Florida Basketball: Analyzing the impact of Niels Lane’s commitment

Florida basketball recently secured a commitment from top-100 prospect Niels Lane. What might this mean for the Gators and the others involved?

Even though head coach Mike White has only spent four full seasons with Florida basketball, he has turned the program into a recruiting powerhouse. The Gators have been a successful program on the national stage for the last several years but their recruiting victories are only just starting to pile up. Coach White secured the No. 8 overall class in the nation last year and he has already kickstarted his 2020 class with a pair of strong wings.

Samson Ruzhentsev (No. 110) was the first commit in the class but he was recently joined by 6-foot-5 shooting guard Niels Lane. Ranked as the No. 84 overall prospect in the country, Lane looks the part of a future star in Gainesville. He was heavily targeted by some of the best programs in the nation and should be a two-way leader at the college level. He is an elite athlete with a versatile defensive skill set and plenty of offensive game as well.

There is definite room for development in his game but Lane is already prepared to be an impact player. He is one of the best wing defenders in the class at this point and is growing as a scorer. Lane is not much of a playmaker but can knock down open 3-pointers and uses his athleticism to finish with authority at the rim. He plays with a great motor and Florida is certainly getting a good one.

Lane is fresh off a strong campaign while playing for Team Final (PA) on the Nike EYBL circuit. Across 18 total contests, he averaged 12.3 points (.426/.289/.692), 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. The expectation should be that he continues to grow as a backcourt star on both ends of the floor.

Now, let’s dive into how this commitment might affect Florida and the other contenders that missed out on adding the young shooting guard.