Fudge is probably the Duruji replacement at the 4. Duruji was also undersized at the 4 but made up with his athleticism and leaping ability. Alex Fudge is similarly of that mold.
Felder is maybe 6'6",...with his shoes on,...need another legit big 4 that can 5 if he has to,...like Reed.
Broome is the 1 piece that none of these 3/4 types fit into. I really think he would make Florida elite with CC and Broome as your front court. He'd lighten CC's minutes and you can play them together allowing one big to focus on rebounding when CC is posting up and on defense, along with having 2 great shot blockers. Definitely disappointed about losing Reed even more than Reneau, but if you add Broome, I can understand him looking elsewhere. Also, Kugel is highly under-rated imo and would be another solid guard to add, so if you add him and Ward you still have a really good freshman class. Hope Reed does re-commit but he may be waiting to see what happens with Broome and or Ward.
But he has long arms, contests shots, and plays physically. Golden has also repeatedly praised Anfernee McLemore, who started at the freakin 5 for Auburn at like 6’7”, 220! Seems like he really prizes agility and skill over size (though those obviously aren’t mutually exclusive).
Jalen Reed being in California, probably had many people out there telling him where to go and take a big NiL package from whoever, also recruiters and agents trying to get his ear. I wondered when, not if he would. Jalen, if you are reading this, the way Todd Golden is filling up this team with great assistant coaches and quality players, Florida will be getting National buzz in the media. Watch the recruiting as the last two spots are filled, you could have been a key player in a major return to National scene.
I thought he’d confirmed he was sticking after the golden hire? Id say with the way this portal madness is going, and the fact Golden seems pretty good at it, it’s almost not a big deal anymore even to lose a high rated recruit. Wheras before the portal such losses were devastating. Now you can instantly plug a hole with a player with some degree of college experience. That being said, this means we definitely need to add size to bulk up the 4/5 rotation to aid Castleton. Maybe we were anyway, and Reed was concerned about that PT being less open (such as if we added Bromme)?
I doubt that Reed is or viewed himself as a 5. The Gators’ signing of Fudge could be what pushed Reed into the portal. If Golden wants 13 players on scholarships, he should be adding 2 more bigs so that we have at least 3 guys who can play the 4, and 3 guys who can play the 5. That would protect us against illnesses, injuries, etc.
He’s 6”7 231. Big difference between 185 (Fudge) and Felder at 231. Felder is a grown man and 50 pounds heavier. Felder is also very long and plays bigger. If we are going to say fudge has a wingspan and plays Bigger we have to say the same thing about Felder except for the fact that Felder has a ton of weight on him. With his weight I would feel comfortable with Felder playing the 4 for 15-20 minutes a game Easily. He’s been through wars in two conferences. If healthy I expect him to be our biggest surprise next year. Don’t forget he can shoot it and has decent range.
Shane, you have one sentence in your post that is incomprehensible. Could you please correct it so we can see what you intended? Thanks.
I generally agree with this analysis, except that I will not consider it a surprise. Felder is a talented player. I also expect that Fudge will be 200+ pounds by next season. Barring injuries or other bad things, we should be solid at the 4.
Kids just want to play. The money is sweet but I'd be surprised if playing time - either preceived or real - isn't most important.
Some Reed news. Jalen Reed draws interest from UK Basketball after decommitting from Florida Gators - A Sea Of Blue We'll see in the end. Kentucky recruiting former Florida signee
I think Lane can help us guarding the 1 through the 4. He's very strong and explosive. He was really impressive towards the end of the year. I am really excited to see him take the next step. He reminds me of Casey Prather.
It’s amazing that Lane had to sit on the bench for a year and a half before getting to show what he could do.
He sort of reminds me of a slightly more skilled, basketball savvy Major Parker. Similar size, athleticism, explosiveness, defensive versatility. Lane is better with the ball, though.
