The Florida Gators basketball team appears to be stocking up on transfers. And good ones, too.
Jon Horford, the younger brother of former Gator star Al Horford, will transfer to Florida. He will be eligible to play immediately since he has already graduated from Michigan.
Obviously, it’s a huge get for Billy Donovan. Many have wondered how the Gators will fare this year (meaning in 2014/15- last season was a great one, but it’s over and it’s time to move on now) with the losses of four seniors, but this pickup should provide some much needed depth in the front court to go along with the strong backcourt of Kasey Hill and Michael Frazier II. Between Horford and Chris Walker, Florida could pull down a lot of rebounds.
He’s also got a good amount of big game experience. He’s made a trip to the Final Four with Michigan two years ago and a trip to the Elite Eight last year, which gives him a leg up on fellow transfers Eli Carter and Damontre Harris in that aspect.
Like I warned some people about Alex Murphy (younger brother of Erik), though, don’t expect Jon to be like his brother. He’s only going to get one year in Billy’s system, and he may not even start. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, as Dorian Finney-Smith proved to be quite valuable in some spots as the sixth man last year. I see him Horford as more of a consistent role player who can grab some boards here or there when Walker or Finney-Smith gets in foul trouble or need a rest. I will say this: he’s essentially a lock to play more minutes than the 13.8 he logged per game last year at Michigan. He may not start, but he will contribute.
In any case, it’s nice to have a guy with a last name that Gator fans are already fond of, even if he did contribute six points in Michigan’s Elite Eight rout of Florida two years ago. Just don’t expect him to do too much right away.
