Due to transfer rules, John Egbunu won’t be eligible to play at Florida until 2015-16.
But former USF coach Stan Heath, who coached Egbunu for a season with the Bulls, said he thinks the 6-foot-11, 266-pound Egbunu has the potential to be a strong contributor for the Gators next season.
“Great kid, he worked for us,” Heath said before calling Monday night’s Florida-Miami game for ESPNU. “He’ll be fine as long as he plays to his strengths, rebounding, shot-blocking.”
In his one season at USF under Heath, Egbunu averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds to earn All-American Athletic Conference freshman honors. A native of Bauchi, Nigeria, Egbunu has been playing organized basketball for just three years. Heath said that he was surprised to see Egbunu even stronger, noting that he’s gained about 15 pounds of muscle since arriving at UF.
“He needs to develop more of a back-to-the-basket game, some post moves, a hook shot,” Heath said. “I think the year off will help him.”
