A late addition to the transfer portal, Kyle Lofton now preparing to lead UF's backcourt
A few weeks after the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season, Kyle Lofton’s mindset hadn’t changed.
Barring an injury, Lofton's upcoming fifth season would be his last, and he expected to finish his collegiate career with St. Bonaventure, the program he signed with prior to the 2018-19 season.
But circumstances changed, and Lofton had to make business decision about what was best for his future. He chose to transfer and play basketball at Florida.
“I was going to stay there — me, Osun, Dom — we were all going to stay because we all three, we came (to St. Bonaventure) together,” Lofton said of Osun Osunniyi and Dominick Welch. “So once Dom entered (the transfer portal), me and Osun talked about it, that we might as well go somewhere else and rebuild. Somewhere, there was a better opportunity.”
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Five days before the NCAA transfer portal closed for the summer on May 1, Lofton filed his paperwork, effectively ending his tenure at St. Bonaventure and opening his recruitment for the second time in five years.
Soon, his phone was buzzing with calls from Division I coaches from around the country; nearly 30 programs reached out within the first two days of Lofton's decision to find a new home. Lofton, a Hillside, New Jersey, native, quickly heard from Rutgers University, which is just 20 minutes from where he grew up, among a wide range of programs across the country.
In addition to Rutgers, Lofton visited Ohio State, Purdue and Arizona. The Southeastern Conference initially didn’t appear in Lofton’s future — until a conversation with Florida coach Todd Golden.
“I fell in love with the staff, their goals,” Lofton said, “and where they could take my game.”
An official visit to Florida was quickly scheduled for both Lofton and Osunniyi, which only served to reassure Lofton’s initial opinion of UF’s newly hired coaching staff. It wasn’t the warmer climate or the draw of heightened competition luring Lofton to Gainesville — it was, again, a business decision.
“When I came on my visit, this really wasn’t one of my top schools, but I came here with Osun — he ended up going to Iowa State — but I liked the staff and the goals they had for me,” he said. “I think this is a great place for me to be.”
Although he’s yet to take the court for the Gators, Lofton, now enrolled as a graduate student, doesn’t envision SEC competition being entirely different from the level of play in the Atlantic 10 Conference. It may be the next level, but Lofton, a three-time All-Atlantic 10 performer and two-time Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team honoree, still holds his former conference in high regard, saying any team in the A10 is capable of going toe to toe with the best of the best.
“It’s crazy, like people downplay it, but I think it’s one of the best, top five leagues in the country. And it showed, every time we played a high-major or big school, any team in the A-10 would probably win,” he said. “But, I mean, SEC is the next step. More athletic guys, longer, so I’m ready for the challenge.”
Lofton won't need to play so many minutes for the Gators
The Gators are certainly counting on Lofton to be up for the task.
As offseason workouts get underway, Lofton is poised to take on the role of starting point guard in Florida’s backcourt, though he feels capable of playing off the ball, too. Whatever helps UF get out in transition and set up the offense, Lofton is willing to do.
“I know I'll probably be the one, but I can play the two,” Lofton said. “Like, just really position-less. Someone else gets the rebound, they can push it. So that's the good thing about that."
If the pace of play is as up-tempo as both Lofton and his new head coach envision, there’s a significant chance he’ll see one notable statistic dip during the 2022-23 season: his usage. Lofton averaged 38.1 minutes per game over his four-year career at St. Bonaventure, the highest average in the nation among Division I players.
He may be more than capable of playing through fatigue, but the Gators anticipate having multiple capable ball-handlers so it will no longer be a necessity for Lofton to play 95% of a contest, night in, night out.
For Lofton, who dealt with an ankle sprain during the middle of the 2021-22 season, minimizing his usage — especially during the buildup to conference play — was an enticing aspect of Florida’s pitch during his official visit.
“That’s one of the reasons I came here — the style of play, up and down and more possessions, more players,” Lofton said. “I’ll definitely come out of the game more, so that will be good.”
Regardless of how many minutes he ends up averaging, the Gators are clearly setting Lofton up to be a leader in the backcourt, and from what he’s seen of Florida’s offensive system, Lofton believes his skill set is well-suited for what UF plans to deploy.
"Less structure, more up and down play. I can showcase my game better,” Lofton said. “It will have more possessions, being in the pick and roll, and having the court open.”
Before the game itself, however, comes the leadership aspect off the court, which Lofton is already embracing despite his newcomer status in Gainesville. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lofton’s new teammates.
“Kyle, he's gonna be the leader. So I'm gonna just try to follow him and learn as much as I can from him,” UF guard Trey Bonham said. “We haven't been on the court too much, but his attention to detail. I'm just trying to watch him, watch every little thing he does.”