole career. We missed so many get-togethers and parties and meetings.”

Preparing to move reminded Hubert of how much he had missed at home as he and Judi cleared out photos and looked through old scrapbooks. There were so many photos of Judi back in their native Illinois with family and friends. He was always out of the picture, off at the latest football, basketball or baseball game.

“I wanted to cry,” he said. “Nothing was more important than the Gators. That’s what this business requires.”

Meanwhile, Hubert’s exit will awaken emotions for generations of fans who have shared the highs and lows of their beloved Gators through Hubert’s broadcasts.

The University Athletic Association will have an in-stadium recognition of Hubert’s career on the video board during this weekend’s baseball series. There are also plans to honor him at a UF football game in the fall.

“Mick Hubert has shared his immense talents and represented the Gators incredibly well for the past 33 years. All of Gator Nation will be eternally grateful for providing the soundtrack for so many special Gator athletic moments,” Stricklin said. “It’s hard to imagine a UF football or basketball broadcast without his voice being a part of it. Mick is a true pro and one of the all-time greats. We wish him and Judi the very best in the next chapter of their lives.”

Foley was part of the committee that sifted through 150 applicants for the job in 1989. Three decades later, there’s no doubt the committee hired the right guy.

“As the years went on, his incredible passion for the Gators, you could feel it come through the broadcasts,” Foley said. “When the Gators won or something exciting happened, he could bring it to life. I used to love watching Gator highlights from TV that had his call on them. He’s incredibly talented.

“Mick Hubert, in multiple sports, was part of the fabric of following the Gators. He’s meant a lot to this program. He obviously rewarded our faith in him by becoming one of the all-time greats.”

Hubert has worked with several different analysts throughout his career at Florida, most prominently Lee McGriff in football, Mark Wise and Lee Humphrey in basketball, and Nick Belmonte and Jeff Cardozo in baseball.

Belmonte, a former UF baseball player, veteran announcer, and scout, has been with Hubert from the beginning. They will be in the SEC Network booth for the Gators-South Carolina series from Thursday through Saturday.

“It’s been an amazing 33 years together with 530 broadcasts, 1,600 hours on the air — or 65 days of our life. And I loved every minute of it,” Belmonte said. “In many ways, he is the best ‘teammate’ I ever had!”

When asked what broadcasts stand out the most, Hubert said the national championships are moments he will cherish forever. In 33 years, Hubert never missed a game due to sickness and only missed a handful of men’s basketball games because of conflicts with football.

He said what he treasures the most are the relationships he built with coaches, players, colleagues and fans.

“I was not doing brain surgery,” he said. “I was in the toy department of life calling games. But I’m going to do it to the best of my ability that God gave me. I also liked the preparation Monday through Friday. By the time Saturday came, I was kind of like a fan ready for the game.”

In an hour-long interview the day after he met with Stricklin, Hubert answered two questions that many are sure to have.

Will he call any games in the future if the opportunity presents itself?

“I might, but I don’t see it.”

Finally, what does he hope Gators fans got from the last 33 years of listening to him on the radio and TV?

“I hope they heard the enthusiasm, and the credibility is important to me,” he said. “You need to be factual and credible, but you need to be enthusiastic. That’s what I always felt. I always wanted to take my audience on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. I also wanted to give them enough information so they could paint that picture in their mind.”

As he turns off the mic, the pictures remain. 

The Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles football teams have set the date and time for the program’s annual Sunshine Showdown, the 66th in history between the in-state rivals. This year’s matchup will take place in Tallahassee, Fla. after UF narrowly defeated FSU last year, 24-21 in Gainesville, Fla.

The matchup, which will take place on Friday, Nov. 25, is set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC, ESPN/Disney announced Monday. The team programs have faced off 65 times in their recorded history, with Florida owning the all-time record at 36-26-2. The Gators last visited the Seminoles in 2018 and won 41-14 at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Florida’s last regular-season matchup that did not occur on a Saturday was against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 1992. The FSU matchup will also be the first regular-season Friday evening game for the Gators since Oct. 6, 1961, when they defeated Tulane in New Orleans, La.

The Gators are heading into this season with new hope after moving on from head coach Dan Mullen and hiring former Louisiana HC Billy Napier to steer the ship, following a dreadful 2021 season that saw Mullen fired before the season ended. Mullen’s staff let go shortly following the conclusion of the team’s 6-7 year.

The Seminoles, meanwhile, are entering the third season of Mike Norvell’s tenure as head coach with raised expectations as he has compiled an 8-12 record over the last two years.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Samantha Bohon [pronounced Bō hahn) is the Gators soccer coach, director of athletics Scott Stricklin announced Monday.
 
Bohon comes to Florida after 15 seasons with Embry-Riddle women’s soccer program, leading the Eagles to multiple conference titles. She oversaw the program’s transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II competition, with the Eagles’ advancing to national tournament action in both.
 
A Sunshine State native, Bohon played collegiately at Duke and with U.S. U-21 and Senior National teams.
 
She’s also got Southeastern Conference coaching experience. Bohon spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Tennessee (2001-05) and was on staff for the Lady Vols first two SEC regular-season and tournament (2002, 2003) title teams.
 
Bohon is the Gators third head coach, which begins its 28^th season in the fall of 2022.

Turns out new @GatorsSoccer coach @sambagg has some very old history with one of the greatest #Gators in program history. ⚽️

Welcome, Coach Samantha!https://t.co/Tq7VK7Hhql

— Chris Harry (@GatorsChris) May 16, 2022

They Said

“I want to humbly thank Scott Stricklin, the search committee and the rest of the athletic department for this incredible opportunity to lead Florida’s storied soccer program. It was clear early on of our shared values and goals for the program that will ultimately lead to an unforgettable student-athlete experience. The university and athletic department prioritize developing the student, person and player which will ultimately set our student-athletes up for future success.
 
“I am eternally grateful for the last 15 years spent at Embry-Riddle and believe wholeheartedly that my time as an Eagle prepared me for this next exciting adventure.
 
“The University of Florida offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for student-athletes to receive a top-five academic education, utilize state of the art facilities, and compete in one of the best conferences in the nation all while having unmatched support. I am chomping at the bit to get started! Go Gators!”

• Florida Soccer Head Coach Samantha Bohon

 
“Samantha Bohon‘s unique history has blended playing and coaching experience at all levels of women’s soccer. From her playing career at Duke and with the US National Team, to her work on the administrative side with the NCAA, to coaching in the SEC, NAIA and NCAA Division II, the one constant has been success.
 
“As a native Floridian, and from having coached in the SEC, she understands the history of the Gators’ soccer program. But she also know how to navigate teams through changing environments, as the successful transition Embry-Riddle made from NAIA to NCAA Division II demonstrates.
 
“That background, along with her character and ability to lead, make her an ideal choice to be a Florida Gator!”

• Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin

Bohon’s Coaching Career

At Embry-Riddle

Bohon became Embry-Riddle’s second women’s soccer coach in 2007 and immediately needed to add to the roster – not an easy task with ERAU women’s enrollment at 26 percent. That first team started a run of eight consecutive ERAU postseason teams. In her third season, the program shared the 2009 Sun Conference regular-season title and won the tournament for the program’s first conference win since 2003. Bohon received her first of three Sun Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2009.
 
ERAU won the next three Sun Conference tournament titles, advancing to the 2011 NAIA quarterfinal and finished the season ranked No. 4. Bohon was named the 2011 and 2012 NAIA-NSCAA/Mondo East Region Coach of the Year.
 
The 2013 Eagles again reached the NAIA quarterfinals, finishing with a final No. 6 ranking. Bohon was the 2013-14 Sun Conference Coach of Character Award recipient, which is given annually to a head coach who has been outstanding in embracing the five core values of the NAIA Champions of Character initiative (integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership), using methods of teaching character through sport and in community leadership through volunteering or service.
 
In eight seasons of NAIA competition (2007-14), Bohon led ERAU to eight consecutive postseason appearances. The Eagles finished third in The Sun Conference regular season standings in 2007 and 2008, shared the 2009 title and was runner-up 2010-14. The 2009 Sun Conference Tournament title was the first of four consecutive and the team advanced to five consecutive NAIA National Championship quarterfinals (2010-14).
 
In 2014, Embry-Riddle began the three-year process of transitioning from NAIA to NCAA II membership. The Eagles could not compete for team/individual awards or postseason play for the 2015 and 2016 soccer seasons due to the transition.
 
The move meant a new conference and the Eagles made their presence known in the 2019 season. As the Sunshine State Conference’s No. 4 seed, the Eagles registered upset road wins to take the 2019 SSC Tournament crown. Then ERAU posted two more upset wins in the South Regional to advance to the program’s first NCAA II Round of 16.
 
The Eagles swept the 2021 SSC regular-season and tournament titles, earning the right to host South Regional tournament action.
 
In her 14 seasons leading the ERAU program, Bohon coached:

• NAIA National Player of the Year (Andrea Frøshaug – 2014)
• 24 All-Americans
• Four NCAA II All-Region selections
• Sun Conference Player of the Year (Elina Johansson – 2009) / Two Sunshine State Conference Defensive Players of Year
• Four league Newcomers of the Year and Two Freshmen of the Year
• 39 All-Sun Conference first team & 10 second team selections
• Six Sunshine State Conference first-team honors / Six second team selections

Bohon’s teams performed well in the classroom, garnering NAIA Scholar Team honors from 2011-14. The 2016 team claimed the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award after achieving the highest grade point average (3.85) of any soccer team, men or women, at any level – NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA – in the 2015-16 academic year. Every student-athlete on the ERAU Women’s Soccer roster was named to the 2016 and 2017 Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. The ERAU women’s soccer program produced 15 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes and 21 Academic All-Conference selections, as well as four Sun Conference Champions of Character Award winners. In addition, three Eagles earned five College Sports Information Director Association (CoSIDA) Academic All-America honors.
 
Bohon’s teams give back to their community. In 2014 alone, the women’s soccer team donated close to 380 hours in community service. The Eagles’ were named the Halifax Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Group of the Year and was the runner-up to the United Way/Bright House Civic Group of the Year in 2013.
 

At Tennessee

Bohon was assistant coach at the University of Tennessee for four seasons (2001-05), serving as the Lady Vols’ recruiting coordinator and was responsible for team defense. During her tenure, the Lady Vols won their first two Southeastern Conference titles, made three consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances, and ranked in the top 12 in the final poll of season (2002: No. 10; 2003: No. 12; No. 4 No. T11).
 
In 2003, Bohon managed a Lady Vol defense that allowed a program-low 18 goals in 24 matches and set school records in shutouts (12) and goals against average (0.73). Her efforts on the recruiting trail brought in a class that was ranked fifth nationally and was tops in the SEC and the Central Region in 2005.
 

As a Player

Bohon was also affiliated with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Program from 1998 to 2000. She served as a team captain for the Under 21 National Team and was a floating member of the 1999 Women’s World Cup Residency program. She made two international appearances with the full team, netting a goal against Finland and registering an assist against the Ukraine. In addition, she played for the Raleigh Wings in the W-League, which won a national championship in 1999.
 
Bohon played collegiate soccer at Duke University where she was a four-year starter from 1994-97. A three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference and All-South selection, Bohon was selected as a Freshman All-American and a third-team All-American by Soccer News and Soccer America. She was a tri-captain for the Blue Devils’ nationally ranked squad and also garnered ACC All-Academic honors.
 
Over her four-year career, Bohon tallied 38 points on 16 goals and six assists. As a senior, she worked her way into fifth place on the Duke single-season scoring charts after registering 28 points (13 goals, 2 assists).
 
Bohon continued to contribute to the Blue Devils’ success on the field as a volunteer assistant coach for the 1998 and 1999 seasons. She also interned at the NCAA office in Indianapolis, Ind. where she assisted with the operations of the 2001 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball championships.
 
Bohon is a product of Seabreeze High School in Ormond Beach, Fla., and was inducted into the Sandcrabs’ Hall of Fame in December 2014. Upon graduation from Seabreeze, Bohon went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Duke with a double major in English and Sociology in 1998. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Sport Administration from the University of North Carolina in 2001.
 
Bohon was also very active in the local community serving on the Campus Outreach-Florida Board, as well as running clinics and youth soccer camps locally. She also coached in Region III of the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program.
 
Bohon and her husband Matt have three sons – Barres (11), Walker (9) and Corder (7).
 

Samantha Bohon File

Birthdate

• June 7, 1976 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Collegiate

as Samantha Baggett (Duke: 1994-97)
16 goals – 6 assists – 38 points

• All-Atlantic Coast Conference – 1994 (first), 1996 and 1997 (second)
• NSCAA All-East/All-Atlantic Region – 1995 (third team), 1996 (first), 1997 (second)
• 1994 Freshman All-American / Soccer News All-America Third Team
• 1998 ACC Honor Roll

U.S. National Team

• 1998-99 U.S. U-21 Team Captain
• U.S. National Team Floating Member
• 1999 Women’s World Cup Residency Program
• Two caps – scoring a goal vs Finland and assist vs Ukraine

Coaching Career

• Embry-Riddle Head Coach (2007-21)
• University of Tennessee Assistant Coach (2001-05)
• Duke Volunteer Coach (1998-99)

Coaching Honors

• 2021 Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year
• 2012, 2010 & 2009 Sun Conference Coach of the Year
• 2011 & 2012 NAIA-NSCAA/Mondo East Region Coach of the Year

Education

• Bachelor’s degrees in English Sociology from Duke (1998)
• Master’s in Sports Administration from North Carolina (2001)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – The journey for a third national title for Florida softball will begin in Gainesville.

On Sunday, the NCAA Tournament selection committee chose the Gators as the No. 14 seed in the 64-team field. The road to Omaha will start at home for the orange and blue, as they will host the Regional round of competition.

The other three teams in their region are Canisius, Georgia Tech, and Wisconsin. Florida will face Canisius first in the double elimination format.

Last season, the Gators were the No. 4 seed and after breezing through the likes of South Florida and South Alabama in Regional action, lost back-to-back games to Southeastern Conference rival, Georgia, at home in the Super Regionals to get knocked out of the tournament.

This year, Florida is one of a dozen teams from the SEC in pursuit of a national championship. It’s the most represented conference by at least five schools, as the PAC-12 has the second most teams in the field with seven.

The postseason action kicks off at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Friday, May 20.