New faces in new places, but Golden likes his 2024-25 Florida Gators

Walter Clayton runs the offense with Kajus Kublickas defending (UAA Photo by Bryce Mitchell)

It’s a new year with a lot of new faces on his team, but already Todd Golden sees an identity being forged by his 2024-25 Gators, who open their season in 40 days against South Florida in Jacksonville.

“I think we're really mature; I think we play really hard; and I think we're really unselfish,” Golden said Tuesday before the Gators practiced. “Those three things, specifically, are kind of the identity of this group. People who have been in our gym see the level of competitiveness on a day-to-day basis.”

The Gators improved from 16-17 in Golden’s first season at the helm of Florida basketball to 24-12 last year when they dropped a 102-100 decision to Colorado in the NCAA Tournament. Gone from that team are point guard Zyon Pullin, power forward Tyrese Samuel and sixth man Riley Kugel. Micah Handlogten, a 7-1 starter at center all season until he fractured his leg in the SEC Tournament Championship Game, will take a medical redshirt this season while his leg continues to mend.

Golden brought in three transfers – Alijah Martin (Florida Atlantic), Sam Alexis (Chattanooga) and Rueben Chinyelu (Washington State) – and three freshmen (Isaiah Brown, Urban Klavzar and Viktor Mikic). Returning starters Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard are joined by Denzel Aberdeen and last year’s freshmen, Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Kajus Kublickas. There is also an intriguing addition in preferred walk-on Olivier Rioux, who, at 7-9, is the tallest player in college basketball.

Based on Tuesday’s practice, the starting five is shaping up to be Clayton at the point joined by Richard and Martin on the perimeter along with bigs Condon and Chinyelu. Aberdeen, Haugh and Alexis seem to be the next three in the rotation.

The Gators of last year more or less followed the lead of Pullin at the point, who had one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the country and could provide some scoring. Samuel was a solid scorer and rebounder as well. Those aren’t easy guys to replace, but this year’s team makeup will take the Gators in a slightly different direction.

“I like our team,” Golden said. “The one thing that gets lost a little bit — and ZP was amazing, he did a great job for us — is that your team is not going to be the same every year. You're going to have one year where maybe you have a more ball-dominant point guard. You're going to have one year where you have more of a team where maybe you're going to spread it out more.

“This collection of players works really well together. Walt is going to have a lion's share of it, but again … Denzel is a guy we expect a lot of this year. He's going to be playing on the ball quite a bit. Whether it's Kajus, Urban, a lot of those guys are capable. Alijah and Will will have some ball-handling responsibilities. We're going to do it by committee that way. Another benefit is our front court is really good at handling the ball. So if there's time where we feel like we're getting pressured or need a little bit of help, when you have guys like Tommy and Condo, and now Rueben and Sam, all four of those guys can make good decisions. So I anticipate this team being good with the ball and being a good offensive team." 

The Gators could light it up offensively a year ago when they averaged 85.6 points per game. Few teams in the country played at Florida’s frenetic offensive pace but there were issues on the defensive end. Opponents scored 79.2 per game on the Gators, going for 100 or more three times and 90 or more five times.

Golden has the right pieces for another outstanding offensive team this year, but more attention is being paid to work on the defensive end.

“We've got to maintain the level of offense we played last year; we were a top 15 offense in America, which is a good number that I would take again,” Golden said. “Clearly, we need to get better on the defensive side of the ball. That was our Achilles heel last year. We didn't spend as much time on defense last year as we did on offense and I think you could probably see that by the way we played.

“This year, we're doing a better job as a staff kind of allocating time and resources to both sides of the ball. My hope — my hope — is that that will lead up to being a better defensive team. I do think our defensive talent is better this year also, specifically the three guys we brought in from the portal. Alijah Martin is very strong and does a great job of keeping guys in front. Fights through screens and competes. Rueben is rim protector, so I think we have raised the bar there. Sam is also a great rim protector. Good feel. Understands where to be and when to be. If we can maintain our offense and improve our defense I think that's where we make our jump.”

The season is still weeks away, but the core of a team that can equal or exceed last year’s win total is in place. Now it’s simply a matter of putting in the hard work on a daily basis to be ready to be fast out the gate once the season begins in November.

“As I said before, we have a lot of work to do, but the bones of our foundation are strong that way,” Golden said. “We shoot the ball well. We're athletic, we run, we play hard. At the end of the day, as long as our guys compete I'll be okay to live with whatever happens, but we're off to a good start.”

Initial thoughts from observing practice

Walter Clayton Jr.: He will be the primary ball handler this year, a scoring point guard who can both facilitate and put the ball in the basket. He’s listed same weight as last year, but his upper body is more defined. A couple of times in a fast break drill he showed why he will be one of the best combo guards in the count by accelerating through the pack, dribbling through traffic and getting an easy shot.

Will Richard: He’s always been a streaky shooter, who, when he’s on, can light it up whether guarded or not. The trick will be to find the consistency this year. From what we saw Tuesday, he was in a really good groove with his shot. Didn’t miss too many whether they were open looks or contested. Handling the ball much better and still a very elite defender.

Alijah Martin shoots before practice begins (UAA Photo by Bryce Mitchell)

Alijah Martin (6-2, GR): This is a grown man. He looks like he could play linebacker in the NFL. When he dribbles the ball, it’s like a yo-yo in his hand. He is a very physical presence at both ends of the floor. Two years ago he was the best player on the Florida Atlantic team that made the Final Four.

Alex Condon (6-11, SO): He is expected to make the quantum leap from freshman who played well in spurts to consistent sophomore who gets it done at both ends of the floor. Looks more polished offensively, runs the floor, handles the ball and moves his feet on the defensive end. Had a couple of very nice passes in traffic and a couple of good finishes at the rim.

Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, SO): Pencil him in as the big who will replace Tyrese Samuel. Big, physical guy who runs the floor very well. Strong rebounder who has to work on his touch around the rim, but knows how to defend in the paint and is an intimidating presence. Seems to be a natural rebounder.

Thomas Haugh dunks (UAA Photo by Bryce Mitchell)

Thomas Hauck (6-9, SO): After a very strong freshman year, he’s likely to play some on the perimeter when Golden wants to go with a big lineup. He can knock down the three, passes well and handles the ball well enough to put it on the deck to drive to the rim. Capable of defending three positions. Looked very sharp running the floor both offensively and defensively during Tuesday drills.

Sam Alexis (6-9, JR): Chattanooga transfer who is a ferocious rebounder and defender. Quick enough to defend on the perimeter and get back to his man inside. Does a great job of using his feet to track the rebound while he stays focused on the ball. Nice touch inside. Tried some threes, but has a long slow release. Good scoring potential inside 15 feet.

Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, JR): He could be the most improved player on the team. He’s stronger (6-5, 190) and in his third year in the program. Handled the ball well in traffic and showed good court awareness both with the ball in his hand and defensively. Shot the ball well.

Kajus Kublickas (6-2, SO): He got good experience playing for Lithuania at the Eurobasket under-20. He’s an excellent passer/ball handler who shoots well. He looks much more comfortable now that he’s in his second year at UF. He’s got a pass first mentality but he can shoot it.

Urban Klavzar (6-1, FR): A late freshman signee from Slovenia, he lit things up from the 3-point line at the EuroBasket under-20 tournament in the summer. It wasn’t a full scrimmage Tuesday but it seemed that every time he was left alone, his shot found the bottom of the net. He played with the Slovenian senior national team in 2023.

Isaiah Brown (6-4, FR): He is a basketball player. Put him on the court and he’ll figure out a place to play. He’s very athletic, showed some good passing skills during some full court fast break drills. Intense defender. Ahead of most freshmen perimeter players in that respect. Shoots the ball very, very well. He will see the floor regularly.

Viktor Mikic (6-11, FR): Another late addition freshman who has some skills. Handles the ball very well for his size, takes to coaching nicely. Has good hands and runs the floor very well with or without the ball in his hands. Good passer.

Olivier Rioux (7-9, FR): Start with the obvious. You can’t teach tall and there is nobody in college basketball as tall or taller. He is 7-9 and needs a lot of coaching but he’s got some skills. Showed a nice baby hook with his left hand. Dunked flatfooted or else on his toes. He will see limited minutes and he’s a project, but it’s not like he’s devoid of skills.