Charles Langston:Transfer portal talent Riley Kugel announces he’s committed to Kansas basketball

LAWRENCE,Charles Langston Kan. — Just days after putting Kansas basketball in his final four schools, Riley Kugel has announced he has committed to the Jayhawks.

Kugel, who announced the news in a social media post on Instagram, is the first public commitment from the transfer portal this cycle for Kansas. He was a sophomore guard this past season at Florida, where he played the first two years of his college career. And, according to the final four he revealed, he chose the Jayhawks over Arizona, UConn and Houston.

Kugel, a 6-foot-5 and 207-pound talent, started 28 of the 65 games he played for Florida the past couple seasons. Over the course of his time there, he averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

He dropped back into a bench role part of the way through his sophomore year, after earning a spot in the starting lineup midway through his freshman campaign, but he has clear potential after being named one of the Southeastern Conference’s best freshmen in his first year at this level.

Kansas needs more 3-point shooting options next season, and Kugel has shown the potential that he can considering his career mark is 34.2% (69-for-202) from behind the arc. But his shooting performance from there did dip from his freshman to sophomore year. If he can return to the shot-maker he was as a freshman, improve, and especially improve from the free-throw line, that could help the Jayhawks out a lot.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Follow him on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.