Development of Hauck, Condon Doesn't Surprise Todd Golden

Todd Golden - Photo Credit FloridaGators.com

The numbers said it all Tuesday night. Forget that Thomas Hauck and Alex Condon were going against a vertically challenged team from the Northeast Conference, whose most famous member is probably often mimicked as “Fairly Ridiculous.” Hauck and Condon, true freshmen who have seen more floor time than they might have expected in the preseason, combined for 19 points, 27 rebounds (13 offensive), five assists, one blocked shot and one steal to help the Gators (5-3) rack up a 77-57 win over the Merrimack Warriors.

Eight games into their first crack at Division I basketball Condon and Haugh have already proven an integral part of the big man rotation and key contributors for Todd Golden’s plan to get Florida to the NCAA Tournament this year. Condon is averaging 8.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 17.4 minutes per game. Haugh, who has started the last two games in the absence of 7-1 Micah Handlogten, who is recovering from a sprained ankle suffered against Baylor, averages 4.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.1 minutes.

Those are very good stats for true freshmen, particularly two who weren’t exactly large blips on the recruiting radar. Haugh, a 6-9, 210-pounder from New Oxford, PA, was a 3-strar recruit who generated modest interest from high majors. Condon, who was headed for a career in Australian Rules Football until the basketball bug hit him four years ago, is a 6-11, 230-pounder who was a virtual unknown except to those who study what’s going on at the NBA Global Academy.

Think of the two as Todd Golden’s little secret. He knew who they were and what the Gators were getting when he recruited them. Not only did Haugh and Condon add size to a team that had only one really functional big last year in Colin Castleton, but both have skills at both ends of the court. They’re mobile, capable shooters from the outside, tough, aggressive defenders and both of them have shown the ability to move the ball within the framework of the offense.

“It’s a big reason we wanted them here,” Golden said Thursday before the Gators hit the practice floor to prepare for today’s Orange Bowl Classic matchup with Richmond (5-4) at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise (4 p.m., SEC Network). “Really talented athletes, really good skill and really high basketball IQ, which was an area last year that we were really below the bar with guys having just a really good fundamental understanding. This year everybody we brought in we really tried to target guys who had good feel and good understanding, regardless whether they were in the backcourt or frontcourt. I think both of those guys have a feel for the game.”

Haugh and Condon were already factoring in the rotation when Handlogten went down with his sprained ankle. That actually put the Gators down two in the big man rotation as 6-10 sophomore Aleks Szymczyk is still recovering from a broken foot suffered during the summer. Tyrese Samuel (13.8 points, 7.6 rebounds) is the constant in the starting lineup, but Haugh has filled in nicely the last two games and Condon adds a nice scoring element when he comes off the bench.

Haugh and Condon have developed so well and so quickly that Golden doesn’t hesitate to have them in the game even when its white knuckles time at the end of games. Loading up on big guys was an intentional part of the recruiting process especially since the Gators were vertically challenged last year if Castleton needed a rest but particularly after he suffered a season-ending injury in February.

Particularly when the Gators are four-deep with bigs, Golden can run a lot of high-low action which alters opposing defenses and opens the perimeter game for shooters like Walter Clayton Jr. and Riley Kugel.

“That was something that we were really intentional about when we put together this roster, even going back to the spring and really wanting to always have two bigs on the floor,” Florida assistant coach Kevin Hovde said.

Having big guys who are capable and willing passers in a high post-low post set puts tremendous pressure on defenses when it comes to dump down passes from the key area. Samuel, who transferred to Florida from Seton Hall, showed the ability to make good passes, particularly out of double teams, during his four years in the Big East. Handlogten’s 7-1 frame alone makes him difficult to double.

The Gators knew all along what they were getting in Samuel, a scoring option whether high or low post, but an exceptional passer.

“I think that Tyrese is really just natural,” Hovde said. “You know, it’s not something that we have to work on with him. He has a really good feel for when guys are open, for when’s the right pass. He’s a really hard guy to double and teams have tried to double team him this year.”

The Florida roster is made up of four holdovers from last year (Kugel, Will Richard, Denzel Aberdeen and Szymczyk), five transfers (Samuel, Handlogten, Clayton, Zyon Pullin and Julian Rishwain) and three freshmen (Haugh, Condon and Kajus Kublickas), so it was important to find unselfish players who are willing to make the extra pass. Through eight games, the Gators are averaging 16.0 assists per game, up from 12.3 a year ago.

Having unselfish freshman bigs who are capable passers hasn’t exactly been a revelation to Golden, but even he is surprised at how well they see everybody on the floor and make the right pass.

“It’s what we wanted,” Golden said. “Now, am I surprised at the level they’re able to do it? At times, but again, that’s what we were recruiting and evaluating, and that’s what we saw. So I’m not really surprised in terms of how well they’re able to play the game.” 

Scouting advantage for Richmond to Florida: This is the 19th season at Richmond for head coach Chris Mooney, who picked up a 56-53 win over Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise back in 2009. Sitting out that game and the entire season with a broken ankle 6-6 small forward Kevin Hovde, who remembers how the Spiders celebrated when they got the win over a Florida team that made the first of four consecutive Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament that year.

“It was a big deal,” Hovde said Thursday. “I mean Florida was really, really good and it was just – I mean at the time one of the best programs in the country, and obviously Coach (Billy) Donovan – for our program to get that win it was just huge for us. We ended up getting that large bid that year and obviously you probably don’t get that without the Florida win at a place like Richmond.”

Now 14 years later, Hovde is a Florida assistant who knows the system Mooney runs at Richmond inside-out, having played for Mooney as well as served as a Richmond assistant in the 2021-22 season. Hovde says the Gators have to be aware of “Just how purposeful they are really on both ends but especially offensively. Obviously, I’m very familiar with them from having played there and coached there … everything they do within their program is driven by how they play offensively and it’s difficult to guard obviously just having the versatility they have the ball movement, player movement so, it will be a good challenge.” 

Starting lineups

FLORIDA (5-3): Tyrese Samuel (6-10, 239, GR); Thomas Hauck (6-9, 210, FR); Walter Clayton Jr. (6-2, 195, JR); Riley Kugel (6-5, 207, SO); Will Richard (6-4, 206, JR)

Richmond (5-4): Isaiah Bigelow (6-7, 205, GR); Neal Quinn (7-0, 260, SR); Jordan King (6-0, 175, GR); Jason Riche (6-5, 200, JR); Mikkel Tyne (5-10, 180, FR)