GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Less than three minutes into Saturday's second half at Arkansas, Florida 6-foot-11 sophomore forward
Alex Condon picked up his third foul, which was problematic because the Gators' other starter in the front court, center Ruben Chinyelu, had picked up his third foul just before halftime.
Then, with just over 16 minutes to play, super-sub forward
Thomas Haugh was called for his second foul. Haugh's third and fourth fouls came in the next two-plus minutes. Not long after that, Chinyelu was whistled for his fourth.
Condon, who went scoreless with four rebounds and a minus-4 on-court tally in the first half, understood the charge. UF was getting some terrific backup minutes from 6-8 reserve forward
Sam Alexis, but the Gators needed Condon, with a foul to spare, on the floor. He had to play smart, but maintain his physicality in the post and log some productive minutes down the stretch in a difficult road environment while Chinyelu and Haugh waited on the bench.
"I just crashed really hard in the second half," Condon said.
Here's how hard: 12 points and six rebounds over his 14 minutes, with 10 of those points in the final five minutes to help the Gators close out the Razorbacks. Condon finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists without a turnover for his second double-double of the week. Just four nights earlier, in UF's rousing rout of No. 1 Tennessee, Condon posted near-identical digits of 12 points, 12 boards, four assists and no turnovers.
Not bad for the 20-year-old whose sport of choice going up wasn't basketball, but rather Australian rules football just a few years ago. That tends to happen for guys who grow up in Australia. When he turned his skill set to basketball -- his length, height, hands, great footwork and stamina to run all day -- toughness already was built into the package.
And not bad for a prospect who had three scholarship offers.
"He's going to start getting a lot of praise and a lot of notoriety for the way he's playing, which he deserves," Florida coach
Todd Golden said.
Alex Condon's ability to run the floor and improved skills in handling the ball and passing (8 assists, 0 turnovers in two SEC games last week) have made the Gators all the more dangerous.
The latest accolades rolled in Monday when Condon was named Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Week, a first such honor for the sophomore from Down Under. The Gators (15-1, 2-1) will ask their blossoming big man to build on his performance from the two games last week with his two this week, starting Tuesday night when Missouri (13-3, 2-1) comes calling for a late one at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Condon is averaging 11.0 points, a team-high 8.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He's improved on all his numbers from a very sound, base-laying All-SEC Freshman season and become a godsend "big" in a system that demands consistent and outstanding play from its two front court players.
Golden loves everything about the kid they call "Condo," especially his willingness to be coached in blunt ways.
"I enjoy being hard on him, reminding him that he was [an Australian rules football] player until he was 13 or 14, and that nobody thought he was any good when he was coming out of high school; he had very little recruitment," Golden said. "It's the constant chip on his shoulder that he plays with that allows him to now be one of the better front court players out there. And if he continues to play with that edge and that energy, he's going to keep getting better and better and better."
Alex Condon (21) celebrates a flush against Arizona State.
At Arkansas, Condon scored 10 of his 12 points over the final 4:52, just after the Razorbacks had cut an 11-point lead to three. Out of a timeout, UF senior guard
Walter Clayton Jr. hit a 3-pointer for a little breathing room, then Condon added a pair of free throws, followed by a slam-dunk in transition off a feed from Clayton to put the team back up by 10.
When the lead was down to seven approaching two minutes, Florida had the ball with shot clock winding down. Clayton was probing inside when he spotted Condon open at the top of the key and pitched the ball backward. Condon gathered and stepped into a rhythm 3-pointer that knocked down and made him nine of 21 from the arc this season (42.9 percent).
He was 28.9 from out there (11 of 38) a season ago.
Better and better, indeed. That's not just the coach's prediction, it's the expectation.
"I anticipate him being the type of guy that will enjoy the pressure to do that," Golden said.
Missouri, already with an upset home win over then-No. 1 Kansas last month, has some very good offensive weapons, but UF needs to capitalize on what could be a significant advantage with its inside game and prowess on the glass. Condon figures to be in the mix down there, but if the Gators are to be at their best they need Chinyelu and Haugh on the floor, rather than on the bench in foul trouble.
Florida's bigs had mostly avoided foul trouble this season and considering officials called the Gators for a season-high 23 fouls that sent the Razorbacks to the foul line an opponent's season-high 35 times (including 27 in the second half), what went down with the UF front court in Fayetteville likely was an outlier.
What isn't an outlier is Condon's trajectory. That appears to be a constant.
So expect Golden to continue coaching his young Aussie hard. It appears to be working.
"I really enjoy someone who's going to be honest with me," Condon said. "I would rather him not sugarcoat stuff."
No worries, mate.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
