Boogie Fland withdraws from NBA Draft; is UF his next destination?

Some experts speculate Boogie Fland will transfer to Florida (University of Arkansas photo)

“Don’t blame it on the sunshine

Don’t blame it on the moonlight

Don’t blame it on the good times

Blame it on the boogie”

-- from “Blame It on the Boogie” by The Jacksons

When former 5-star recruit Boogie Fland announced Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the NBA Draft, all eyes turned to Todd Golden and the Florida Gators. Fland, who played his freshman season at Arkansas, is in the transfer portal and a number of college basketball experts project his landing spot will be in Gainesville.

Earlier in the week in an interview on The Sideline with Andy Katz, Golden said, “Our goal is to add one more guy," said Golden. "I think if we can do that over the next couple weeks – and we're not trying to rush, we want to be picky – but if we can add another impact guard, I think this team has a chance to be really good next year."

That statement combined with Fland withdrawing from the NBA Draft led immediately to speculation that Fland is the impact guard Golden was talking about.

At the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Fland measured 6-2 without shoes, weighed in at 172.4 pounds and had a 6-6 wingspan. In a season marred by a hand injury that cost him 15 games, Fland averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He shot 34 percent on his 3-pointers and 83 percent from the foul line.

Coming out of Archbishop Stepanic High School in White Plains, New York, Fland was the No. 17 recruit in the country. He originally signed a letter of intent with Kentucky, but when John Calipari left UK and took the Arkansas job, Fland followed.

If Fland were to transfer to Florida he would combine with Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180) to give the Gators two outstanding ball handlers and passers. Combine those two with Ohio U transfer AJ Brown (6-4, 200) and the Gators would project one of the best – if not the best – backcourt in the country. At Princeton, Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. At Ohio, Brown averaged 13.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Florida also returns Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195) and Isaiah Brown (6-5, 200) from the 2025 NCAA championship team, but UF signed 4-star guards CJ Ingram (6-6, 200) and Alex Lloyd (6-4, 175).

Alex Condon is working out at the NBA Combine while Rueben Chinyelu is at the G-League Combine. Both have retained the right to return to college. Most NBA mock drafts project Condon (measured 6-11, 224) as a second rounder. In the second round there are no guaranteed contracts so Condon would be wise to come back to Florida, gain another year of experience and add another 10 pounds of muscle. If he did that, Condon would almost certainly be a first rounder and quite possibly a lottery pick. Chinyelu (6-10, 260) is almost a lock to be back. G-League salaries are low and he would probably be taking a pay cut if he left UF. He needs another year to work on his offensive skills.

If Condon and Chinyelu return to a front court that also returns Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215) and Micah Handlogten (7-1, 255) from the regular rotation and redshirt freshman Viktor Mikic (6-11, 250), who the UF staff thinks has outstanding potential, the Gators will have the best returning frontcourt in the nation. Add in preferred walk-on Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305), who is expected to go on scholarship but needs another year to develop, and the Gators will likely have the tallest team in the country.

In the too early top 25 rankings, Florida ranges anywhere from a No. 2 projection for next season at The Athletic to a No. 19 at ESPN. If Golden can convince Fland that this is the place and both Condon and Chinyelu announce they’re returning for another season of college basketball, the Gators will almost certainly rank in everybody’s preseason top 10.