Kenny Boynton Will Return to Florida For Senior Year

Kenny Boytnon, Florida's leading scorer in the 2011-12 season, will return to the University of Florida for his senior season, tweeting the confirmation Thursday morning.

To confirm the questions being ask lately I have reached a decision and I am returning to Gainesville for my senior season #go gators

— K.B (@K_Boynton1) April 5, 2012

Boynton averaged 15.9 points per game for Florida in 2011-12, and was a revelation for the Gators in their non-conference schedule, developing a more consistent stroke from beyond the arc (he finished the season as a 40.7 percent shooter from three-point range) that helped him score 20 points or more in nine of Florida's 15 non-conference matchup.

But Boynton also fell from that level of production in SEC play, averaging 14.3 points (second to Bradley Beal) and scoring 20 or more points just three times, and was colder still in March, shooting just 32.8 percent from the field and scoring 11.8 points per game.

Returning for a senior season, and eschewing a professional career that would more likely send him overseas or to a developmental league to begin with, is a decision that will likely allow Boynton to improve on that finish, and likely challenge for Florida's all-time leads in several categories. Boynton has 1,589 points, and sits eighth on Florida's career scoring list, just 501 points behind Ronnie Williams; he also has 262 three-pointers, 23 back of Erving Walker's 285.

Boynton also gives Florida a go-to option in the backcourt after Walker's graduation, no matter whether Beal, a likely high lottery pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, chooses to return to Florida or go pro, and could serve as a mentor to Gators-to-be Michael Frazier and Dillon Graham, both shooting guards like Boynton.