Gators basketball coach (and national champ) Todd Golden addresses the crowd of 56,000 during the Orange & Blue Game halftime celebration.
Let the Offseason Retooling Begin
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The fun and festivities (and there was plenty of both) of Florida's marvelous, miraculous and mind-bending run to the 2025 NCAA men's basketball championship gave way Wednesday to the what's-next reality for the program with the first official news drop of the offseason.
Sophomore forward Alex Condon, the team's top rebounder and fourth-leading scorer, announced he was entering the NBA Draft evaluation process, but will maintain his collegiate eligibility option. The development was merely a confirmation of what Todd Golden said would happen when he met with media Saturday for his de facto season-ending session after the team was honored – in front of about 56,000 – during a rousing celebration at the Orange & Blue Spring Game in "The Swamp."
There are mock drafts out there that have 6-foot-11, 230-pound Condon projected as a first-round pick, but his exit is not a given. Sort of like the projected 2025-26 roster, the overhaul of which has begun with the losses of guards Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, the team's top three scorers, respectively, and the best guard tandem in the country.
Clayton, named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 22.3 points and burying 20 3-pointers, teamed with Martin and Richard to provide 47% of the team's scoring, 51.5 of its assists and nearly 57% of steals. The trio cemented their status in UF basketball lore, each of them transfers who joined the program under different circumstances.
Richard, from Belmont, was the first player to commit to play for Golden, taking a leap of faith alongside the unknown coach following his arrival from the University of San Francisco in 2022. Then came Clayton, by way of Iona, with his reputation as an elite shot-maker who could be the focal point of an offense. He was. And then there was Martin, whose defense and winning ways catapulted Florida Atlantic to unfathomable Final Four heights and put the roster over the top. As Gators, they combined to start 219 of 224 games, score 3,223 points and – in their lone season as teammates – were the foundation of a team that won 36 games and the program's first national championship since Billy Donovan famously led the back-to-backs of 2006-07.
Now, they're gone, but they left behind a standard by which all future Golden teams will be measured. That's tough, but that's also a product of success.
"The sustaining is difficult because of the expectation," Golden said. "We've proven we can do it. It's very difficult to do. But now – whether it's people in our program or staff or fans that have tasted that success that Florida has not really seen at this level [since the Donovan era] at a place that expects it and really enjoys and gets behind the people that bring it – yeah, there's pressure. There's going to be a lot more pressure. As I said when I got the job, the pressure of being at Florida is a privilege. It's better to do it here than a lot of other places."
Time will tell whether Condon will be part of the pressure next season. Again, don't rule it out. Remember, both Clayton and Richard went through the NBA eval process last season, got valuable feedback and went to work. Condon had a terrific regular season, averaging 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds, but something of an uneven postseason, especially when facing bigger, stronger players in the post like he would in the NBA.
Whatever happens, no one will forget some of the plays he made during his two seasons, especially the championship-sealing dive for the loose ball that ended UF's 65-63 victory over Houston in the NCAA final.
Condon, though, is just one piece.
"We had some really productive player meetings," Golden said. "I feel really good about where we are."
As a sophomore, 6-9 forward Thomas Haugh proved as valuable as anyone on the team, especially during games when the Gators were dealing with injuries to starters. He finished at 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per, but in the six games (five starts) that Haugh had to step to replace Condon, he averaged 13.6 points over 31.3 minutes, plus 3.5 assists. Haugh shot 33.3% from the 3-point line, but that was up 8% from his freshman season. Considering Haugh improved his free-throw shooting from 45.7% to 79.5 from freshman to sophomore season, it makes sense he will put in the work to improve his 3-point marksmanship also. He'll need to, as Haugh projects at both the small forward spot he played in '24-25 and the small forward wing spot vacated by Richard.
If starting 6-11, 255-pound center and rising junior Rueben Chinyelu (6.0 points, 6.6 rebounds per game), 7-1 senior backup Micah Handlogten 2.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and senior reserve Sam Alexis (4.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg) all return, along with Viktor Mikic (4 games) and 7-9 walk-on Olivier Rioux (who knows what's in store for the tallest teenager on the planet?), the Gators would likely have the most formidable front court in the country (and definitely would if both Condon and Haugh are back). Don't rule out the lure of the portal, however.
Aberdeen, a true and loyal program player, has been on a positive trajectory from his time at the end of the bench as a seldom-seen freshman. He could have transferred, but stuck out the development process. He was promised 20 minutes off the bench this time last year and got it (19.8), but along the way was summoned to start five games due to injuries to Clayton and Martin and delivered by averaging 14.4 points and hitting a dozen 3s in those games (all wins). UF was 24-0 when Aberdeen hit at least one 3. The Gators are expected to use the portal to further bolster the backcourt, but Aberdeen, the senior, will get the first crack at PG1.
Also back will be junior Urban Klavzar (3.2 ppg). The late-summer add from Slovenia shot 34% from the 3-point line, but 46% in Southeastern Conference play. His role will increase. Sophomore Isaiah Brown (8 games), at 6-4, 195, is an elite athlete with lots of upside and is expected to contend for rotation minutes. Point guard Kajus Kublickas, the Lithuanian who got just 25 minutes over six games during his sophomore season, is transferring.
The Gators have two incoming freshmen, both guards, in CJ Ingram, the son of former UF football player Cornelius Ingram, and Alex Lloyd. The long and wildly athletic Ingram rocketed up the recruiting charts during the '24 summer circuit and has the look of an instant impact guy, especially on the defensive end.
There are holes on the roster and coaching staff announcements (after losing offensive coordinator Kevin Hovde to Columbia and defensive coordinator John Andrezjek to Campbell) to be made official. The player spots will be filled in short order via the portal (and made easier, Golden said, by the $1 million NIL contribution made last week by super-donor Gary Condron).
With all of it happening amid the joyous championship fallout.
"We're still waiting for that moment of it sinking in completely. I think the last month and a half have been a whirlwind. It has felt like we've never really been able to take a breath during the process, then the final horn sounds against Houston and it's just over all of the sudden," Golden said. "There's elation, jubilation, there's exhaustion, there's a million different feelings going on. The best way I can describe it is there are moments where it sinks in for a second and it's pretty unbelievable, but big picture-wise, I don't think it's really sunk in yet. The fact that we went 36-4 and won the SEC Tournament and won the national championship. It's been a good couple months for Gator basketball."
