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Photo: Kowacie Reeves Jr.; Credit: Zach Goodall

Former Florida Gators wing Kowacie Reeves Jr. announced Georgia Tech as his transfer destination on Friday evening.

The Macon (Ga.) native will return home to suit up for the Yellow Jackets with two seasons of eligibility remaining. The move is an impressive victory for newly minted head coach Damon Stoudamire.

Reeves averaged 7.1 points on 37.7% from the field and 29.9% from three, and 2.1 rebounds per game through two seasons with the Gators.

He struggled in his inconsistency at Florida, relative to his billing as an elite three-point shooter coming out of high school. Flashing promise as a natural long-range scorer at times, Reeevs failed to grow into his own as he experienced immense turmoil as a sophomore.

His year, albeit beginning as a starter as he was expected to take on a complementary role to Colin Castleton as the focal point of the unit’s offensive attack, was defined by “Did Not Play - Coaches Decision” designations during the Phil Knight Invitational in the first month of the season.

Reeves was reinserted into the lineup following Florida's tumultuous trip west, but he never found his groove to operate at the level expected of him as a lack of trust and seemingly short leash plagued his success from there on out.

As a result, he shared his intentions for a fresh start just one day following the season’s close.

Becoming the first of five portal entries from the Gators 2022-23 roster — and eighth overall departure — Reeves quickly began the search for a new home. His undeniable talent as a former top 50 talent earned him looks from several Power Six schools, including Georgia, Boston College, Ole Miss, Stanford and others.

Ultimately, Reeves elected to return just over an hour away from his hometown by pledging to Georgia Tech.

There, he’ll get the opportunity to rekindle what looked to be a promising young career at the end of his sophomore campaign. Reeves is expected to take on a substantial role as the face of the Yellow Jackets in year one of new leadership.

Todd Golden bas also begun to fill out the vacant spots on their roster, already pinning down Yale transfer EJ Jarvis to fill a hole at the four spot next season.

Several prospects, including Micah Handlogten (Marshall), Tylor Perry (North Texas) and Jared Bynum (Providence), are officially visiting Gainesville this weekend. Florida recently hosted Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. on a multi-day official visit, while Charleston Southern transfer Claudell Harris Jr. is scheduled to appear on campus on April 14.

This comes on the news of Riley Kugel’s return for year two in orange and blue, a massive re-addition for Golden’s roster in 2023-24 and the top priority heading into the offseason.

This article first appeared on Florida Gators on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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