UF signee Alex Condon, with his 7-foot wingspan, in action Down Under.
Harry Fodder: How Alex Condon Fits In
Thursday, April 13, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The "How They Fit" series in the past has been reserved for transfers who have parachuted into the Florida program to provide potential instant impact, rather than for additions of high school players.
We'll make an exception for the signing this week of Alex Condon, the 6-foot-11, 230-pound Australian who committed to the Gators last winter and whose acquisition became official Wednesday with the arrival of his paperwork on the first day of the spring signing period for basketball.
Know this about Condon: He is not some big-man project who is coming here to fill out the roster and merely be a scout-team guy. The UF staff expects him to compete for a spot in the 2022-23 rotation.
Todd Golden and his assistants had an eye on Condon last summer, with their positive evaluations were further validated when Saint Mary's, Golden's alma mater, got involved in his recruitment. Why? The Gaels, under longtime Coach Randy Bennett, have a track record for finding Australian diamonds in the rough, having sent both Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova to the NBA.
Dellavedova played at Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence, as did Condon, and partners with the NBA Global Academy that in the past has sent Luc Longley, Dante Exum and a fellow named Josh Giddey to the NBA. Anyone watching Wednesday night's NBA Play-In Tournament game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans saw Giddey, just 20 years old and in his second season after being taken in the '22 lottery, go for 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Now, this is not to declare that Condon, who averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds in his league this past season, will be in the NBA, but merely pointing out that they know what they're doing Down Under and these are the kind of dudes Condon has gone up against during his late-blooming development.
Alex Condon (yellow jersey), the Australian Rules Football star.
Along the way, Condon has relied on a relentless motor and physicality that can be traced to a youth career as an Australian Rules Football standout — his father (get this) is in the ARF Hall of Fame — who passed a chance to play that sport professionally to pursue basketball in America. In Florida, specifically.
There is some rawness to his skill set, especially on the offensive end, where Condon's shooting stroke needs some development. But an athletic (nearly) 7-footer with a matching 7-foot wingspan that will play as hard as anyone on the floor will be welcomed addition and falls in the line for the UF staff's vision of what they want — and what they've acquired to date in guard Walter Clayton Jr. (football background) and center Micah Handlogten (lacrosse) — as far ferocious competitors who have excelled in multiple sports.
Condon joins 6-9 forward and fall signee Thomas Haugh, another prospect whose tape is loaded with toughness, as UF's two-member incoming freshman class. Golden and the Gators aren't done yet, with only 10 of 13 scholarships for 2023-24 currenly accounted for.
