New season, higher expectations but Golden, Gators are ready

(Photo by Chris Spears)

There isn’t a hint of panic in Todd Golden. Most coaches would be borderline apoplectic if they lost Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin to the NBA after a brilliant run to the NCAA championship. Not Golden. Now, that’s not saying it didn’t hit him hard what he was losing but that lasted about a week.

At first he “stressed about making sure you can bring the guys back that helped you get to that point.” That was his four front court players – Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Tommy Haugh and Micah Handlogten – who would all elect to return for a shot at a second straight national championship.

And then his thought process turned to the issue of replacing Clayton, Richard and Martin.  

“You're thinking about how am I going to replace one of the best back courts that ever played in college basketball?” Golden said at SEC Basketball Media Days in Birmingham.

The answer was in the portal, the same place he found Clayton (from Iona), Richard (from Belmont) and Martin (from Florida Atlantic). All came to the Gators from the transfer portal. He went shopping and found Boogie Fland (Arkansas), Xaivian Lee (Princeton) and AJ Brown (Ohio). Later in the summer he added Alex Kovatchev (Sacramento State).

From that group, Golden has forged a starting lineup that will open the season in Las Vegas November 3 against Arizona. Condon (6-11) and Chinyelu (6-10) will be the big guys. Haugh (6-9) is a hybrid big who will start on the perimeter where he will be a matchup nightmare. Handlogten (7-1) will come off the bench. In the backcourt, Golden will start Fland (6-3) at the point with Lee (6-4) on the wing. Brown (6-4) and younger brother Isaiah (6-4) will come off the bench with Urban Klavzar (6-1) and freshmen Alex Lloyd (6-4) and CJ Ingram (6-6).

It is a deep, talented roster that might qualify as the nation’s most experienced. As the Gators made their championship run by winning their last 12 games a season ago, size mattered. And, it will matter again this year.

Everybody knew the Gators would be stacked up front. The backcourt was the big issue but Golden’s replacements may give Florida a perimeter game like no other for the second straight year. Fland and Lee are both point guards, but Golden has a plan to play them together to take advantage of their skill sets.

“We'll play with a ball screen, be able to call and run different actions in the halfcourt to get Xaivian downhill using a ball screen,” Golden said. “Boogie is going to start at the point for us, but Xaivian will be a second side playmaker and then will play point when Boog is out of the game.”

As a freshman at Arkansas last year, Fland averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He is quicker than any guard the Gators could put on the floor a year ago. He can get to the rim off the bounce, but he’s been showing in practice sessions that he is more than capable of knocking down big shots. Last year at Princeton, Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. He has already scored 1,154 points in his 3-year collegiate career.

“Boogie, really hard worker, coachable, I think came in with a great mentality, is allowing us to guide him,” Golden said. “A great competitor. Incredible on-ball defender. I'm excited for him to be picking up opposing team's point guards at the top of our defense. He's a great facilitator. He does a great job of getting in the paint, making plays for others. Really unselfish that way. We need that from him because we have a lot of other really good players.

“I look at Xaivian is a guy coming in, just a really fantastic offensive player. Really quick and explosive with the ball in his hands. Another true point guard, but we'll be able to play off the ball a little bit. When Boogie is not in, he'll play point. A guy that can score at all three levels. Efficient that way.”

Golden likes what he’s seen of the two replacement guards, but he’s not going to try comparing them to Clayton, Richard and Martin.

“Yeah, I love 'em both already, to be honest,” Golden said. “... We're not comparing them to Walter and Alijah. That's just not fair. I don't think it's healthy for us as a staff to do that. I don't think it's healthy for them as players to have to take on that expectation.”

When the injury bug hit the Gators in February last season, Haugh stepped in and helped to pick up the slack. Once it became tournament time, he took the next step in his development. At 6-9 he can shoot over nearly every perimeter wing in the country. He’s quick enough and enough of a ballhandler to put the ball on the deck and drive to the rack. When he posts up, he will have to be doubled, at which time opponents will conclude that he’s also a very capable passer.

Up front, the Gators are the picture of size, strength and mobility. Condon is back as a third-year starter. Chinyelu, who transferred in from Washington State a year ago, started every game last season. Handlogten, who burned his redshirt when the Gators needed frontcourt help due to injuries, is back to full health. He’s stronger and more physical than ever before.

“The reality is we return our four best front court players in Alex, Tommy, Rueben and Micah,” Golden said. “My expectation is those guys will take a huge leap, become the leaders of this team, take on a lot more responsibility than they had last year. In theory it should make it easier on those guys coming in and learning our system and program.”

Condon averaged 10.6. points and 7.5 rebounds a season ago while Chinyelu averaged 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds. Haugh was good for 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Handlogten who suffered an horrific leg fracture in the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game, was going to sit out last season but when Condon went down with a high ankle sprain in February, Handlogten put team above self.

“One of the most unselfish humans I've ever been around,” Golden said of Handlogten. “For him to give us his year to come back. We don't win the national championship without him. That’s the bottom line. I'm really glad that it worked out the way it did for him. He's like a sixth starter for us. I throw him in that mix.”

Beyond these six guys, Golden has more depth than anyone in the SEC and perhaps even the country.

Klavzar was pretty much a designated shooter a year ago, but his game has expanded. At Ohio, AJ Brown averaged 13.2 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 38.8 percent from the 3-point line. Isaiah Brown is a high riser and spectacular dunker. Freshmen CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd would play most places, but at Florida they will have to make the most of limited minutes. Up front, Golden also has sophomore Viktor Mikic (6-11, 265) and redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305) on his bench.

“Looking at the rest of the roster, we have a great opportunity for a couple guys to step up and earn big minutes,” Golden said. “Urbie Klavzar is a guy, rotational player for us. CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd, two freshmen, have done a great job. Usually hard for freshmen to play in our program. I think both those guys have a chance to earn roles. And Isaiah Brown and AJ are guys that can play roles, as well.”

The Gators aren’t going to sneak up on anyone this year. The Associated Press preseason poll has them No. 3, trailing Purdue and Houston. Most every preseason publication lists Florida somewhere between No. 1 and No. 3.

The schedule will be more difficult, but it is a statement to what Golden has built in three seasons that expectations are this high. The Gators will open up with No. 13 Arizona on November 3 and during the pre-SEC portion of the schedule, they’ll face No. 4 UConn in New York, No. 24 Wisconsin in San Diego and No. 6 Duke in Durham.

For now, Golden is satisfied where the Gators are with a little more than two weeks before things tip off for real.

“I'm just really happy that we're at the point now where we're getting close to playing scrimmages on Saturday,” Golden said. “Before you know it, we're going to open up in Vegas.”