Florida Sports Wires

GAINESVILLE, (Florida Sports Wire) - Colin Castleton was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after helping the Gators earn a pair of victories last week. Castleton is the first SEC player this century to post 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots in a conference game, second to do so in any game (Ben Simmons, 12/2/15 vs. North Florida). Castleton is also the first player nationally to hit all of those marks vs. a D-I opponent in nearly four years (Jordan Murphy, Minnesota, 1/19/19 vs. Penn State) and only the fourth this century to do so against a power-conference opponent. Castleton also scored his 1,000th point as a Gator in the win vs. Missouri, becoming the second transfer in Florida history to reach the milestone (Dorian Finney-Smith) and the 55th overall member of Florida's 1,000-point club. Castleton's six assists and three steals vs. Mizzou both marked career highs, and his 13 rebounds were a season high, as he no...

Florida came out firing from the start and continued bombing away until the finish of today’s 88-71 victory over ninth-ranked West Virginia in this year’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators (14-7) made 12 three-point field goals and shot 53.1 percent from the floor for the game against a Mountaineer defense that came into today’s game ranked first in the country in steals and turnovers, and second in the country in field goal percentage defense. Today, the Gators were making them with hands in their faces, wide open, it didn’t matter. And Florida, one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country, was even making those as well – 24 of 31. Dorian Finney-Smith hit five of seven from long range, added five of six from the free throw line and finished with a game-high 24 points. Gator guard Brandone Francis-Ramirez came off the bench to hit all three of his three-point attempts and finished with nine, and guards KeVaughn Allen...

Jalen Jones scored 26 points and Danuel House added 22 to help Texas A&M (14-2, 4-0 SEC) defeat Florida 71-68 for their seventh straight win. Florida (10-6, 2-2 SEC) never led after halftime. Dorian Finney-Smith led the visitors with 17 points and Justin Leon had 16. The Gators' KeVaughn Allen, who averages 10.5 points a game, was held scoreless. The undefeated streak in SEC play is te Aggies best league start since going 4-0 to open Big 12 play in 2006-07. The Aggies are 10-0 on their home court. The winning streak is the longest since winning 13 straight in 2010-11.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida has hired Michael White as head men’s basketball coach, director of athletics Jeremy Foley announced on Thursday. White, the 2014-15 Conference USA Coach of the Year, comes to the Gators after leading Louisiana Tech to a 101-40 record (.716) over the past four seasons, including three straight conference championships. Born in Dunedin, Fla., White brings a wealth of SEC experience to the Gators, as a four-year starter at Ole Miss and later an assistant coach for seven seasons under two different head coaches on the Rebels’ bench. “I have an incredible amount of respect for the University of Florida, and I am so excited to be a Gator,” White said. “Not only is Florida home for me, but the tradition and success that the Gators have built make this an incredible opportunity. I know about the great home court advantage in the O’Connell Center, which is a testament to the fans and the Rowdy Reptiles. There’s an unbelievable commitment to ex...