2024-25 Basketball,,, all things considered...

[instaGATOR]

One of the things that limited Haugh and Condon's playing time was fouls. They've got to learn to play solid defense, rebound and block shots without fouling. Both should take big steps forward in their sophomore years.

Haugh Fr - GP 36 - GS 2 - Min/Gm 14.7 - FG 45% - 3's 25.5% - FT 45.7%
Per/Gm - OR 1.3 - DR 2.4 - Rb 3.7 - Ast 0.6 - Blk 0.7 - Stl 0.3 - PF 1.9 - TO 0.4 - Pts 3.9
In 29.4 Min would have 3.8 PF's - One foul per 7.73 min/played - 5 x 7.73 = 38.65

Condon Fr - GP 36 - GS 0 - Min 20.3 - FG 46.2% - 3's 28.9% - FT 67.3
Per/Gm - OR 2.0 - DR 4.4 - RB 6.4 - Ast 1.2 - Blk 1.3 - Stl 0.4 - PF 2.6 - To 1.5 - Pts 7.7
In 40.6 Min would have 5.2 PF's - One foul per 7.70 min/played - 5 x 7.70 = 38.50

If they played the entire 40 min/gm, neither would foul out until inside the final 2 minutes on average, even if they played the entire 40 minutes of a game.
For their fast/aggressive style of play, it's not all that bad really.
I doubt that either is ever going to play 38+ min/gm....

 

[Nicktheslick]

Haugh Fr - GP 36 - GS 2 - Min/Gm 14.7 - FG 45% - 3's 25.5% - FT 45.7%

Per/Gm - OR 1.3 - DR 2.4 - Rb 3.7 - Ast 0.6 - Blk 0.7 - Stl 0.3 - PF 1.9 - TO 0.4 - Pts 3.9

What I seem to remember Todd saying: was that he could hit a lot of his 3's in practice, but not so much in the games.

The iG says that he needs work on his FT's percentage.

I really like his playing energy, and also his quickness with in-bounding the ball after an opponent scoring.... He and Condon both played really well as Fr and I'm looking forward to seeing them both progress as Soph's.

I totally agree. This guy is right out of the Corey Brewer mold. Long, high energy and a match up nightmare. Basketball has a lot going for it.

 

[instaGATOR]

Where UF basketball transfers rank in final 247Sports update:

Xfer-outs: PF Aleks Szymczyk - SG Riley Kugel - SF Julian Rishwain
(the iG believes that the 3 xfer-ins, are better than the 3 xfer-outs, so a net portal positive imo)

Rueben Chinyelu, C, From Washington State; Committed to Florida
Rank: No. 107 --- Rating 93 -- 2023-24 Stats: 4.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG
As a Fr Backup, Chinyelu recorded 8 games with at least 3 Blocked Shots.
Eligibility: Three seasons remaining. Stats were in limited backup Fr minutes.
==========

Sam Alexis, C, From Chattanooga; Committed to Florida
Rank: No. 112 --- Rating 93 -- 2023-24 Stats: 10.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG
A Southern Conference All-Defensive Team Honoree.
Eligibility: Two seasons remaining. Bonus Stat - 70 BLKS
==========

Alijah Martin, CG, From Florida Atlantic; Committed to Florida
Rank: No. 132 --- Rating 92 -- 2023-24 Stats: 13.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG
All-Conference USA 1st-team. His 8.6% blocks ranked #37 in the country.
Eligibility: One season remaining. - With NCAA Final Four Experience.

Where UF basketball transfers rank in final 247Sports update

The transfer portal closed at 11:59 p.m. on May 1

247sports.com

 

[instaGATOR]

With the loss of PF Samuel to expired eligibility, and C Micah Handlogten to injury, the Gators have had to reforme their front court for 2024-25:

#19 C Rueben Chinyelu 6-11 245 So **** - NBA Academy Africa - WashSt xfer
#16 PF/C Sam Alexis 6-9 225 Jr **** - Apopka,FL - Chattanooga xfer
#50 C Olivier Rioux 7-7 300 *** Fr - IMG/FL - Hard Commit, no signed LOI until summer.
(He's a HS Jr 2025, that's reclassifying to an early-grad 2024)
-----
PF/C Condon 6-11 230 So - NBA Global Academy Australia
PF/SF Haugh 6-9 210 So - Pennsburg, PA
(their 3-star rankings have been proven low, by their Fr performance)

C Micah Handlogten 7-1 235 Jr - Huntersville, NC
He is a predicted 2024-25 recovery redshirt, with an unknown return date.
Barring any xfer outs, they will ALL be back for the following LAY-O-DED 2025-26 season.... 😁

 

[ocalaman]

Andrew Nembhard turning into a pretty good NBA player.

Nembhard's 'unbelievable' 3 lifts Pacers to G3 win

Andrew Nembhard made a 31-foot, tiebreaking 3-pointer with 16 seconds left and the Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the banged-up Knicks 111-106 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

www.espn.com

 

[gatordad3]

This is absolute bull schiite

 

[Countygator1]

This is absolute bull schiite

View embedded media

Well something had to give with conference expansion.

 

[Nicktheslick]

Well something had to give with conference expansion.

But damn. No Kentucky at home?

 

[instaGATOR]

But damn. No Kentucky at home?

Darn, I guess this means that BillyD won't get to coach a game on his own named floor next season.... 🙄 ---------- 😳 ---------- 😉 ---------- 😁

 

[ocalaman]

Julian Rishwain has committed to UNLV.
Riley Kugel has committed to Mississippi State.

 

[instaGATOR]

SG Riley Kugel after falling through with the Kansas xfer, is now going to MsSt instead.
Commit MsSt, switched to UF, then portal to Kansas with a switch all the way back to MsSt.

SG Julian Rishwain who came from SanFran to UF is now going to play for UNLV.
One at BC, xfer to SanFran for 3 Yrs, a one year portal to UF, then portal to UNLV.

PF/C Aleks Szymczyk is still drifting in the portal that he entered in April....
=====

The Gators have already added 4 newbees:

PF/C Sam Alexis - C Reuben Chinyelu - CG Alijah Martin from the portal and signed HS recruit SG Isaiah Brown, with a summer arrival 'Hard Commit' that seems to always get left out of these stories??? --- C Olivier Rioux 7-7 300

Pair of Former Florida Gators Find New Home

A pair of former Florida Gators basketball players have announced their next destinations after transferring from the program.

www.si.com

 

[instaGATOR]

Georgia and South Carolina will serve as Florida’s permanent home-and-home series Men's basketball opponents in the new scheduling format brought about by the league’s expansion to 16 teams with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas. The Gators will face one additional rotating team in a home-and-home.

https://www.gatorsports.com/story/s...ents-unveiled-for-2024-25-season/73637004007/

==========

Former SEC Men's Basketball 6th Man winner Canyon Barry, was named to USA Basketball's 3-on-3 men's Olympic team in late March, no surprise considering the 6-foot-6 former Florida Gator swingman has excelled since he first joined the national program in 2019. His accomplishments as a USA Basketball 3-on-3 team member include winning a gold medal at the World Cup in Amsterdam in 2019, a silver medal at the World Cup in Vienna in 2023 and another gold medal at the Pan American Games in Chile last year.

https://www.gatorsports.com/story/s...-barry-makes-2024-olympics-squad/73546315007/

==========

Neither Clayton nor Richard received an NBA Draft Combine invitation. But Clayton was grateful for the opportunity to compete at the G League Elite Camp and he's been at least respectable there so far.

But only first-round (NBA) picks are assured of receiving fully guaranteed contracts. The most likely scenario for second-rounders, as well as some top undrafted players, is a two-way deal, which pays just over $500,000 on the season and is not guaranteed. The going NIL rate for players like the ones in the combine is likely higher than that in the current market. In other words, unless they're first-round picks, it's very possible playing college basketball next season would be their most lucrative option.

At this point, while certainly not a sure thing, I'm expecting both Clayton and Richard to return to UF for 2024-25. The NCAA early entry withdrawal date is May 29, and the 2024 NBA Draft will be June 26-27.

 

[instaGATOR]

C Olivier Rioux is a Canadian basketball player who attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Guinness World Records declared him the tallest teenager in the World... Wikipedia
Born: February 2, 2006 (age 18), Terrebonne, Canada
Height: 7'8" (2.337m) - Weight 295 Lbs. -- (apparently this kid is still growing....) 😲

Education: IMG Academy, Collège St-Jean-Vianney, University of Florida
Rioux first gained notoriety while playing internationally for the French Phenoms at age 12 when he was 6 ft 10 in.

He has yet to sign a NLI, but they are still expecting him as a 'Hard Commit' summer entry.
==========

Todd now has the 2025 #9 Recruiting Class:
That only took getting a commit from one guy according to 247:

#8 CG/SF Alex Lloyd 6-3 165 **** Natl. 47 - 94 recruit rating
Westminster Academy, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
----------

Pending, with fingers crossed are these two 2025 HS recruits:

#1 PF Cameron Boozer 6-9 206 ***** Natl. 2 - 99.67
Christopher Columbus HS - Miami, FL
Prediction: Florida 33% - Miami 22%

#3 PG Cayden Boozer 6-3 190 **** Natl. 16 - 97.45
Christopher Columbus HS - Miami, FL
Prediction: Florida 33% - Miami 22%

 

[ocalaman]

Swamp247 article has the Gators at #5 in the SEC right now and said the following about the team:

Projected starting lineup:

• G Walter Clayton Jr.
• G Alijah Martin
• G Will Richard
• F Sam Alexis
• F Alex Condon

Top bench options: G Denzel Aberdeen, F Thomas Haugh, C Rueben Chinyelu
The scoop: Walter Clayton Jr. has not taken his name out of the NBA Draft yet, but if (when?) he does, Todd Golden will have another SEC-contending squad ready to rock and roll. Clayton can put himself in a special tier of guards next year. Lots of hoopers get incorrectly billed as 3-and-D guards, but FAU transfer Alijah Martin actually checks both of those boxes. If he can get fully healthy, the explosive, 6-foot-2 guard should be a monster in this backcourt. Florida has backcourt depth with Will Richard and the steadily improving Denzel Aberdeen, but the Gators could potentially look to make one more addition to this wing corps in the home stretch of the portal.
Up front, Micah Handlogten will redshirt after a devastating leg injury in the SEC Tournament championship game, but Florida quietly reloaded in a real way. Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis rocks. Washington State transfer Rueben Chinyelu is enormous. Both transfers will team up with soon-to-be-sophomores Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon to give Golden a four-man frontcourt platoon that will be highly productive.

 

[instaGATOR]

The time between now and the start of the 2024-25 season should be fun to watch.

And no matter who the 'starting-5' are for a given opponent, I expect to see 10 in the rotation, going with whoever is hot on a given night, or against a given team.

IF both Clayton and Richard return, they are LAY-O-DED across the entire lineup at every position, with most able to easily play more than one position.

 

[Countygator1]

The time between now and the start of the 2024-25 season should be fun to watch.

And no matter who the 'starting-5' are for a given opponent, I expect to see 10 in the rotation, going with whomever is hot on a given night, or against a given team.

IF both Clayton and Richard return, they are LAY-O-DED across the entire lineup at every position, with most able to easily play more than one position.

Pundits are saying we will be better defensively, which looks true on paper, but candidly we should be deeper and should be able to run and gun and press.

 

[instaGATOR]

The Groups Assemble:
(the starters and the playing rotation has yet to be determined)

Front Court:

C Micah Handlogten 7-1 235 Jr - Redshirting injury, return date unknown.
C Rueben Chinyelu 6-11 245 So
C Olivier Rioux 7-8 295 Fr

PF/C Sam Alexis 6-9 225 Jr
PF/C Alex Condon 6-11 230 So
PF Thomas Haugh 6=9 210 So

Back Court:

CG Walter Clayton 6-3 195 Sr
CG Alijah Martin 6-2 210 Grad-Sr
PG Denzel Aberdeen 6-5 190 Jr
PG Kajus Kublickas 6-2 171 So (9 Gms)

SG/SF Will Richard 6-4 206 Sr
SG/SF Isaiah Brown 6-5 185 Fr
CG/SF Cooper Josefsberg 6-4 195 rsFr - 3A State Champ WO (2 Gms / Scout Team)

IF Clayton and Richard both return, there is still 1 open ship to give, HS or Portal.
The other option would be to award Josefsberg the open ship, if he has worked himself into that position....

 

[Countygator1]

The Groups Assemble:
(the starters and the playing rotation has yet to be determined)

Front Court:

C Micah Handlogten 7-1 235 Jr - Redshirting injury, return date unknown.
C Rueben Chinyelu 6-11 245 So
C Olivier Rioux 7-8 295 Fr

PF/C Sam Alexis 6-9 225 Jr
PF/C Alex Condon 6-11 230 So
PF Thomas Haugh 6=9 210 So

Back Court:

CG Walter Clayton 6-3 195 Sr
CG Alijah Martin 6-2 210 Grad-Sr
PG Denzel Aberdeen 6-5 190 Jr
PG Kajus Kublickas 6-2 171 So (9 Gms)

SG/SF Will Richard 6-4 206 Sr
SG/SF Isaiah Brown 6-5 185 Fr
CG/SF Cooper Josefsberg 6-4 195 rsFr - 3A State Champ WO (2 Gms / Scout Team)

IF Clayton and Richard both return, there is still 1 open ship to give, HS or Portal.
The other option would be to award Josefsverg the open ship, if he has worked himself into that position....

I think Condon and Haugh are going to have big break out seasons. Condon has some fire.

 

[instaGATOR]

I believe that the break-outs with 'fire' group will be larger than most expect it to be.

Condon - Haugh - Aberdeen - with 1 to 3 surprise break-outs yet to be seen....

 

[Countygator1]

I believe that the break-outs with 'fire' group will be larger than most expect it to me.

Condon - Haugh - Aberdeen - with 1 to 3 surprise break-out yet to be seen....

Golden could almost rotate in 5 at a time and not miss a beat.

 

[Nicktheslick]

Golden could almost rotate in 5 at a time and not miss a beat.

Samuel and Pullin were big losses. I believe we have enough to more than cover Samuel but Pullin? I’m not sure. He was so good at handling the ball, taking care of it and creating late shot clock FGs.

 

[instaGATOR]

I believe that Zel is going to be better than most think he'll be at dishing and shooting.

 

[ocalaman]

Florida wing Will Richard to return for senior season

Richard is entering his third season with the Gators after transferring from Belmont in 2022

247sports.com

 

[instaGATOR]

Sweet!
That's one coming back and 1 more to decide what's best for him.

I'm hoping that they get Clayton back too....

 

[Countygator1]

Good news on Richard.

 

[instaGATOR]

Player ranking from 247 - HS Stats from Max Preps
This is where they came from in HS, not where they are today.

#20 SG Riley Kugel 6-5 207 **** Jr - Orlando, FL - Xfer-out to MsSt
HS Sr - 16.5 Pts, 4.8 Rbs, D-Rb 2.8, 1.3 O-Rb, 3.2 Ast, 0.1 Stl

#21 SG Isaiah Brown 6-5 185 **** Fr - Orlando, FL - Incoming Fr recruit
HS Sr - 15.4 Pts, 6.4 Rbs, 3,8 D-RB, 2.6 O-Rb, 1.8 Ast, 1.8 Stl

The Kugel/Brown deal looks like a decent trade-off to me on paper.....
=====
And this guy looks like an excellent xfer add to the team.

#14 CG Alijah Martin 6-2 210 NA (**** xfer) Grad-Sr FAU xfer - Summit, Ms
HS Sr - 25.4 Pts, 8.7 Rbs, D-Rb 6.2, O-Rb 2.5, 5.0 Ast, 3.4 Stl
Played HS Football DE, Basketball CG, Baseball 3B, and T&F.

#22 CG Denzel Aberdeen 6-4 175 *** - Orlando, FL (Rivals ****)
HS Sr - 14.4 Pts, 3.6 Rbs, D-Rb 2.6, O-Rb 0.7, Ast 3.1, 0.0 Stl
(Currently 6-5 190 - FG 40.4%, 3's 35.3%, FT 63.6%)
=====

The iG's Depth Chart WAG:

CG Clayton - Aberdeen
CG Martin - Brown
SG/SF Richard - ?Kublickas/Josefsberg?
PF/C Alexis - Haugh
PF/C Condon - C Chinyelu - C Handlogten (rehabbing)

I wouldn't think of bringing him back until he's 100%, BUT -- It sure would be nice to have him back in the 2nd half of the season, especially for a run in the Dance...

 

[Countygator1]

Did we get left out?

 

[ocalaman]

Walter Clayton Jr. to Play Senior Season at Florida - Florida Gators

Walter Clayton Jr. averaged 17.6 points per game and earned All-SEC honors in 2023-24.

floridagators.com

 

[instaGATOR]

I always believed that he'd be back, and I'm thrilled that it came to be!!!

In his first year with the Gators after transferring from Iona, Clayton Jr. played and started in all 36 games. In those 36 games he averaged a team-high 17.6 points per game and grabbed 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

I believe that still leaves Golden with one open ship for a late HS or a Portal add?

Final Piece Falls into Place for Florida Gators Basketball

The Florida Gators got the news they were waiting for to complete their team for the 2024/25 season.

www.si.com

 

[gatordad3]

I also wouldn't mind seeing what Walter Clayton can do in Gator football gear. After all, that's what Mullen recruited him for.

 

[instaGATOR]

I also wouldn't mind seeing what Walter Clayton can do in Gator football gear. After all, that's what Mullen recruited him for.

And he certainly would have helped the secondary the last few years if he'd been interested in playing football,,,, ah well....

 

[instaGATOR]

Despite how strong the team was on offense, it was the complete opposite on defense. There were many things to like from Florida Gators Men’s Basketball a year ago, but there was also a gigantic problem that hurt them throughout the season. So, what was their Achilles heel? Overall defense.

Offensively, the Gators ranked sixth nationally in scoring offense (85.6 PPG). However, defensively, they rank 327th out of 351 total teams in Division I in scoring defense (79.2 OPP PPG). It is hard to win championships with this kind of defense. There is a reason why the line is “defense wins championships” and not the other way around.

But just maybe,,, 'the fix is in' for the coming 2024-25 season....

Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis was 26th in the country with 2.12 blocks per game.
Alexis finished on the All-Southern Conference Defensive Team.

Washington State transfer Rueben Chinyelu. Chinyelu is a talented big who is known for his defensive presence. Even in his limited backup playing time in his freshman year at WashSt, Chinyelu set the school’s freshman single-season record with 43 blocks.

FAU transfer Alijah Martin. Martin, while not named to any All-Defensive teams, led the Owls in his second year in the program in steals with 53.

With those added to what Richard, Condon, and Haugh can do, the defense should be much better. While Zel and new SG Brown are also defensively minded players.

Continue to play tough on defense while doing a better job on limiting their over-all team personal fouls, and they would have a chance to go deep in the dance.

Florida Gators Defense Struggled Last Year, Help is on the Way

The Florida Gators struggled mightily on defense last season, but they have a chance to turn it around in a big way.

www.si.com

 

[instaGATOR]

The 50/50 SG Riley Kugle has departed to MsSt. Decent kid, I wish him well.
He is replaced by SG Isaiah Brown, which looks good to me on paper.

Isaiah Brown will represent Puerto Rico on the international stage for the second straight summer.
Brown returns to the Puerto Rican national program for the second straight summer after averaging 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds and earning MVP honors while leading his team to a first-place finish in the 2023 Centrobasket U17 Championship. Over the past year, Brown has also led Orlando Christian Prep to a state runner-up finish this Spring and competed in the 2024 Slam Dunk Nationals.

Men's Basketball Signee Isaiah Brown Opens FIBA U18 AmeriCup - Florida Gators

Isaiah Brown will represent Puerto Rico on the international stage for the second straight summer.

floridagators.com

 

[Nicktheslick]

The 50/50 SG Riley Kugle has departed to MsSt. Decent kid, I wish him well.
He is replaced by SG Isaiah Brown, which looks good to me on paper.

Isaiah Brown will represent Puerto Rico on the international stage for the second straight summer.
Brown returns to the Puerto Rican national program for the second straight summer after averaging 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds and earning MVP honors while leading his team to a first-place finish in the 2023 Centrobasket U17 Championship. Over the past year, Brown has also led Orlando Christian Prep to a state runner-up finish this Spring and competed in the 2024 Slam Dunk Nationals.

Men's Basketball Signee Isaiah Brown Opens FIBA U18 AmeriCup - Florida Gators

Isaiah Brown will represent Puerto Rico on the international stage for the second straight summer.

floridagators.com

This is a really nice pick up for coach Golden.

 

[instaGATOR]

An updated early pre-season Top-25 Men's Basketball rankings following a busy transfer portal and a swath of key stay-or-go, NBA Draft decisions. (Clayton and Richard both returned) ​

1. KU
2. Houston
3. AU
4. UA
5. Gonzaga
6. UConn
7. Dukie
8. IoSt
9. TN
10. NC
11. Bay
12. Ari
13. Xavier
14. Creighton
15. UK
16. UCLA
17. Ind
18. Pur
19. TX
20. aTm
21. Florida - Clayton-Martin-Richard-Alexis-Condon / Aberdeen-Haugh-Chinyelu
22. Cincy
23. Ark
24. ILL
25. Marquette

8 SEC's - 3-4-9-15-19-20-21-23

https://247sports.com/college/flori...-alabama-uconn-duke-unc-iowa-state-232344070/

 

[instaGATOR]

While there are still question marks surrounding Denzel’s game going into year three, it is clear to the iG that there’s a talent within that should be given an increase role on next years team with how he performed to end last season.

With some minor editing from the iG, here are parts of an article on Zel.
Use the link for the entire article.

Florida Gators fans and casual observers might focus on players like Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard or Alijah Martin going into next season, but Denzel Aberdeen should not be a forgotten man for Florida. Aberdeen is a three-level scorer from what he showed against Alabama, Colorado, Auburn and Texas A&M. Over this stretch, he made 60 percent of his 3-point attempts (6-for-10) and shot 56.5 percent overall from the field.

On the other end of the court, in his final-four games of the season, he had a steal in three of them and six in total. Four of the steals came in the SEC Tournament Semifinals win over Texas A&M, which was his most complete game of the season.

A Bigger Role for Florida Gators Guard Denzel Aberdeen?

Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen saw his minutes increase as the season progressed.

www.si.com

 

[gatorbuilderorlando]

Aberdeen should be really good next year. A true PG...he played well enough last year but just got passed up - bad timing.

 

[Nicktheslick]

Aberdeen should be really good next year. A true PG...he played well enough last year but just got passed up - bad timing.

Not many would grab more playing time with Zyon at the point.

 

[Countygator1]

I like Aberdeen, and candidly he's the only true PG on the roster. He just sat behind a better player last year. I think we will see his role increase as we can rotate the guards more freely and keep them fresh.

 

[Nicktheslick]

I like Aberdeen, and candidly he's the only true PG on the roster. He just sat behind a better player last year. I think we will see his role increase as we can rotate the guards more freely and keep them fresh.

Not only is he good he’s a loyal gator and apparently a great teammate.