Head coach Mike White and the Gators secured their second win on the transfer portal Friday when news broke that Boston College forward CJ Felder chose Florida as his next destination.
Felder, a 6-foot-7, 230 pound forward from South Carolina, played for the Eagles for two seasons. He appeared in 50 games, including 35 starts, and saw 27.8 minutes per game in 2020-21. He scored 9.7 points and brought down 5.9 rebounds per game.
Felder adds two key pieces for the Gators: a defensive rebounder and an interior protector.
4.6 of his 5.9 rebounds a game were on the defensive glass, and his KenPom defensive rebounding percentage of 19.8 would have paced Florida by three percent last season. The Gators were one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country a year ago, 275th in the country in offensive rebounding allowed, and Felder’s presence fills a sore weakness.
Felder could also be one of the best shot blockers at Florida. He averaged 2.2 blocks per game at Boston College, and his block percentage of 8.07 was good enough for 51st in the nation and trailed only Colin Castleton from the Gators. If Castleton, who declared for the NBA Draft earlier this week but retained eligibility, returns to school, Florida could tote one of the best defensive tandems in the conference, if not the entire country.
Felder is no slouch on the offensive end, either. He owned the third highest offensive rating on the Eagles, 102.4, and scored 185 points on 146 shots. He even improved his three-point shot, as he leapt from just a 16.1% his freshman year to 31.4% this past season.
Felder likely fits in as a four for the Gators, which means his playing time will be both dependent on the health of Keyontae Johnson and a battle with Anthony Duruji.
ChompTalk.com 
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