NCAA Basketball: Top 10 storylines of second week of 2022 offseason

5. Florida gets back Castleton and adds a key ball-handler

New head coach Todd Golden is off to a good start at Florida, thanks to multiple announcements of good news. The first came with the pickup of LSU transfer and former top-50 wing Alex Fudge to the roster, along with Belmont transfer and 6’5 guard Will Richard, who averaged 12.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg this past season.

But the news that Gator fans were all waiting for was the status of star forward Colin Castleton, coming off a season of averaging a team-leading 16.2 ppg and 9.0 rpg. After two years at Michigan and two years at Florida, there was a chance he could go pro or even transfer after getting a new head coach this offseason.

Having the best player return is the best thing possible for Coach Golden, as he gives the team a great chance to make the NCAA Tournament. And Myreon Jones (8.5 ppg) has also elected to come back for an extra year as well, giving a boost to the backcourt. And now comes Trey Bonham, a 6’0 point guard transfer from VMI, coming off a sophomore breakout season of 13.6 ppg and 4.0 apg.

The hope is that Bonham can be an effective replacement for the outgoing Tyree Appleby in the backcourt. But most importantly, Castleton is back and Florida is in business. Of all the new SEC coaching hires, Coach Golden has been off to the hottest start.