Scouting Report: Florida Gators Transfer PG Trey Bonham
The Florida Gators have been hot on the recruiting trail since Todd Golden took over in March, using the transfer portal to retool their roster.
In his efforts to silence the concern about his ability to stock a roster with talented athletes as he made the jump from mid-major to major with just three years of experience as a head coach in the NCAA, Golden has hauled in multiple high-caliber players at positions of need.
One of the three Gators commits since the Golden era began in Gainesville is VMI point guard transfer Trey Bonham. He joined Will Richard and Alex Fudge as transfers into UF this offseason.
Bonham, a rising junior, is coined as an "analytics find" by the Florida staff and is expected to give efficient and productive minutes for the Gators in 2022-23.
AllGators breaks down Bonham's skill-set and fit into Golden's system.
Related: Gators Transfer Guard Trey Bonham: 'I Would Have Committed Before My Visit'
Scouting Report
Skill-set
To put it simply, Bonham is a multi-faceted guard who is, analytically, one of the most offensively efficient guards to enter the transfer portal this offseason.
Averaging 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in two collegiate seasons, Bonham served as a vital aspect to VMI's success. Knocking down 48.7% of his total shot attempts and 36.9% from beyond the arc during his career, Bonham shows a valuable scoring prowess to attack opposing defenses at all three levels.
Possessing an obvious knack for scoring the basketball, especially off the dribble, Bonham excels when attacking the hoop and playing amongst big men on the interior.
Not only is he able to get acrobatic layups to fall, but the guard has a propensity for getting to the charity stripe, where he connects 79.2% of the time (82.6% in 2021-22).
His finesse at the rim and ability to spot up along the perimeter gives the Gators an extra dimension to their offense to adhere to the desire to shoot more threes in the new offensive system.
While his release isn't the quickest, due to a slight left to right motion from the catch point to the top of his release, Bonham does have the ability to get a shot off quickly before defenders close out on his attempt.
More importantly than nitpicking mechanics, his shots fall nearly half the time.
While his scoring is the headlining act of his well-rounded skill-set, he's flashed signs of being a smart decision-maker when facilitating the basketball to get teammates involved. Boasting a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, Bonham has been able to make the right reads while keeping the ball on a string as he attacks defenders off the dribble.
That ball security makes Bonham a high-potential option as a primary ball-handler in the SEC.
Standing relatively undersized, at 6-foot, 170 pounds, Bonham will stick out in the Florida lineup without significant length as the only player on the roster under 6-foot-3. As a result, altering shots and crashing the boards defensively won't appear frequently in his arsenal, although he can mix it up with big men down low from time to time.
However, his speed and quickness have come in handy as he shows promise jumping passing lanes, maintaining balance in front of guards that resemble his stature and chasing down long rebounds that he can turn into points in transition.
Scheme Fit
The Florida Gators entered into the spring transfer portal period searching for a primary ball-handling option to command the floor, facilitate and shot create.
Bonham, during his two seasons at VMI, showcased his ability to do so in a way that warranted a significant upgrade to the major level of college basketball. He got that by way of Golden's analytics team, who view Bonham as an uber-efficient floor general to lead the Gators into the future.
As a result, the Alabama native will step into the starting point guard immediately upon arrival.
Exuding the intangibles needed to operate in a fast-paced system as a modern-era guard, Bonham excels in nearly all areas offensively and can win with opportunistic bursts of speed to create more possessions for UF on the defensive end.
He provides the Gators with a high-basketball-IQ guard Golden can rely on in all situations and, as a result, will see an abundance of playing time during his career at Florida.
In conjunction, he currently sits as the only true point guard with collegiate experience on the squad. Incoming freshman Denzel Aberdeen will back him up in the point guard role, but Florida will likely look to ease the Dr. Phillips (Orlando) product into the lineup.
That leaves Bonham to take on heavy responsibility from day one, a challenge the former Keydet will welcome with open arms.
Final Thoughts
The experience of Bonham, despite not being at the major level, is invaluable for a Florida team that lost a heavy dose of their guard contributors in the past few offseasons.
In fact, he serves as a potential upgrade from a ball security perspective compared to what the Gators have trotted onto the court in recent years. Pairing his ability to play fast but not in a hurry with finesse around the basket, he will be a valuable asset on the scoreboard for Golden's squad for the remainder of his collegiate eligibility.
Overall, the addition of Bonham comes as a much-needed piece to the Gators' roster.
His skill-set aligns almost perfectly with the type of explosive and efficient guards Golden will look to equip Florida with heading into the future.
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