Exactly ten years ago, Todd Golden was director of basketball operations at Auburn and still learning the coaching ropes in the SEC. Now he’s a national champion, coming fresh off immense success in his third season as head coach at Florida. He built a massively successful lineup with these Gators and pushed the right buttons, marching this program to the third national championship in program history last season.
Florida’s success didn’t come out of nowhere, but the Gators were under .500 just two years before marching all the way to the title. Part of a deep and successful SEC, Florida finished 2nd in the league standings before getting hot in March, winning the SEC Tournament before that incredible run through March, including impressive wins over UConn, Texas Tech, Auburn, and Houston.
Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. led the charge for that title run but now the Gators are forced to look in a new direction. Clayton isn’t the only weapon gone from the rotation, as this team will certainly miss what Alijah Martin and Will Richard provided as well. Florida also lost Denzel Aberdeen to the transfer portal and will have a brand new look in this backcourt, but this roster isn’t as decimated as you may think.
When Billy Donovan led Florida to their first national title in 2006, the entire starting five returned and cut down the nets a year later. The case is not the same for these Gators, but still a significant amount of the talent is back in Gainesville and pairs nicely with a crew of offseason additions. We’ll dive into the impactful pieces on the roster, look a little bit at the schedule, and start figuring out if a repeat title could be in order.
Projected Starters
Guard – Xaivian Lee (Senior)
One of the Ivy League’s best pure scorers, Lee joins the Gators and will run the show after three solid seasons at Princeton. As a junior he put up 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, making just under 37% of his 3-pointers. Lee is a natural shotmaker and ball distributor who steps into a major role in the SEC but was one of the flashiest players in recent memory in the Ivy League and is ready for this challenge.
Guard – Boogie Fland (Sophomore)
Another incredible transfer portal addition from Golden and his staff, Fland is a former 5-star recruit who joins the Gators after recent success in the SEC. As a freshman at Arkanas, Fland averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, missing several weeks due to injury. He’s now healthy and assumes a major role as a shot maker and facilitator for the Gators, hoping to step into the role vacated by Clayton and others this offseason.
Forward – Thomas Haugh (Junior)
Haugh wasn’t a starter last season but he was still a big part of Florida’s success en route to that national title. This 6-9 forward put up 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and still played a significant role off the bench. Haugh not only rates as a great rebounder and solid defender but was one of the most efficient offensive players in the SEC last season when he was on the court and now has a chance for even more production as an upperclassman.
Forward/Center – Alex Condon (Junior)
Just another significant frontcourt presence back from last year’s success, Condon is a 6-11 big man out of Australia who earned Third Team All-SEC honors in a breakout season. He averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game with solid efficiency numbers. He’s got great size, projects as a great rebounder and shot blocker, and is also back for a junior season still hungry for even more success.
Center – Rueben Chinyelu (Junior)
Yet another returning face in this frontcourt, Chinyelu spent his freshman season at Washington State before winning the title as the Gators’ center last year. His sophomore year saw him total 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, making just under 60% of his field goal attempts. Originally from Nigeria, Chinyelu isn’t someone who’s going to score double digits every night but brings unparalleled strength and stature to the back end of this defense.
Key Reserves
Center – Micah Handlogten (Senior)
A gruesome leg injury kept Handlogten out for a significant portion of last season, as the former Marshall center wasn’t on the court for the Gators until February. He made the most of his chances, putting up 2.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in limited minutes while becoming a national champion with this group. The 7-footer is healthier and hoping for an even more impactful role off the bench in this very strong, physical frontcourt.
Guard – Alex Lloyd (Freshman)
One young addition to this roster, Lloyd is a 6-3 shooting guard out of Fort Lauderdale and a 4-star recruit in this year’s incoming class. He’s a crafty weapon who can actually play both backcourt positions and has great shotmaking ability. Speed comes naturally for Lloyd, and we could see him use his talent on both ends of the ball to earn minutes as a true freshman.
Guard – Urban Klavzar (Junior)
Although he didn’t play a ton of minutes last season, Klavzar is the most significant returning player in a mostly new-look backcourt. Seeing time in most of the Gators’ games, he averaged 3.2 points and 0.8 assists in a reserve role. The Slovenian has ridiculous talent as an outside shooter and could be a lethal weapon off the bench if that part of his game takes off in his second year playing college ball.
Guard – CJ Ingram (Freshman)
Considered a consensus Top 25 recruit from this year’s class, Ingram is a 6-6 wing from Montverde, Florida. Physicality and size are two of Ingram’s strengths, allowing him to be an attacker and great rebounder. His game as a whole is still coming together, especially with his shooting, but he should grow into a great asset with this athleticism and natural ability.
Guard – AJ Brown (Junior)
The third and final piece of the transfer class is Brown, a 6-4 guard from Orlando who’s closer to home after solid work in the MAC with Ohio. He’s fresh off a nice sophomore season, averaging 13.2 points and 3.2 rebounds while knocking down 38% of his 3-pointers with the Bobcats. While not as impactful as Lee and Fland, Brown is still a very efficient shooter who’ll see solid time on the court.
Schedule Outlook
The defending champions certainly don’t have an easy start to the season as they’ll highlight opening night in Las Vegas, facing Arizona on November 3 as part of the Hall of Fame Series. After the home opener against North Florida and a matchup with rival Florida State, the Gators face fellow in-state rival Miami as part of the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown. The month concludes with the Rady Children’s Invitational out in San Diego, with matchups against TCU and either Providence or Wisconsin.
December begins with a bang as the Gators head to Durham for a crazy atmosphere at Duke, playing December 2nd as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Exactly one week later this team heads to Madison Square Garden to face UConn as part of the Jimmy V Classic, a matchup pitting the last three national champions. The last game of note is the Orange Bowl Classic against George Washington before a couple more tuneups at home before SEC play begins.
The unbalanced scheduling in the SEC means the Gators see just three league opponents both home and away and this year that’s Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina. They really luck out with their only dates with Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, and Tennessee all coming at home, but contests at schools like Texas, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt will still be challenging. The Gators are looking to build on last season’s success before finishing the regular season in Lexington against the Wildcats on March 7th.
Season Outlook
There quickly became two sides of the coin for the defending national champions this season. While the team lost significant scorers and backcourt talent, the frontcourt is almost entirety intact. That group helped spearhead the national success and that trio of returning juniors will be paramount for whatever is to come this season in Gainesville.
We’ll start right there and it’s a three-pack of talent that’s virtually unmatched not just this season but in recent memory in this sport. It’s not just that Chinyelu, Condon, and Haugh are all big athletes but that they all came back and technically all could return again for their senior seasons next year. Each of them is a bit different but the combination of all three means Florida has one of the best and most experienced frontcourts in the nation.
Faced with the challenge of replacing those backcourt legends, Golden and his staff got a major win when they landed Fland from Arkansas. We didn’t see full-fledged Fland last season thanks to that late injury, but he projects as a complete weapon who can be that top-level scorer for the Gators. Let’s not also forget that Lee is a dynamic point guard with his own scoring ability, giving this Florida backcourt the same kind of 1-2 punch from the portal that they just had with Clayton and Martin, two former mid-majors.
Behind that formidable starting lineup some questions start to form, especially in the backcourt. We know that there’s talent here, but it’s all about who asserts themselves among the young new pieces. Brown can really score and is actually the elder statesman on the bench, but can someone like Lloyd or Klavzar take that established step forward and be a game changer as a reserve? Additionally, can Handlogten provide the same kind of role as a backup now fully back from that leg injury?
When the regular season starts, Florida won’t open it as the favorites to repeat as national champions but you can bet that they’ll be in the conversation. Returning this much talent from a title-winning team while adding significant athletes like Fland into the mix gives the Gators as much of a chance as any defending champion in recent memory. Golden’s experience in Gainesville has already been magical but does this team have even more magic in the tank this season?