ORLANDO – The UCF men’s basketball team has added Mississippi State transfer Riley Kugel to the 2025-26 roster, as announced by head coach Johnny Dawkins on Thursday.
“Riley is a proven winner with some high-level experience. He’s a terrific perimeter player and a three-level scorer. As an Orlando native, he’s excited to come home and wants to see his hometown succeed. We’re happy to have him.”
Johnny DawkinsUCF Men's Basketball Head CoachHailing from Orlando, Kugel averaged 9.3 points per contest last season on 43.3% shooting from the floor and 33.3% from deep. He tallied career-highs in assists and steals during the 2024-25 campaign, earning 51 and 36, respectively. Kugel spent his first two seasons at Florida before transferring to Mississippi State for his junior campaign.
The six-foot-five guard has made a postseason appearance in all three of his collegiate seasons, going to the NCAA Tournament twice as well as an NIT. Most recently, he tallied 11 points and a pair of rebounds in Mississippi State’s March Madness first round contest against Baylor this season. His sophomore campaign saw him matchup with Colorado in the NCAA Tournament’s first round in a memorable, high-scoring affair, one that saw his Gators fall 102-100. Kugel scored 11 points while hauling in four boards and snatching three steals in the loss. UCF crossed paths with Kugel in his freshman season, matching up with the Gators in the first round of the NIT. Despite Kugel tallying 13 points in the contest, the Knights powered their way to an 18-point victory in Gainesville, topping Florida 67-49.
The rising senior posted a trio of 20+ point games, including scoring a season-high 22 points twice, doing so against Butler and Bethune-Cookman. Additionally, he tallied 21 in an SEC contest against Ole Miss. In total, Kugel recorded double-digit points in 17 games during his junior slate.
Prior to being named to the 2022-23 All-SEC Freshman Team, Kugel played for Ben Witherspoon at Dr. Phillips High School, winning a Class 7A State Championship in 2021. At the conclusion of his high school career, Kugel checked in as a four-star prospect who ranked No. 67 nationally in ESPN’s Class of 2022 rankings. He was originally committed to Mississippi State before joining Florida for his first two seasons of college hoops. In addition to basketball, Kugel participated in baseball, football and track growing up.
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