Montrell Johnson Jr., Chimere Dike, Elijah Badger, Shemar James, and Cam Jackson await the best phone call of their lives. By Loren Meadows, GatorbaitMedia.com , Football Analyst Linebacker Shemar James (Chris Spears photo) This year’s NFL draft at historic Lambeau Field will be one of the most watched in history. While the talk about a quarterback class that has been met with both excitement and skepticism, there are several surefire prospects at other positions that look to be locks for NFL stardom. Penn State’s Abdul Carter (DE) and Tyler Warren (TE) both have earned Top 10 grades from most NFL scouts and look to go early in tonight’s first round, while two-way star and 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter, looks to be the second overall pick of the Cleveland Browns. Other notable names that could be called early are Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham, and Arizona’s Tetaiora McMillon who could become the first true receiver to come off the board — possibly with the 12th pick, held by the Dallas Cowboys.  While last year’s draft saw Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall chosen in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers, this year’s draft is most likely to be absent of a Florida player selected in Thursday’s first round. However, the combine and pro day workouts were very kind to several Gators and the prospect of those young men hearing their names called on Friday (Rounds 2-3) and Saturday (Rounds 4-7) is a strong possibility. Montrell Johnson (RB), Chimere Dike (WR), Elijah Badger (WR), Shemar James (LB) and Cam Jackson (DL) all had solid combine and pro day efforts that put them in the sights of all 32 NFL teams. All five players are young men of high character, athletic ability, and individual performances that stand out when you evaluate them on film. Johnson was the steady hand of a group of young talented running backs with the ability to pick up violent blitzes in pass protection. Dike ran the third fastest 40-yard dash among receivers at the combine (4.34) and similar to many great receivers plays with a pace where his speed and consistency remain the same for four quarters. Badger has proclaimed himself “the best wide receiver in this draft” and has big play ability that has drawn comparisons to Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs. James is an undersized linebacker who has attracted NFL teams with his ability to play physical downhill and willing special teams play. He flashes speed and his character is something NFL team’s find intriguing. Cam Jackson may have had the best four weeks of any player not named DJ Lagway at the end of last season and suddenly saw himself moving up the draft boards. Scouts have noted his freakish measurables that make him stand out to several teams.  According to NFL.com Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein here are the draft profiles on Florida’s five top prospects: Montrell Johnson Jr. - “ Johnson’s running style is marked by violence on contact and all-fight-no-flight instincts. He’s a rugged interior runner who creates yards with good power and balance on contact but lacks a feel for lane development and creativity when he’s cornered. He’s a more tempo-driven runner towards the B- and C-gaps and possesses the agility to sink and cut while keeping the run downhill. He’s not very elusive but bullies open-field defenders with force to break tackles. Johnson is going to get what is there and run with consistent effort and toughness. He could compete for a role as a two-down backup”. Chimere Dike - “Niche receiver with average hands but good early speed to bypass man coverage and give life to the vertical game. Dike is a second- and third-level receiver whose routes have the energy of a youngster on a playground with all gas and no brakes. He is an early separator with his speed but won’t see nearly as many free or schemed releases as he saw at Florida. He catches with downfield focus and good toughness when contested but doesn’t always play with catch-ready hands, which will lead to frustrating misses. He’s more of a field-stretcher than a volume option, but his talent for opening intermediate and deep windows could appeal to teams in need of speed”. Elijah Badger - “There are times where Badger looks like the youngster on the playground who’s a grade older than everyone else and able to do whatever he wants. He’s on the lighter side and won’t outrun NFL coverage but the game comes naturally for him. His route running can be effective but needs better detail and urgency. He has above-average ball skills to track throws and win in tight spaces or pluck the ball from outside his frame. He’s slippery with the ball in his hands and can handle kick returns. If he can handle more physical NFL coverage, he has the talent to become a WR3”. Shemar James - “James flashes speed but has never really developed the recognition and response talent to chalk up playmaking production. He has some twitch in his movement and does a nice job of working past blocks, but he might not be able to anticipate with enough consistency to play ahead of NFL blocking schemes. James is athletic in space and can play special teams, but he might never be more than an average backup”. Cam Jackson - “Massive nose tackle whose lack of productivity belies his potential to imprint on NFL games as a run defender. Jackson is a complete non-factor as a rusher, so his spot on a draft board will be relative to a team’s willingness to take a two-down player in need of polish. He’s long and plays with extremely heavy hands and an ability to overwhelm single blockers at times. When he’s allowed to swap paint and focus on smaller areas of containment, he’s a tough out. He gets knocked off his spot more than he should, but better block take-on and technique should create better consistency. Jackson has freakish size and is a more enticing prospect when tape flashes are prioritized in the evaluation process. Agree or disagree? One thing is for certain the draft is not an exact science, and the NFL has its share of can’t-miss prospects and undrafted free agents that currently call the NFL their place of business. There is one thing that cannot be denied when looking at this group. All five players were productive in the nation’s toughest league with the toughest schedule. All five players also possess the intangibles that make for multi-year professionals.  Running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (Chris Spears photo) Bonus Analysis of fan favorite Desmond Watson according to Zierlein- Desmond Watson (6-5, 464) - “Watson can gather and occupy double-teams without losing his gap and is strong enough to shed single blocks fairly quickly. However, he lacks consistency in attacking blocking schemes and controlling blockers with hand quickness as a two-gapper. Watson has the size and strength to play for an odd-front unit as a nose tackle but managing his weight will have to be a priority for the team that adds him”. Watson impressed NFL scouts at Florida Pro Day by completing 38 (wide grip) repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press.    Florida has had a player selected in every year of the modern draft which began in 1967 and with 58 first round pick ranks 6th among all college programs.   The NFL draft will be held starting tonight from at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Aring on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network Round 1 will begin at 8pm, Rounds 2-3 Friday at 6pm, and Rounds 4-7 Saturday at 12pm. (All Eastern Standard Time)

Will Richard's bank shot with 5 seconds left beat South Carolina (UAA Photo) The Gators made a statement by blowing out Tennessee, but there were still inconsistencies that had to be dealt with. The defense rounded into shape in January but the offense had games in which it struggled. The Gators were good. Everybody knew that, but how good? Good enough to contend for a national championship? You could see the potential, but the talk nationwide was a Duke-Auburn matchup seemed imminent for the national championship.   January 11, 2025, Fayetteville, Arkansas   Bud Walton Arena is never an easy place to play, even when Arkansas is having a bad year. There is renewed enthusiasm about the Razorbacks thanks to John Calipari and the arena is electrical with the arrival of the Gators, fresh off a 30-point win over Tennessee.  Five minutes into the game the Gators are playing as if they are wearing cement sneakers. The joint is jumping because the Hogs are up 11-2. It takes the Gators until the midway point in the first half before they take their first lead and not until an Alijah Martin three with 6:39 to go that they take the lead for good (21-18).   Despite a poor shooting day, the Gators win, 71-63, thanks to dominant work on the backboards and exceptional defense. The Gators outrebound Arkansas 49-39 as Alex Condon rips down 10 boards to lead the way. Will Richard grabs eight rebounds while Rueben Chinyelu, Tommy Haugh and Sam Alexis grab seven each. Defensively, the Gators hold the Razorbacks to 18-60 shooting overall, a dismal 3-16 from the 3-point line.   No doubt Todd Golden is happy the Gators fly home to Gainesville with a win, but he knows the team had to play through a hangover from the Tennessee win.   “To win a game like this after a huge emotional game on Tuesday night, this had kind of a letdown game written all over it,” Golden said. “I thought we were a little fatigued, both mentally and physically, coming into this game and we didn’t get off to a great start. We didn’t have great energy early on but our guys showed why we have the potential of a special season.”   Special season. The Gators are 15-1, already one win away from matching Golden’s first year win total just a couple of seasons ago. In the immortal words of the late Tug McGraw, “You gotta believe!”   January 14, 2025, Gainesville   The Arkansas win catapaults the Gators to No. 5 nationally in the AP poll, No. 4 in the Coaches. The Gators are flying high, maybe too high because enthusiasm and focus are in short supply when Mizzou comes to the O-Dome. Missouri, which needs a statement win on its resume, comes out scorching hot for a 50-34 lead at the intermission. It’s only when the Gators are down 11 midway through the second half that they start playing like a ranked team.   “Just really disappointed by our lack of enthusiasm, energy, whatever you want to call it in the first half,” Golden says after the Gators stage a furious comeback only to fall, 83-82. “Obviously I thought we were pretty resilient in the second half, but, you know, building a 14-point hole at home or anywhere for all that matters is a really bad strategy when winning is the goal.”   In beating Tennessee and Arkansas, the Gators held those two teams to a combined 7-45 from the 3-point line. Missouri’s Caleb Grill went 6-10 and was the difference in the game offensively for the Tigers. Despite their defensive deficiencies and allowing Mizzou to be more physical, the Gators still should have won except for a 21-31 performance at the foul line. Additionally, the Gators turn the ball over 13 times which Mizzou converts into 18 points.   It is the little things that add up when you lose.   “It’s hard to be good,” Golden says.   January 18, 2025, Gainesville   In the aftermath of the loss to Missouri, Golden has come to Jesus with his team.   “We talked about it a lot over the last 48 hours that we just cannot allow it to happen where a team comes in here [the O-Dome] and plays harder than us,” Golden says.   Pity Texas. Against a Florida team determined to put the Missouri loss in the rearview, the Gators hold the Longhorns to 4-16 from the 3-point line and pound the ball inside relentlessly for an 84-60 win. Walter Clayton Jr. (22) and Alijah Martin (19) play well from start to finish, but this game is decided by what happens in the paint where the Gators hold a 44-20 advantage.   Alex Condon scores 11, grabs 12 rebounds, passes for three assists, blocks a shot and comes up with four steals.   “We talked before the game about winning the battle of the paint and winning the battle behind the 3-point line, and we have struggled in losses in our league in both those areas,” Golden said.   When the Gators are getting second chance points due to their offensive rebounding and defending the 3-point line, they can beat anyone in the country. Against Texas, Florida looks like a top five team at both ends of the court.   The Gators are 16-2 overall, 3-2 in SEC play, but already two games behind Auburn in the loss column.   January 22, 2025, Columbia, South Carolina   Five whole seconds. That’s how long the Gators led South Carolina and that wouldn’t have been possible without Alex Condon’s hip. Trailing the Gamecocks 69-68 with 17 seconds left the Gators ran a play for Will Richard who drove down the left side of the lane, straight at South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles, who had blocked three shots and altered at least that many. That’s when Condon put a hip into Murray-Boyles and it was just enough to give Richard room to bank a shot with his left hand off the glass and through the net.   Florida’s 70-69 win had all the makings of a monumental upset by the Gamecocks, who were winless in SEC play. The Gators trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half before settling for a 36-29 deficit at the intermission. The Gamecocks, who led by 14 with 12:46 to go, were up 13 (58-45) with 8:49 left in the game when Todd Golden started pressing full court, which resulted in eight South Carolina turnovers. The Gators outscored South Carolina 25-11 the rest of the way.   “We probably should have went to the full court press a little earlier, to be honest,” Golden said. “It’s not something that we do a lot and not something that I’m completely comfortable with all the time, but again, we did enough to find a way to win. The press was huge for us.”   The press and the perimeter game had to be good for the Gators because South Carolina’s defensive scheme really affected Florida’s inside game. Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Tommy Haugh and Sam Alexis combined for nine points and 19 rebounds. On the perimeter, Richard led the way with 22 points, four rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals. Walter Clayton Jr. had 16 points, four rebounds, seven assists and a steal. Alijah Martin had 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and three steals. Coming off the bench, Denzel Aberdeen scored nine and was very effective on the press.   Florida improved to 17-2 overall, 4-2 in conference play.   Walter Clayton Jr. drives for two against Georgia (UAA Photo) January 25, 2025, Gainesville   Walter Clayton Jr. gets a ton of publicity for his offensive game, but against Georgia defense was his calling card. Clayton set the tone with five first half steals, part of a day when the Gators forced 18 turnovers that were converted into 29 points.   “We were on to their stuff,” Todd Golden said. “We forced a lot of turnovers which is something we haven’t done a lot of this year. We have the last two games but we knew with them, the way they play, they really want to attack the paint, attack the rim. We did a good job of keeping them out of there, forced them to make more skilled passes which we were able to deflect or intercept.”   The Gators forced 14 first half turnovers and had 20 deflections while building a 51-26 lead at the intermission.   Georgia came into the game led by freshman Asa Newell, a one-and-done type that many were predicting to go in the lottery. He finished with eight points on 4-14 shooting overall and was 0-5 from the 3-point line. The Gators made it a point of particular emphasis to put the clamps on Newell.   “He’s a fantastic talent but we have a lot of pride on our team and our frontcourt players have a lot of pride,” Golden said. “They know that he’s on draft boards and being discussed as a top prospect. Any time our guys go up against a player like that they accept it as a challenge and I thought we did a good job of neutralizing him tonight.”   Five Gators scored in double figures led by Clayton and Martin, each with 17. Clayton had three rebounds and five assists in addition to the five steals. Martin had two rebounds, three assists and four steals. Will Richard, who hit 4-8 on his 3-pointers, finished with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Alex Condon finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists a blocked shot and a steal. Off the bench, Tommy Haugh had 13 points, 11 rebounds, one assist and one block.   The Gators went 5-2 in January, improving to 18-2, 5-2 in the SEC.   Rueben Chinyelu blocks out for a rebound at Tennessee (UAA Photo) February 1, 2025, Knoxville   Paybacks are hell so they say. Ever since the Gators blew the doors off Tennessee by 30 points the Vols had circled February 1 on their calendars. With a sellout crowd of 21,678 waiting at Thompson-Boling Arena, Tennessee was intent on doing to Florida what the Gators had done to them in Gainesville.   “Disappointed” is how Todd Golden described Florida’s 64-44 loss to the Vols. The Gators came into the game ranked fifth nationally, but looked nothing like a ranked team.   “I was expecting a better effort from our group,” Golden said. “I thought they dictated the game from start to finish. Their physicality really bothered us all night, couldn’t seem to get catches where we wanted. We couldn’t seem to get downhill the way we normally do offensively.     “We’ve been amazing offensively all year and we looked terrible today. I think a lot of that had to do with the way they guarded us.”   Florida’s defense wasn’t bad at all, just that Tennessee’s defense combined with Florida’s offensive difficulties turned this into a rock fight of a game. It was 24-21 at halftime. The Vols put the game away in the second half when they went on a 20-7 run. The Gators had no answers for Tennessee at either end of the court.   Making matters worse was a first half sprained ankle by Walter Clayton Jr. Clayton came back in the second half, but tweaked it again and sat. He finished with 10 points in 27 minutes, but was only 2-9 from the 3-point line.   The Gators finished 4-27 from the 3-point line and 13-53 overall. This was not what was expected of a team that was starting to look like one capable of a long run in the postseason.   With 10 Southeastern Conference games remaining in the regular season, the Gators stood at 18-3 overall, 5-3 in SEC play. So much happened in January. They showed what they can do defensively against Tennessee and showed their ability to come back at South Carolina, but they lost a game they shouldn’t have to Missouri and then had a very bad day at the office in losing to Tennessee. What could this team do if it put it all together and played consistently at both ends of the court for entire games?   That was the question on everybody’s mind as the midway portion of the SEC schedule approached.   Tomorrow: In Part IV the Gators endure a rash of injuries and emerge from February on a roll.

Denzel Aberdeen (11) committed to play at Kentucky next season (UAA Photo) “Money talks, but it don’t sing and dance and it don’t walk” – from “Forever in Blue Jeans” by Neil Diamond   Money talked Monday when Denzel Aberdeen committed to spend his senior season playing basketball at Kentucky. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that Aberdeen, the first guard off the bench during Florida’s run to the national championship, wanted $2 million to stay with the Gators. When Todd Golden balked at the price tag, Aberdeen went in the portal and three days later made the move to UK.   Is Aberdeen worth $2 million or even half that? We don’t know what Kentucky is paying him, but time will tell if he made the smart choice to leave the Gators.   Meanwhile, the Gators expect to have at least three scholarships available (NCAA limit is 15), two if all goes well today with AJ Brown (6-5, 200, RSO), an Orlando native who averaged 13.2 points per game at Ohio University this past season. Brown is the older brother of rising Florida sophomore Isaiah Brown. He’s a pure wing with 3-point range, but his real strength is putting the ball on the deck and taking it to the rack where he either scores or gets fouled.   Brown is a hot property on the transfer trail. Missouri and LSU both want him as does former Florida assistant Richard Pitino, the new head coach at Xavier. Florida is the odds-on favorite to get a commitment.   Here are some other names in the portal who might end up committing to the Gators in the next few days.   Other portal possibilities RJ Luis (6-7, 196, JR, from St. John’s): First team All-American at St. John’s is being linked to Florida, Auburn and Miami.   Kris Parker (6-9, 210, FR, from Villanova): The Quincy native is being linked to Florida, Miami and Florida State.   Cade Tyson (6-7, 200, JR, from North Carolina): Kentucky and Vanderbilt are pursuing Tyson, but keep an eye on the Gators who just missed when he transferred from Belmont to UNC after the 2024 season.     Cedric Coward (6-6, 190, RSO, from Washington State): The Gators and Alabama are in it along with Kansas, Duke and Washington.   Dovydas Butka (6-9, 215, FR, from Pepperdine): He reminds people of a smaller Damontas Sabonis. Golden has great connections to the West Coast Conference.   Trent McLaughlin (6-6, 190, SR, from Northern Arizona): This is a one-and-done who went into the portal on Monday. Big time scorer who averaged 22.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season.   Julian Hammond III (6-2, 180, SR, from Colorado): Newbie in the portal who averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Shot 37.5 percent from the 3-point line and 90.4 percent at the foul line. One and done who can play with the ball or on the wing.   Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, FR, from Georgia): They were clueless what to do with him at Georgia, but he can play the point or off the ball. He’s a Serbian who played in the Euros with current Gator Viktor Mikic.   Hayden Gray (6-4, 190, SO, from UC-San Diego): He’s got two years of eligibility remaining which is a real plus. Steady as a rock at the point for a 30-5 team that made the NCAA. He can play off the ball too.   Andrej Stojakovic (6-7, 190, SO, from California): Florida is late on his radar but with the departure of Aberdeen and the addition of Xaivian Lee the Gators might move to the top of the list.   Isaiah Hawthorne (6-8, 210, from Northern Colorado): This is a sixth-year guy who got his start playing for Todd Golden at San Francisco. At Northern Colorado this past season he averaged 17.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 35 percent on his threes.   International possibility Ben Henshall (6-7, 200, Perth, Australia): Friend and former teammate of Alex Condon. Could stay in Australia and be a superstar or come to the US to play collegiately in front of the NBA scouts.   SEC BASKETBALL ALABAMA Goners: PF Jarin Stephenson (6-11, 210, SO, to North Carolina ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, to Kentucky ); SF Naas Cunningham (6-7, 175, FR) Newbies: PG Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, FR, from Miami ); PF Taylor Bol Bowen (6-10, 205, SO, from Florida State ); C Noah Williamson (7-0, 224, JR, from Bucknell )   ARKANSAS Goners: C Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2, to Illinois ); PG Casmir Chavis (6-0, 180, FR) Newbies: C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, from South Carolina ); PF Malique Ewin (6-10, 220, SO, from Florida State )   AUBURN Goners: SG Jahki Howard (6-6, 185, FR, to Utah ); SG Chad Baker-Mazara (6-7, 180, SR); PG JP Pegues (6-1, 175, SR); PF Addarin Scott (6-9, 207, FR) Newbies: Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 240, JR, from UCF ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR, from Mississippi State ); SG Kevin Overton (6-5, 190, SO, from Texas Tech ); SF Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 200, FR, from Lincoln Memorial )   FLORIDA Goners: PG Kajus Kublicas (6-2, 180, SO); PG Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR, to Kentucky ); PF Sam Alexis (6-9, 240, JR) Newbies: PG Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR, from Princeton )   GEORGIA Goners: Silas Demery Jr. (6-5, 195, JR, to UConn ); PG Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, FR); PF RJ Godfrey (7-7, 225, JR, to Clemson ); SG DeShayne Montgomery (6-4, 190, SO, to Dayton ) Newbies: Justin Bailey (6-3, 185, JR, from Wofford ); PG Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, FR, from California ); SF Kanon Catchings (6-9, 190, FR, from BYU )   KENTUCKY Goners: PG Kerr Kriisa (6-3, 180, JR, to Cincinnati ); SG Grant Darbyshire (6-2, 190, JR) Newbies: C Jayden Quaintance (6-9, 225, FR, from Arizona State ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, from Alabama ); PG Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, SO, from Pittsburgh ); PF Kam Williams (6-8, 190, FR, from Tulane ); PG Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR, from Florida )   LSU Goners: SG Vyctorius Miller (6-5, 185, FR, to Oklahoma State ); PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, to Ole Miss ); PF Daimion Collins (6-9, 202, SR); PF Noah Boyde (7-0, 245, JR, to Western Kentucky ); SG Mike Williams (6-3, 180, SO); SG Tyrell Ward (6-6, 195, JR) Newbies: PF Marquel Sutton (6-7, 205, JR, from Nebraska-Omaha ); SG Max McKinnon (6-5, 200, JR, from Pepperdine ); SG Rashad King (6-6, 198, JR, from Northeastern ); PG Dedan Thomas (6-0, 175, FR, from UNLV ); C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, from Mississippi State ); PF Lassina Traore (6-10, 230, SR, from Xavier )   MISSISSIPPI STATE Goners: C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, to LSU ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR to Auburn ); SG Riley Kugel (6-5, 210, JR, to UCF ); PG Kanye Clary (5-11, 190, JR, to Oklahoma State ); SF Adrian Myers (6-6, 205, FR); C Jeremy Foumena (6-11, 235, SO, to UCF ); SF Harrison Alexander (6-4, 190, FR) Newbies: C Quincy Ballard (6-11, 240, SR, from Wichita State ); PG Ja’Borri McGhee (6-0, 200, FR, from UAB ); Sam Walters(6-10, 200, JR, from Michigan ); SF Amier Ali (6-8, 185, FR, from Arizona State ); PF Achor Achor (6-9, 222, SO, from Kansas State )   MISSOURI Goners: C Josh Gray (7-0, 260; SR); SG Marcus Allen (6-7, 200, FR); SF Aidan Shaw (6-9, 210, JR, to Boston College ); C Peyton Marshall (7-0, 300, FR) Newbies: SG Sebastian Mack ( from UCLA ); C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO from Oklahoma ); PF Jevon Porter (6-11, 235, JR, from Loyola Marymount ); C Shawn Phillips (7-0, 245, JR, from Arizona State )   OKLAHOMA Goners: C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO to Missouri ); SF Tae Davis (6-9, 240, JR, from Notre Dame ); SG Duke Miles (6-2, 175, SR, to Virginia ); SF Jacolb-Fredson Cole (6-7, 220, FR to McNeese); C YaYa Keita (6-9, 241, JR) Newbies: PG Nijel Pack (6-0, 180, SR, from Miami ); SF Tae Davis ( from Notre Dame ); PG Xzayvier Brown (6-2, 165, SO, from Saint Joseph’s )   OLE MISS Goners: C John Bol (7-2, 210, FR); SG TJ Caldwell (6-4, 190, JR); SG Robert Cowherd (6-5, 200, SO); PF Ja’Von Benson (6-7, 251, SR) Newbies: PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, from LSU ); PG Koren Johnson (6-2, 175, RSO, from Louisville ); SF AJ Storr (6-6, 200, JR, from Kansas )   SOUTH CAROLINA Goners: PF Okku Federiko (6-8, 220, FR); SF Morris Ugusuk (6-4, 170, SO); SG Cam Scott (6-6, 170, FR); PG Jamarii Thomas (6-0, 185, SR); PG Meechie Johnson (6-2, 175, SR, to Ohio State ); SG Austin Herro (6-3, 180, FR); C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, to Arkansas ); SG Arden Conyers (6-7, 204, FR); SG Zachary Davis (6-7, 200, JR, to Memphis ) Newbies: SG Kobe Knox (6-5, 185, JR, from South Florida ); C Christ Essendoko (7-0, 285, SO, from Providence ); PF Elijah Strong (6-8, 220, SO, from Boston College ); PG Mike Sharavjamts (6-9, 180, JR, from Utah )   TENNESSEE Newbies: PF Jaylen Carey (6-8, 265, SO, from Vanderbilt ); PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6-1, 175, JR, from Maryland )   TEXAS A&M Goners: George Turkson (6-7, 220, JR, to Maryland ); SG Andre Mills (6-4, 200, FR, to Maryland ); C Pharrel Payne (6-9, 230, to Maryland ); SF Solomon Washington (6-7, 225, JR); PF Janus Ratowski (6-11, 225, FR); SF Jaelen Lee (6-6, 195, S0); SF Rob Dockery (6-6, 215, FR) Newbies: SF Zach Clemence (6-10, 225, RFR, from Kansas ); PG Jacari Lane (6-0, 178, JR, from North Alabama ); SF McKenzie Mgbako (6-8, 217, SO, from Indiana ); PG Josh Holloway (6-2, 160, SO, from Samford ) VANDERBILT   Goners: PF Jaylen Carey ( to Tennessee ); PG Jason Edwards (6-1, 175, JR, to Providence ); PG Jordan Williams (6-2, 215, JR); SF Alex Hemenway (6-4, 190, SR); PF Jaqualon Roberts (6-8, 230, SO, to Davidson ); PG Karris Bilal (6-2, 190, FR); PF Kijani Wright ( Newbies: PG Frankie Collins (6-1, 185, JR, from TCU ); C Mason Nicholson (6-10, 280, JR, from Jacksonville State ); PF Jalen Washington (6-10, 225, JR, from North Carolina ); Mike James (6-6, 195, RSO, from North Carolina State )

Will Richard drives the baseline against Tennessee (UAA Photo) An unbeaten December bled into Southeastern Conference play in January. The Gators cracked the top ten but few in the national media were convinced Todd Golden had a team that would still be hanging around past the Sweet 16. A loss at Kentucky had people thinking same old, same old Florida, then came the No. 1 Tennessee Vols. Heads began to turn for everyone but Todd Golden and the Florida Gators. They always thought they were this good.   December 4, 2024, Gainesville   Virginia is in town. Not the Virginia we thought, because Tony Bennett abruptly retired as the head coach rather than deal with all the transfer portal and NIL problems that seem to multiply on an almost daily basis. Even without Tony, however, this is a team of players he recruited, which means they do play serious defense.   A minute into the second half, Virginia is within one (39-38) of the Gators. It’s Walter Clayton Jr. time. He scores 10 of Florida’s next 15 points as the Gators take control of the game. Of his 27 points, 18 come in the second half as the Gators turned the game into an 87-69 blowout. The Gators are 9-0 and all the wins are by 10 or more points.   Two things that stand out in this game. First, was Clayton, who seemed to flip a switch in his brain that told him to take the game over. When the season began there were some who questioned how Clayton would adapt to the point. These last three games – two at Disney and Virginia – show this isn’t an experiment. Clayton at the point is a very real deal.   Second, Alex Condon continues to show how much he developed in the offseason. Against UVa he had 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and two steals. He hit 7-8 shots from the field and nailed his 3-pointer. When Condon and Tommy Haugh are able to hit open threes it opens up the paint and makes the Gators even more dangerous.   “The way we play with multiple bigs, teams generally want to clog the paint,” Golden said. “… when they [Condon and Haugh] have the ability to step out and stretch the defense, those are backbreakers because you’re trying to take things away and you got to kind of pick your poison a little bit.”   December 14, 2024, Atlanta   Arizona State (8-1) is supposed to be the toughest test so far for the Gators, who have cracked the top ten in both the AP (9) and Coaches (7) polls. Emphasis on supposed. When Alijah Martin nails a 3-pointer with 16:16 left in the half that puts the Gators ahead 9-8 the Sun Devils are on their heels, where they stay the rest of the game. Walter Clayton Jr. goes off for 25 points, three rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and three steals. Alijah Martin shows exactly why Todd Golden thought this was such a critical addition in the offseason. He’s only 6-2 but he had 11 rebounds and six assists to go with 15 points. Clayton (5) and Martin (3) combine for eight 3-pointers.   For the fourth straight game the defense turns in a dominating performance. Despite their good size, Arizona State scores only 28 in the paint and is outrebounded 47-27. The Sun Devils hit only 23-62 of their shots from the field and 7-25 from the 3-point line.   “Our defense was fantastic in the second half,” Golden says. “We have five kills, which is three stops in a row and holding Arizona State to under 40 from the field and under 30 from three is really tough to do.”   If there is a negative it is 14 turnovers that resulted in 19 points for the Sun Devils.   December 17, 2024, Charlotte   In Charlotte for the Jumpman Classic, essentially a home game for North Carolina, the Gators get their first real test of the season. The Gators will leave with a 90-84 win, but in doing so survive too many turnovers (17) and a bad day at the office when it comes to shooting the 3-ball. Maybe the biggest thing they prove is that they can win a game in a hostile environment when Walter Clayton Jr. can’t find the ocean from the end of the pier.   Ranked No. 7 in the most recent AP poll (6 in the Coaches), the Gators bolted out to a 17-point lead in the first half, but Carolina comes roaring back in the second half and led by as many as four points. Alijah Martin tied the game at 82-82 with a 3-pointer with 2:29 left and at 84-84 with a pair of free throws with 1:48 to go. It takes a stickback by Will Richard, two free throws by Tommy Haugh with seven seconds left and two more free throws by Richard with three seconds to go to seal the win.   Richard scored 22 points to go with six rebounds, an assist and a steal. Martin heated up late to finish with 19 despite 5-17 overall and 2-12 from the 3-point line. Clayton was 4-15 from the field, 1-7 from the 3-point line. He did have six rebounds but more turnovers (4) than assists (2).   Two things saved the Gators. The rebounding was outstanding (46-36 advantage; Alex Condon with 10) and the play off the bench by Denzel Alberdeen (12 points) and Haugh (9 points, 6 rebounds).   “To be honest, we haven’t had a game like this,” Todd Golden said. “We’ve won every game before this by double figures and so to be able to push through in a game where we trailed back and forth through the second half, I think is obviously great for us and will help prepare us for SEC play.” December 21, 2024, Gainesville/December 29, 2024, Gainesville   North Florida and Stetson, not exactly threats to Florida’s unbeaten streak to start the season, but this is not just any season and it shows in the O-Dome crowds. In beating North Florida, 99-45, and Stetson, 85-45, crowds in excess of 10,000 pour into the O-Dome for both games. These games weren’t much more than glorified scrimmages, but Todd Golden got to play everybody and he saw consistent defensive intensity as the Gators improved to 13-0, their best start to a season since 2005-06 when they began the season 17-0.   North Florida and Stetson combined to go 11-58 from the 3-point line, 31-114 overall from the field. The Gators forced 32 turnovers off of which they scored 31 points. There were 23 steals and 12 blocked shots. The rebounding margin was 114-61.   The Gators ended the non-conference portion of the schedule 13-0, ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, No. 5 in the AP. Even with the good record, the Gators aren’t perceived to be much of a threat to win a national championship. The talk is all about Auburn, Tennessee and Duke. Florida is an afterthought.   What the national media doesn’t know is they are throwing 40-gallon drums of gasoline on a fire that is raging within Golden. There is the disrespect card that he loves to play. There is the underdog factor as well. The Gators don’t have a single 5-star recruit on the roster.   It’s almost like a Last Chance U mentality. Golden reminds his team about all the 5-stars that dot rosters at Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Alabama and Arkansas. It creates a giant chip on the Gators’ shoulders that doesn’t get knocked off.     THE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE BEGINS   Walter Clayton Jr. lines up a 3-pointer against Kentucky (UAA Photo) January 4, 2025, Lexington A sure sign of the changing SEC is Florida and Kentucky will only play once instead of the usual two games and it is the first game of the season. Every other year, senior night at Rupp and the O-Dome is Florida-UK. This year it’s the first game of the year at Rupp. With No. 1 Tennessee and No. 23 Arkansas to follow, it’s as if the folks who made up the schedules in the SEC decided to punish Florida twice. The first time was football with the toughest schedule in the country, the second time basketball with that 3-game gauntlet to begin the conference slate.   In many ways, this seemed like a throwback to Florida’s 102-100 loss to Colorado in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Gators put more than enough points on the scoreboard to win, but they didn’t defend. Kentucky hit 14-29 from the 3-point line and shot 57.8 percent from the field overall.   “Bad defense,” is how Walter Clayton Jr. described it. Clayton did his part on the offensive end with 33 points, three rebounds and five assists. He hit 6-12 from the 3-point line. “It’s tough when you put up a hundred and the other put up a hundred and six. When you do that you’re doing something wrong defensively. Coaches gave us a game plan that we didn’t execute as players.”   The Gators were playing well in the first half when Kobe Brea came off the bench in a shooter’s coma. He hit four 3-balls in the first half as Kentucky rallied from a 9-point deficit to take a 50-42 lead at the half. The Gators were never far out of it in the second half, but every time they cut into the deficit, Kentucky made a couple of plays to keep the lead in the 6-to-8 range.   Florida’s ability to catch and surpass the Wildcats was doomed at the foul line where they were 22-35. Make the free throws and the Gators walk out of Rupp with a win. Florida scored 31 second chance points largely due to 15 offensive rebounds.   Alijah Martin hit five 3-pointers as part of a 26-point effort. Rueben Chinyelu had 10 points and eight rebounds, while Tommy Haugh scored 11 off the bench. Alex Condon had 10 rebounds to go with seven points.   Great offense for sure, but the defense was a huge step backward.   “We didn’t guard the three – gave up 42 points behind the line – and gave up 44 in the paint,” Golden said. “You just can’t come in here and expect to win guarding that way.”   January 7, 2025, Gainesville   The loss to Kentucky dropped the Gators down to No. 8 in the AP poll with No. 1 and unbeaten (14-0) Tennessee coming to town. Expectations among the national media are that the Vols will snuff out Florida’s high powered offense and win comfortably. It is supposed to be a bring your brass knuckles and switchblades type of game, the type of game in which Tennessee excels.   A funny thing happened on the way to the brawl. Florida came prepared to beat up the Vols physically, turning the Vols into wimps who were fortunate to limp away from the O-Dome on the short end of a 73-43 score. Postgame Todd Golden was gracious in victory and perhaps a bit surprised with the final margin, but he made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t surprised the Gators won the game.   “It’s hard to say when you host the No. 1 team in the country that you expect to win, but our program did going into this game tonight,” Golden said as the Gators improved to 14-1, 1-1 in the SEC. “ … Our guys, they were just ready for it. You can sense it if guys are nervous or if they’re not … and I thought we were really locked in and our performance showed that.”   What made a 30-point blowout win over the No. 1 team in the country even more remarkable was early foul trouble that sent Walter Clayton Jr. to the bench. Picking up his second foul with 14:59 left in the first half and the Gators up 8-0, Denzel Aberdeen came off the bench and the Gators didn’t miss a beat. Aberdeen was a factor at both ends of the floor. Offensively, he scored 16 points and committed only one turnover in 20 minutes. Defensively, he was part of a Florida effort that completely shut down the Tennessee perimeter game.   Chaz Lanier, the SEC’s leading scorer and one of the nation’s top 3-point bombers, was locked down by Will Richard. Lanier went 3-16 overall and 1-9 from the 3-point line. Overall, the Vols were just 4-29 on their threes and it wouldn’t have been that good except for two threes in the last two minutes when the game was already forever lost. Tennessee point guard Zakai Ziegler scored 10 points but he had only one assist while trying to get free from Alijah Martin and Aberdeen.   When Clayton got hit with his second foul, the Gators were unfazed, in large part because they had prepared in practice for situations of this nature.   “I guess it was yesterday,” Golden said. “A guy was complaining about fouls and I just snapped in practice. I’m like, ‘Yo! We’re not getting these calls tomorrow night, alright? We can’t expect the refs to call certain things. It’s gonna be an absolute war playing these guys. Again, I thought our guys met the match with that fight. There were not many possessions in the game where I felt like we were not the tougher team. I thought out guys did a great job of sustaining that for 40 minutes.”   With Clayton held to a season-low seven points, Alijah Martin and Aberdeen picked up the offensive slack. Martin was good for 18 points, six rebounds, an assist and two steals. In the paint, where the Gators scored 40, Alex Condon had 12 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.     As part of Florida’s 56-37 rebounding margin, Rueben Chinyelu grabbed 15. He dominated Tennessee big man Felix Okpara.   At 14-1, the Gators are halfway through the regular season schedule and two games into conference play. The win over Tennessee was an eye-opener but for the Gators, respect is slow coming. Nobody has seen the Gators play a complete game at both ends of the floor. They’ve seen what the Gators can do when the offense heats up and the Tennessee game showed what they can do when everybody is focused defensively.   The Gators are very, very good. There is no denying that, but the weakness of the preseason schedule has the national media touting Auburn, Duke, Iowa State and Alabama. There is no ducking good teams anymore because it’s all Southeastern Conference games for the next two months.   Tomorrow: Part III: The next six games are a mixed bag.

Tommy Haugh holds up the national championship trophy in the UF locker room in San Antonio I am 73 years old, son and grandson of wait until next year Gators who went to their graves longing to see the University of Florida win Southeastern Conference championships in both football and basketball. The years have taught me how precious the memories are of national championship seasons. Life is short and since you never know when the next one will happen, you savor those moments when the big trophies are hoisted as confetti rains from the ceiling.   Today and for the next several days, I want to take you on the journey that ended in San Antonio with a 65-63 win over Houston for Florida’s third NCAA basketball championship. Indulge me if you will because I don’t want the warm and fuzzy feelings of an entire season to go away anytime soon.   June 20, 2024. Gainesville   It’s the kind of day when you break into a sweat the moment you throw the sheets off. Todd Golden is waiting at Mi Apa when I pull into the parking lot.   Over breakfast the subject of the team he’s putting together comes up. “I like this team,” Golden tells me. “We’ve got some dudes.” Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Alex Condon, Tommy Haugh and Denzel Aberdeen are back from the 24-12 team that lost to Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.   Back also is 7-1 Micah Handlogten, who fractured his leg in the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville back in March. “He’ll sit out,” Golden says. “He’s going to take the year to rehab and get stronger. When he comes back he’ll have more muscle. He’s going to be a beast.”   There is this teensy problem of replacing point guard Zyon Pullin and power forward Tyrese Samuel, one-and-done transfers who were vital to Florida’s 8-game turnaround in the win column. Samuel, who averaged 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his one year after transferring from Seton Hall, made All-SEC. Pullin is a guy nobody really knows about since he played in the Big West Conference at UC-Riverside where he was an absolute stud. At Florida, he was second team All-SEC, averaging 15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.   Those are huge losses, I tell Golden. I’m fishing for an answer. Over a 10-day span in April he landed three transfers – 6-9 Sam Alexis from Chattanooga, 6-10 Rueben Chinyelu from Washington State and 6-2 Alijah Martin from Florida Atlantic. Martin is the best known of the three because he was a driving force in 2023 when Florida Atlantic shocked the world by making the Final Four.   Golden explains that these three guys will make the Gators better defensively. It goes without saying improvement has to be made. The Gators were the No. 12 offensive team in the country per kenpom.com in 2023-24. Defensively, they were No. 94. Nothing emphasized the need for more defense than the 102-100 loss to Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.   “We’re going to be a lot better on defense, count on it,” Golden tells me.   Before we go in different directions after breakfast, Golden tells me he expects to add a couple more freshmen, most likely international players. Later in the summer he will land Urban Klavzar, a shooter from Slovenia who’s range is from the first step off the bus on in, and Viktor Mikic, a strong, physical 6-11 Serbian who spent a year prepping at Hamilton Heights Christian in Chattanooga, a school that has a solid history sending international kids on to bigger and better things.   I drive off thinking Todd Golden is extremely confident. He’s been that way since his introductory press conference in the lobby of the O-Dome in the spring of 2022, but this is different. He’s gone through two seasons, shown tremendous improvement from season one to season two, and now he’s four-and-a-half months from season three sounding like he has a seriously good team.   “We’ve got some dudes.” That bounces around in my brain. Something about the way Todd Golden said it makes me trust that he’s going to have a really, really good basketball team.   It has been a long, long time since I felt this good about Florida basketball in the offseason. Go back to the summer of 2010 when Billy Donovan was bringing back five starters – Chandler Parsons, Vern Macklin, Alex Tyus, Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton. That team could have won the national championship but they lost in the Elite Eight game to Butler in overtime when a 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.   Monday, November 4, 2024, Jacksonville     Back in Jacksonville. Again. On Saturday, DJ Lagway got hurt just when it seemed the Florida football team was going to upset Georgia. Walk-on Aidan Warner finished the game and the Gators lost to Georgia. Again. 34-20 was the final.   Doom and gloom. That’s the feeling in Gainesville and wherever Gators gather. The Gators play Texas in Austin next followed by LSU and Ole Miss. Although there is good news Monday morning that Lagway is going to play again, sooner and not later, optimism is in short supply. Consensus is a fourth straight losing season is inevitable and Billy Napier shouldn’t be investing in real estate in Alachua County.   The VyStar Veterans Memorial basketball arena is about 1,000 or so yards away from the football stadium where the Gators were whomped by the Poodles. South Florida is the opening night opponent.   Walter Clayton Jr. will start at the point with Will Richard and Alijah Martin on the wings. The big guys will be Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. Basically two returning starters although one (Clayton) is playing a new position. Three new guys. How are they going to blend together?   A few days earlier, Golden said, “Our goal is internally to be a top 40 defense.” Tall order when you consider so many new moving parts. Top 50 would be a big improvement. Top 40? Yikes, that’s optimistic.   It’s not a great crowd – 5,764 was the official attendance – but some of that could be hangover from football. Pre-game a lot of folks are talking more about football than the impending basketball game.   Once the game begins, you hear a lot of groans from the pro-Florida crowd. South Florida has a 13-point lead with 6:13 to go in the first half but that’s when Will Richard heats up. Richard scores 10 of Florida’s final 16 points but the Gators trail 40-39 at the half. The Gators hit only 3-18 from the 3-point line.   With ten minutes to go in the game, the Gators are up by a point, but that’s when the Gators go on a 13-0 run for a 76-62 lead that pretty much settles the issue. When the final horn goes off, the Gators are 1-0 with a 98-83 win over South Florida. Walter Clayton Jr. scored 29, Will Richard 25 while Alijah Martin and Alex Condon each had 13.   The Gators scored 98 points even though they went only 5-26 from the 3-point line.   Golden doesn’t sound happy post game. He shouldn’t be. Even though the Gators won by 15 and scored 98 points, they were sloppy and the defense was poor. Thursday, November 7, 2024, Gainesville   The day begins with a vote of confidence for Billy Napier from UF athletic director Scott Stricklin. Football is still dominating the talk among the fan base and it shows at the O-Dome in the evening when the Gators beat Jacksonville, 80-61, behind a career-high 23 points by Alex Condon. The official crowd is 8,353, but there are maybe only 6,000 live bodies in the arena. The Gators kill the Dolphins in the paint with 46 points but once again the shooting from the outside is rather spotty (7-24 on threes). The defense is better.   Golden doesn’t sound happy post game when he says, “I think fundamentally we’re not great right now.”   Friday, November 8, 2024, Gainesville   Early morning I get a call from Bobby D’Alessio, who is in Austin for Florida’s football game with Texas. “Have you seen what’s in the Alligator?” he asks me. I haven’t. “Read it and call me back,” he tells me.   The Independent Florida Alligator has published that there is a Title IX complaint against Todd Golden filed by more than one woman. The complaint alleges cyberstalking, sexual harassment and exploitation among other things. The allegations are such that I wonder if Scott Stricklin will be holding a press conference to announce Golden’s suspension later in the day.   Bobby D is with Jeffrey Meldon, one of Golden’s close friends. I talk to Bobby, who is stunned. Then I call Jeffrey. “Not the Todd I know,” Jeffrey tells me. He worries out loud about Megan and the kids.   Buddy Martin and I talk on the phone. “What’s your gut telling you?” he asks me. “If it’s true, then Todd’s gone and I can’t see Scott Stricklin surviving. Billy Napier either.”   During the day I’m bombed with text messages that call the Florida athletic program a “dumpster fire” and that is one of the kindest. Most are calling for Golden, Stricklin and Napier to be gone. “Clean out the whole joint” seems to be the prevailing thought.   Maybe 10 texts come in with that oft-used line, “Believe the woman.”   Golden’s side of the story hasn’t been told but nobody seems to want to hear it.   UF issues a statement that says it will follow the facts, but Golden isn’t suspended. Things that make you go hmmm. Something seems fishy but the damage has been done. I wonder how this is going to affect the team. I wonder how Florida fans are going to deal with this? Will they withhold judgment until all the facts are out or will they do a virtual storm of Tigert Hall, demanding that Todd Golden be gone?   Saturday, November 9, 2024, Gainesville   Golden issues a statement on Twitter that doesn’t scream innocence, but he does say he has hired Tampa attorney Ken Turkel to represent him. Turkel won more than $100 million for Hulk Hogan in a defamation suit. Friends who know him say he doesn’t take a case unless he knows his client is innocent. When he wins, he wins big. For Turkel's opponents it is nuclear winter when he gets them in court. He is a shark and apparently he sees blood in the water because he's taken on Golden.   The text messages have slowed to a crawl, but I’m still getting some nastygrams. No buzzards are circling over the basketball facility, at least none yet.   Todd Golden didn't hear boos or catcalls from the O-Dome crowd after the story in the Alligator (Photo by Chris Spears) Monday, November 11, 2024, Gainesville   Another doom and gloom Monday. The football team was blown out by Texas, Golden has a Title IX lawsuit and Grambling is in town for basketball. Paycheck game for the Tigers. Easy win (86-62) for the Gators, who put five in double figures, nobody with more than 12. The Gators outrebound the Tigers 45-24. Another lackluster crowd at the O-Dome (7,857) watches but when Golden was announced there were no boos or catcalls from the crowd. They watch poor shooting night from 3-point range (7-23) and good defense against a bad team. As expected it isn’t close. The Gators have way too much talent.   After the game, Golden is asked about the Title IX lawsuit. He has lawyered up and can’t say anything so he politely defers. He talks basketball, but is anyone really listening? This Title IX thing is serious and the Gators have just beaten a very bad basketball team.     The Gators are 3-0 with Florida State waiting in Tallahassee on Friday.   Friday, November 15, 2024, Tallahassee   The FSU crowd let Todd Golden have it when he was announced pre-game, but he didn’t let it faze him. Nor did the 20th-ranked Gators, who for a half looked like the team Golden was talking about back during the summer. The dudes showed up, a good thing because Leonard Hamilton-coached teams tend to beat teams into physical submission, especially in Tallahassee. On this night, the Seminoles do their best to turn the game into a rock fight, but unlike some Florida teams pre-Todd Golden, the Gators fight back. The Gators have bigger rocks.   Florida bolts to an 18-point lead by taking care of the ball, making open shots and playing the best defense of the young season. At one point it’s 37-19 in the first half, 44-31 at the intermission. Florida looks like a team that could win this game by 30. Or more!   Then comes the second half and the Gators get lazy with the basketball. FSU takes advantage of 11 UF turnovers in the second half and trims the lead to 77-73. Seminole fans think they are on the verge of a basketball equivalent of the Choke at Doak. Two Tommy Haugh free throws and a defensive stop lead to an 11-inch stiletto plunged into the hearts of every FSU fan on the planet. As the shot clock winds down within a split second of zero, Alijah Martin steps inside a 6-10 defender and lets fly with a desperation heave. It looks long when it leaves Martin’s hands but it hits the backboard.       And it goes in.   The FSU crowd is stunned. So are the Seminoles. Walter Clayton Jr. is inspired. He blocks a shot that Will Richard rebounds, then drills a three with 1:21 to go. With 21 seconds left he scores on a layup.   The Gators win, 87-74. We’ve seen a great half of basketball from the Gators and toughness to make game-winning plays when knuckles start turning white. What this game tells us is if the Gators ever put it all together for an entire 40 minutes they can beat a lot of VERY good teams.   Saturday, November 16, 2024, Gainesville   Maybe they were inspired by the basketball team, but the Gators scored a shocking 27-16 win over LSU at The Swamp. DJ Lagway was brilliant, but so was a pass rush that sacked Garrett Nussmeier six times. So much for an LSU offensive line that announcers bragged was as good as it gets in the country.     Tuesday, November 19, 2024/Friday, November 22, 2024, Gainesville   The Gators improve to 6-0 with an 84-60 win over FAMU and a 93-68 win over Southern Illinois. When I get home from the FAMU game I get a call from Haven Hospice telling me my stepfather, Dom Underwood, isn’t expected to live more than 1-3 more days. At 2:30 they call to tell me he opened his eyes, smiled at the nurse, swallowed and then passed away peacefully. I missed the Southern Illinois game but Saturday, I’m at The Swamp where the Gators win their second straight over Ole Miss, 24-17.   The Gator Boyz are hot, but so is the football team. I do my best to let the basketball and football teams dull the ache in my heart. I started writing sports for a daily newspaper when I as 13 in McComb, Mississippi. Sixty years and I can’t recall a time when I’ve had such a hard time focusing on what is going on. As happy as I am for the Gators, my heart is broken by the loss of such a good man who was my mom’s best friend, partner and husband for 52 years.   Alex Condon (21) was brilliant both games in Orlando (Photo by Chris Spears) November 28, 2024/November 29, 2024, Lake Buena Vista   Two games at the Milk House at Disney against the two best teams the Gators have played so far, Wake Forest and Wichita State. There have been glimpses of things to come but the Gators have yet to play well at both ends of the court from start to finish of a game. Things are about to change starting with Wake Forest, a good team that is done in by Walter Clayton Jr. (21 points), Alijah Martin (16), Will Richard (14) and Alex Condon (12). Rueben Chinyelu (9), Condon (8) and Tommy Haugh (8) dominate the Demon Deacons on the boards as the Gators win the rebounding battle, 44-30. The defense is ferocious. Wake hits only 3-20 from the 3-point line. The Gators are a work in progress, but I’m really starting to believe that this team is really, really good.   It's even worse for Wichita State the next day, blown out by UF, 88-51. The Gators score at will and defensively they smother Wichita State. Clayton hits five 3-pointers and scores 19. He could have scored more. Condon goes 3-3 from the 3-point line as part of a 17-point, 9-rebound game. Chinyelu is a beast – 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.  Wichita State hits 29.8 percent from the field overall and just 5-22 from the 3-point line. The Gators dominate the rebounding 56-30.   Everybody knew Clayton, Martin and Richard could light it up. What we didn’t know was that the front line could dominate at both ends of the court. These guys can play some defense. What a concept.   November 30, 2024, Tallahassee On a cold Saturday night in Tallahassee, the Gators won their third straight football game, blowing the doors off Florida State, 31-11. Billy Napier, whose head was perceived to be on the chopping block four weeks earlier, finished the regular season 7-5, ending all speculation that he wouldn’t be around in 2025. The Gators went on to beat Tulane 33-8 in the Gasparilla Bowl.   Back in 2005, the Gators blew out Florida State 34-7 in the final regular season football game at The Swamp. That team went on to beat Iowa in the Outback Bowl to finish 9-3. The night before the Gators beat FSU at The Swamp, the UF basketball team beat FSU 74-66 at the O-Dome. On Monday night the Gators beat Alabama State to finish November with a 6-0 record. From that beginning, the Gator Boyz went 33-6, winning their last 11 games and the 2006 national championship in Indianapolis.   Nineteen years later, the Gators beat FSU in football on the last Saturday in November. The basketball team finished the month 8-0, ranked 13th nationally. From that beginning the Gators went 36-4, winning their last 12 games as they captured Florida’s third NCAA championship in school history.   Let’s see, 6-0 November in basketball, a football win over FSU to finish the month and a season-ending 11-game winning streak that ended with the 2006 NCAA basketball championship. Nineteen years later an 8-0 basketball November, a football win over FSU on the last Saturday of the month and a season-ending 12-game winning streak that ended with the 2025 NCAA basketball championship.   Coincidence? I think not.   Tomorrow: A 5-0 December, a loss to Kentucky to start the new year and a 30-point blowout win over the No. 1 team in the country.

UF takes two of three from the Crimson Tide in dramatic fashion. By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com Freshman Taylor Shumaker (UAA photo) The #7 Florida Gators found themselves staring at another home series loss as Riley Holtorf stepped to the plate to begin the bottom of the 7th inning. The Gators had allowed two runs in the top of the inning to allow Alabama to take a 3-2 lead and set their sights on a second straight series win. Fortunately for the Gators, the roster is full of All-Americans, experience and character that allows this team to stand tall in the face of adversity. After a walk by Holtorf, Kendra Falby would reach first base on a fielder’s choice putting one of the nation’s fastest players as the tying run on base. Freshman Taylor Shumaker would continue her solid weekend hitting a single that advanced Falby to third. Reigning SEC Player of the Year Jocelyn Erickson would reach on a fielder’s choice that allowed Falby to score while the throw to second by Alabama second basemen Kali Heivilin to catch Shumaker was late so the Gators now had the winning run just 120 feet away. Senior Korbe Otis walked to home plate 0 for 3 on the day and looking for a hit against Alabama reliever Catelyn Riley that would advance Shumacher and possibly end the game. After working the count full on five pitches the sixth offering from Riley was a hard hit bouncer slightly out of reach of Heivilin that allowed Shumacher to score from second base giving the Gators their second consecutive walk-off win and their second straight SEC series win. On Friday evening Shumacher ended the evening early with a 3-run homerun that gave the Gators a 12-4 five inning win to even the series after dropping Game 1, 7-4. Shumaker has been one of the nation’s top freshmen with 16 home runs, 16 doubles and 60 hits, a Florida freshmen record. The Fullerton, California native had struggled early in conference play but regained her form against Alabama going 6 for 12 with 6 RBI’s and five runs scored. Her weekend was partnered with another solid outing by Falby who has a hit in all but one conference game this season. In the series Falby scored four runs and is hitting .455 in conference play. She also has a career high 28 RBI’s this season. The win gave the Gators their first series win at home this season and the first over Alabama at home since 2017. This was the second series win over the Tide after the Gators took two of three last season in Tuscaloosa. After Friday night’s win Shumaker talked about where the team was mentally heading into today’s game. “ We, as a team, had a nice long conversation yesterday about appreciating the process and appreciating one another and cherishing the special moments. I think being able to enjoy the game and not thinking 'I have to do my job again,' just allows the game to flow a little bit better.” With the second straight series win the Gators are currently fifth in the SEC standings with a mid-week contest against USF before heading to Baton Rouge to take on 9th ranked LSU. As one of the Top 8 teams in the country the Gators currently sit in a good position to host both a regional and super-regional and have the inside track for a third consecutive trip to the Women’s College World Series. Other Notes: After today’s game, Korbe Otis was informed that she was one of the first four players drafted by the Athlete’s Unlimited Softball League. Otis was promoted with a Golden Ticket joining Duke’ Ana Gold, Arkansas’s Bri Ellis, and Virginia Tech’s Emma Lemley as the top picks of the league’s inaugural season.

Denzel Aberdeen goes up for a shot against Norfolk State (Photo by Chris Spears) The euphoria of landing Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee got a sobering wakeup call Friday morning when Denzel Aberdeen announced he will enter the transfer portal. Aberdeen, whose contributions off the bench were critical in Florida’s run to the national championship, waited three years for his chance to be a starter and a star, but surprisingly elected to transfer.   Also announcing he will be in the portal was power forward Sam Alexis. Alexis suffered a high ankle sprain in February and was slow recuperating, playing only one time in mop-up duty the rest of the way. A native of Apopka, Alexis is likely to commit to UCF.   Aberdeen averaged 7.7 points, mostly off the bench. In a six game stretch in which he started due to injuries to Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, Aberdeen averaged 13.8 per game. An Orlando native, it is entirely possible that Aberdeen will transfer to UCF, rejoining high school teammate Riley Kugel, who spent two years at UF before spending last season at Mississippi State.   The combination of losing Aberdeen and Alexis with the NCAA expanding scholarships to 15, leaves Todd Golden with 11 on scholarship and four openings. He needs another ball handler, perhaps two wings and at least one big guy.   Here is a look at the scholarship needs for bigs and perimeter guys.   BIGS (6): Micah Handlogten (7-1, 255, JR); Alex Condon (6-11, 230, SO); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, SO); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 260, SO); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 250, FR); Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, FR)   The Departure of Alexis leaves the Gators with five scholarship big guys. Olivier Rioux, the tallest player in the country at 7-9, was a preferred walk-on who took a redshirt this past season. He made a lot of progress and it’s likely he will be awarded a scholarship. He may be a project, but you cannot teach tall and no one is taller.   Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu have declared for the NBA Draft but both are keeping their options open to return to UF. Tommy Haugh is also expected to declare for the draft but Golden should be confident that all three will return.   The Gators stand to lose four bigs after the 2025-26 season so it is imperative that Golden brings in at least one big guy with multiple years of eligibility. Keep an eye on Serbian Bogoljub Markovic, who Golden will see at the Euros in Switzerland in July.   Perimeter (3): Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, JR, transfer from Princeton); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, FR); Isaiah Brown (6-5, 195, FR)     Lee is the only ball handler in the bunch and this will be his last year of eligibility. Golden needs to play Lee off the ball some to take advantage of his scoring. Does Golden add one out of the portal or develop Klavzar and true freshman Alex Lloyd? Klavzar and Lloyd are fill the basket up shooters. Can they transition to the point?   Keep an eye on Serbian point guard Savo Drezgic, who was just a bad fit at Georgia, but he can score and distribute. Two smaller points who can score are Isaiah Swopes of Saint Louis and Dug McDaniel of K-State.   Isaiah Brown is a wing who could fill the Will Richard role. He’s a slasher with serious elevation, just like his brother AJ Brown, who is expected to transfer to UF from Ohio University on Tuesday. Two guys to watch in the portal are North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson and California transfer Andrej Stojakovic. Tyson hit 46.5 percent of his threes at Belmont in 2024. Stojakovic figures to be a point in the pros so he needs to start transitioning as a primary ball handler.   St. John’s All-American RJ Luis has only one year of eligibility but he’s from Miami and he’s a proven scorer who has Will Richard skills in showing up where the basketball is.   Incoming freshmen (2): Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180); CJ Ingram (6-6, 200)   Lloyd   Lloyd is a pure scorer who has serious 3-point range. He can get to the rack almost at will and is in range when he gets off the bus. He’s likely the point guard of the future. CJ Ingram is closer to 6-7 already and might not finish growing until he’s 6-8 or 6-9. Great scorer in the paint who needs work on his outside shot, but he will play a lot starting with game one.   Portal possibilities Shooter/ball handlers Andrej Stojakovic (6-7, 190, SO, from California): Son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic projects as a point in the NBA, but he’s played mostly as a shooter in a season at Stanford, then at Cal. UF was very much involved in his recruitment out of high school. Averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.   PJay Smith (6-0, 180, SR, from Furman): Played a couple of years of juco ball before becoming a star at Furman. Last season scored 17.6 points with 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He nailed 41.3 percent of his threes.   Dug McDaniel (6-0, 170, JR, from Kansas State): Longshot but he knows how to score. Lit up the Gators for 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists two years ago at Michigan. Averaged 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists at K-State, 16.7, 3.7 and 4.7 at Michigan in 2024. Good with the ball or off the ball.   Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, RFR, from Georgia): Completely misused at Georgia. He is a scoring point. At the Euros in 2024 he averaged 20.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from the 3-point line. Teammate of UF freshman Viktor Mikic for Serbia in 2022 Euros.   Isaiah Swope (5-10, 175, JR, from Saint Louis): He is instant offense both as a scorer and distributor. At Saint Louis averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists while hitting 41.3 percent of his threes.   Hayden Gray (6-4, 190, SO, from UC-San Diego): He was on the radar for Todd Golden when he was the HBC at San Francisco. Scored at 11.2 while grabbing 3.1 rebounds and handing out 3.3 assists for a 30-5 NCAA Tournament team.   Wings AJ Brown (6-5, 200, JR, from Ohio U): Seems like a lock for UF. He announces Tuesday and it might be a surprise if he is anything but a Gator. Slasher with hops and 3-point range. Averaged 13.2 points and 3.1 rebounds while hitting 38.8 percent of his threes.   Cade Tyson (6-7, 200, JR, from North Carolina): Keep an eye on this one. Florida finished second to North Carolina a year ago when Tyson chose North Carolina where he was a lousy fit. At Belmont in 2024 he averaged 16.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while hitting 46.5 percent of his 3-pointers. Will Richard came to UF from Belmont.   Cedric Coward (6-6, 200, RSO, from Washington State): He was averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds when he got hurt in game seven and missed the rest of the season. Two seasons ago at Eastern Washington he averaged 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. Two years of eligibility remaining.   RJ Luis (6-7, 196, JR, from St. John’s): He has been non-commital since he declared for the draft. He’s from Miami. First team All-American on the floor and in the classroom. Averaged 18.2 and 7.2 rebounds.   Hybrid big/wings Kris Parker (6-9, 210, FR, from Villanova): From Quincy, got lost in the shuffle of a bad coaching situation at Villanova. Top 100 recruit out of high school.     Ben Henshall (6-7, 200, Perth, Australia):  Former teammate of Alex Condon. He’s 6-7 and still growing. He’s likely to be a 3-or-4-year guy, but he has skills and he’s tough as nails.   Big guys Drayton Jones (6-11, 240, SO, from South Carolina State): He’s All-MEAC for his offense and defense. Averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Two years of eligibility.   Peyton Marshall (7-0, 300, FR, from Missouri): He’s an Atlanta kid who has really good feet despite his bulk. At 260 he could be a real force. Three years of eligibility makes this worth a shot.   Bogoljub Markovic (6-11, 230, from Serbia): The Gators scouted him last year at the Euros. Long and skilled around the basket. He can score, pass and defend. This would be a huge get for Golden and the Gators.   Dovydas Butka (6-9, 225, SO, from Pepperdine): As a freshman in the West Coast Conference averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. He’s a Lithuanian with two years of eligibility remaining. From the same conference as Saint Mary’s and San Francisco, so Golden has deep ties.     SEC BASKETBALL ALABAMA Goners: PF Jarin Stephenson (6-11, 210, SO, to North Carolina ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, to Kentucky ); SF Naas Cunningham (6-7, 175, FR) Newbies: PG Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, FR, from Miami ); PF Taylor Bol Bowen (6-10, 205, SO, from Florida State ); C Noah Williamson (7-0, 224, JR, from Bucknell )   ARKANSAS Goners: C Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2, to Illinois ); PG Casmir Chavis (6-0, 180, FR) Newbies: C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, from South Carolina ); PF Malique Ewin (6-10, 220, SO, from Florida State )   AUBURN Goners: SG Jahki Howard (6-6, 185, FR, to Utah ); SG Chad Baker-Mazara (6-7, 180, SR); PG JP Pegues (6-1, 175, SR); PF Addarin Scott (6-9, 207, FR) Newbies: Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 240, JR, from UCF ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR, from Mississippi State ); SG Kevin Overton (6-5, 190, SO, from Texas Tech )   FLORIDA Goners: PG Kajus Kublicas (6-2, 180, SO); PG Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR); PF Sam Alexis (6-9, 240, JR) Newbies: PG Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR, from Princeton )   GEORGIA Goners: Silas Demery Jr. (6-5, 195, JR, to UConn ); PG Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, FR); PF RJ Godfrey (7-7, 225, JR, to Clemson ); SG DeShayne Montgomery (6-4, 190, SO, to Dayton ) Newbies: Justin Bailey (6-3, 185, JR, from Wofford ); PG Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, FR, from California ); SF Kanon Catchings (6-9, 190, FR, from BYU )   KENTUCKY Goners: PG Kerr Kriisa (6-3, 180, JR, to Cincinnati ) Newbies: C Jayden Quaintance (6-9, 225, FR, from Arizona State ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate ( from Alabama ); PG Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, SO, from Pittsburgh ); PF Kam Williams (6-8, 190, FR, from Tulane )   LSU Goners: SG Vyctorius Miller (6-5, 185, FR, to Oklahoma State ); PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, to Ole Miss ); PF Daimion Collins (6-9, 202, SR); PF Noah Boyde (7-0, 245, JR, to Western Kentucky ); SG Mike Williams (6-3, 180, SO); SG Tyrell Ward (6-6, 195, JR) Newbies: PF Marquel Sutton (6-7, 205, JR, from Nebraska-Omaha ); SG Max McKinnon (6-5, 200, JR, from Pepperdine ); SG Rashad King (6-6, 198, JR, from Northeastern ); PG Dedan Thomas (6-0, 175, FR, from UNLV ); C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, from Mississippi State ); PF Lassina Traore (6-10, 230, SR, from Xavier )   MISSISSIPPI STATE Goners: C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, to LSU ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR to Auburn ); SG Riley Kugel (6-5, 210, JR, to UCF ); PG Kanye Clary (5-11, 190, JR, to Oklahoma State ); SF Adrian Myers (6-6, 205, FR); C Jeremy Foumena (6-11, 235, SO); SF Harrison Alexander (6-4, 190, FR) Newbies: C Quincy Ballard (6-11, 240, SR, from Wichita State ); PG Ja’Borri McGhee (6-0, 200, FR, from UAB ); Sam Walters(6-10, 200, JR, from Michigan ); SF Amier Ali (6-8, 185, FR, from Arizona State )   MISSOURI Goners: C Josh Gray (7-0, 260; SR); SG Marcus Allen (6-7, 200, FR); SF Aidan Shaw (6-9, 210, JR, to Boston College ); C Peyton Marshall (7-0, 300, FR) Newbies: SG Sebastian Mack ( from UCLA ); C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO from Oklahoma ); PF Jevon Porter (6-11, 235, JR, from Loyola Marymount ); C Shawn Phillips (7-0, 245, JR, from Arizona State )   OKLAHOMA Goners: C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO to Missouri ); SF Tae Davis (6-9, 240, JR, from Notre Dame ); SG Duke Miles (6-2, 175, SR, to Virginia ); SF Jacolb-Fredson Cole (6-7, 220, FR to McNeese); C YaYa Keita (6-9, 241, JR) Newbies: PG Nijel Pack (6-0, 180, SR, from Miami ); SF Tae Davis ( from Notre Dame ); PG Xzayvier Brown (6-2, 165, SO, from Saint Joseph’s )   OLE MISS Goners: C John Bol (7-2, 210, FR); SG TJ Caldwell (6-4, 190, JR); SG Robert Cowherd (6-5, 200, SO); PF Ja’Von Benson (6-7, 251, SR) Newbies: PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, from LSU ); PG Koren Johnson (6-2, 175, RSO, from Louisville ); SF AJ Storr (6-6, 200, JR, from Kansas )   SOUTH CAROLINA Goners: PF Okku Federiko (6-8, 220, FR); SF Morris Ugusuk (6-4, 170, SO); SG Cam Scott (6-6, 170, FR); PG Jamarii Thomas (6-0, 185, SR); PG Meechie Johnson (6-2, 175, SR, to Ohio State ); SG Austin Herro (6-3, 180, FR); C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, to Arkansas ); SG Arden Conyers (6-7, 204, FR); SG Zachary Davis (6-7, 200, JR, to Memphis ) Newbies: SG Kobe Knox (6-5, 185, JR, from South Florida ); C Christ Essendoko (7-0, 285, SO, from Providence ); PF Elijah Strong (6-8, 220, SO, from Boston College )   TENNESSEE Newbies: PF Jaylen Carey (6-8, 265, SO, from Vanderbilt ); PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6-1, 175, JR, from Maryland )   TEXAS A&M Goners: George Turkson (6-7, 220, JR, to Maryland ); SG Andre Mills (6-4, 200, FR, to Maryland ); C Pharrel Payne (6-9, 230, to Maryland ); SF Solomon Washington (6-7, 225, JR); PF Janus Ratowski (6-11, 225, FR); SF Jaelen Lee (6-6, 195, S0); SF Rob Dockery (6-6, 215, FR) Newbies: SF Zach Clemence (6-10, 225, RFR, from Kansas ); PG Jacari Lane (6-0, 178, JR, from North Alabama ); SF McKenzie Mgbako (6-8, 217, SO, from Indiana ); PG Josh Holloway (6-2, 160, SO, from Samford ) VANDERBILT   Goners: PF Jaylen Carey ( to Tennessee ); PG Jason Edwards (6-1, 175, JR, to Providence ); PG Jordan Williams (6-2, 215, JR); SF Alex Hemenway (6-4, 190, SR); PF Jaqualon Roberts (6-8, 230, SO, to Davidson ); PG Karris Bilal (6-2, 190, FR) Newbies: PG Frankie Collins (6-1, 185, JR, from TCU ); C Mason Nicholson (6-10, 280, JR, from Jacksonville State ); PF Jalen Washington (6-10, 225, JR, from North Carolina ); Mike James (6-6, 195, RSO, from North Carolina State )

By DAN BOND

Princeton point guard Xaivian Lee will transfer to Florida   Xaivian Lee just said no to Hall of Fame coaches Rick Pitino (St. John’s) and Bill Self (Kansas) Wednesday. Instead, Lee, the Ivy League Player of the Year at Princeton, said yes to Todd Golden and the Florida Gators, fresh off an NCAA championship led by former transfers Will Richard (Belmont), Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona) and Alijah Martin (Florida Atlantic).   Lee, the first player in Princeton history to record a triple-double (18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists vs. St. Joseph’s), averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season. In his three-year career at Princeton, Lee scored 1,154 points, averaging 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 91 games. In 2025, he hit 36.6 percent of his 3-point shots and 78.9 percent from the foul line.   A native of Toronto, Lee played his high school ball at the Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania, where he was teammates with Tommy Haugh. The two have remained close friends and their parents have also maintained a friendship.   Lee could prove to be the single most impactful player in the portal because he gives the Gators a lead guard who can score, which will help to fill the significant void by the graduation of Clayton, Martin and Richard who combined to average 46 points, 12.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. Because he can play the point or off the ball, Lee should be a perfect fit to play with Denzel Aberdeen, who averaged 7.7 points off the bench. When the Gators were hit by injuries midyear, Aberdeen stepped seamlessly into the starting lineup, averaging 13.8 points while committing only six turnovers in six games.   Golden could continue with a 3-man backcourt next season. Urban Klavzar, a superb shooter who got a good bit of playing time in the second half of the season, could be the third guard. Other options are Isaiah Brown and freshmen Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram. The Gators are expected to land Ohio University transfer AJ Brown, Isiah’s older brother. He is an experienced slasher type who scored double figures in 2025.   Another option is to play Haugh on the wing where at 6-9 he will be a mismatch for smaller perimeter players. During Florida’s run to the SEC Tournament and NCAA championships, Haugh averaged 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.     Haugh on the wing combined with a front line of 6-11 Alex Condon and 6-10 Rueben Chinyelu would be formidable, particularly backed up by 7-1 Micah Handlogten, 6-9 Sam Alexis, 6-11 Viktor Mikic and 7-9 Olivier Rioux. Condon, will test the NBA Draft waters, but is expected to return unless he has assurances of being drafted somewhere between 15-to-25. Haugh also plans to test the waters but he is also expected back. Both Condon and Haugh have stated they want to return next season, but if their draft stock were to elevate into the top 25, they would be foolish to pass on the money.     Most of the too early preseason polls have the Gators lingering somewhere between 9-and-11. If Haugh and Condon return, Florida will have the best front court in the country next year. Adding Lee and possibly a perimeter scorer like AJ Brown should move the Gators up, perhaps as high as top five. The Athletic already has Florida at No. 2 and The Sporting News No. 4 and that was before Lee committed.   FORMER NYU HEAD COACH DAVID KLATSKY JOINS UF STAFF Fresh off leading New York University to the championship game in Division III, David Klatsky is joining the Florida staff. In his three years at NYU, Klatsky led the Violets to a 68-16 record, 29-2 this past season. Klatsky is a cousin of former Gator walk-on Alex Klatsky.   Klatsky and Jonathan Safir, an analytical genius who has been on Golden’s staff since 2022, fill the spots of departed Kevin Hovde (new head coach at Columbia) and Jon Andrzejek (new head coach at Campbell).   THE ROSTER AS OF April 16, 2025 Big guys (7) Micah Handlogten (7-1, 255, JR): Handlogten can request a hardship waiver from the NCAA that will restore a year of his eligibility. Otherwise he will be a senior next season. He will be stronger and rebuild his stamina in the offseason. He will be a beast in the middle next year. When he burned his redshirt it was exactly the boost the Gators needed to make it to the national championship game.   Sam Alexis (6-9, 240, JR): Suffered a high ankle sprain at Mississippi State and was slow recovering. Saw mop-up duty against Maryland in the Sweet 16 game, otherwise was on the bench. He’s got a power game, 3-point range and good defensive instincts, but has to develop as a decision maker. He would be a hot property if he went into the transfer portal.   Alex Condon (6-11, 230, SO): Condon has declared for the NBA Draft but expectations are that he will return. He is projected late first round but could be a lottery pick with another year in school. He has the insurance of Australia where he could return to a multi-million dollar contract so he doesn’t have to worry about the NBA. Defensively, he’s ready. Offense needs some work but he’s long on potential. He can shoot the three but needs to develop a consistent mid-range shot.   Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, SO): He’s likely to go through the pre-NBA Draft process but come back to UF. Some projections have him late first round but most likely second round evaluation. Probably 95 percent set on returning. He is so versatile that he could play on the perimeter next year, taking the spot that Will Richard occupied for three years.   Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 260, SO): Potential is through the roof. He can defend and rebound but has to avoid foul troubles. For the most part, his outside shot is a dunk. Needs to assert himself more around the rim and dunk the basketball instead of putting the ball up on the glass.   Viktor Mikic (6-11, 250, FR): He’s a Serbian who came to Florida out of Hamilton Heights Christian in Chattanooga. He’s big, strong and physical but will find minutes hard to find with Florida’s front court roster.   Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, FR): He is a project but you cannot teach tall and nobody in college basketball is taller. Redshirt last season. The hope is that he will be able to be a contributor next year and perhaps a regular the year after.   Perimeter guys (4) Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR): He will take over the point next year but proved coming off the bench that he’s very capable of playing off the ball as well. He’s a rock solid defender capable of dealing with taller people. Shot 35 percent from the 3-point line.   Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, JR, transfer from Princeton): Lee can play with the ball or off the ball equally well. In the Princeton offense he was constant motion and always passing the basketball. With Aberdeen he could make a dynamic 1-2 punch.   Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, SO): When the Gators went through their rash of midseason injuries, Klavzar stepped up and proved valuable off the bench. He is a long range bomber who can put the ball on the deck. Improved as a ball handler and defender as he got experience.   Isaiah Brown (6-5, 195, SO): Didn’t get a chance to show what he could do except at mop-up time, but he’s got serious hops and is a legitimate 3-point shooter. He has the ability to challenge for starting minutes.   Incoming freshmen (2) Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180): He’s a legit bomber who can go into shooter’s comas and take over a game. He may be groomed to become the point guard after Aberdeen and Lee move on to the NBA. Excellent open court defender.   CJ Ingram (6-6, 200): He is a slasher with 3-point range. He’s grown at least two inches in the last year and might top out somewhere around 6-8 when he’s finished. Was all-interplanetary at Hawthorne. When he moved to Montverde and played in a more structured game he was a picture of consistency.   Portal possibilities AJ Brown (6-5, 200, JR, from Ohio U): He’s the older brother of Isaiah Brown. A slasher who is a streaky 3-point shooter (38.8 percent). He was the best player on an Orlando Christian Prep team that had VenAllen Lubin.   RJ Luis (6-7, 196, JR, from St. John’s): He’s a Miami kid who made first team All-America both on the court and for academics. Averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for Rick Pitino at St. John’s.   Kris Parker (6-9, 210, FR, from Villanova): Played his high school ball at Quincy where he was the No. 93 recruit in the country. Only got 10 minutes a game off the bench at Nova. Capable of playing inside or outside.   Cade Tyson (6-7, 200, JR, from North Carolina): It came down to Florida and Carolina when he transferred from Belmont in 2024. He was a bad fit and is in the portal again. He shot 46.5 percent from the 3-point line in 2024 at Belmont, 41.7 percent as a freshman the year before.   Cedric Coward (6-6, 190, RSO, from Washington State): Before he was injured six games into the season he was averaging 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Spent his first two seasons at Eastern Washington where he averaged 11.3 points, 6-1 rebounds and shot 38.6 percent from the 3-point line.   International possibility Ben Henshall (6-7, 200, Perth, Australia): Friend and former teammate of Alex Condon. Could stay in Australia and be a superstar or come to the US to play collegiately in front of the NBA scouts.   SEC BASKETBALL IN THE PORTAL ALABAMA Goners: PF Jarin Stephenson (6-11, 210, SO, to North Carolina ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, to Kentucky ); SF Naas Cunningham (6-7, 175, FR) Newbies: PG Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, FR, from Miami ); PF Taylor Bol Bowen (6-10, 205, SO, from Florida State ); C Noah Williamson (7-0, 224, JR, from Bucknell )   ARKANSAS Goners: Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2, to Illinois ); PG Casmir Chavis (6-0, 180, FR) Newbies: C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, from South Carolina ); PF Malique Ewin (6-10, 220, SO, from Florida State )   AUBURN Goners: Jahki Howard (6-6, 185, FR) Newbies: Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 240, JR, from UCF ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR, from Mississippi State )   FLORIDA Goners: PG Kajus Kublicas (6-2, 180, SO) Newbies: PG Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR, from Princeton )   GEORGIA Goners: Silas Demery Jr. (6-5, 195, JR, to UConn ); PG Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, FR); PF RJ Godfrey (6-7, 225, JR, to Clemson ); SG DeShayne Montgomery (6-4, 190, SO, to Dayton ) Newbies: Justin Bailey (6-3, 185, JR, from Wofford ); PG Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, FR, from California ); SF Kanon Catchings (6-9, 190, FR, from BYU )   KENTUCKY Goners: PG Kerr Kriisa (6-3, 180, JR, to Cincinnati ) Newbies: C Jayden Quaintance (6-9, 225, FR, from Arizona State ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate ( from Alabama ); PG Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, SO, from Pittsburgh ); PF Kam Williams (6-8, 190, FR, from Tulane )   LSU Goners: SG Vyctorius Miller (6-5, 185, FR, to Oklahoma State ); PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, to Ole Miss ); PF Daimion Collins (6-9, 202, SR, to South Florida ); PF Noah Boyde (7-0, 245, JR, to Western Kentucky ); SG Mike Williams (6-3, 180, SO); SG Tyrell Ward (6-6, 195, JR) Newbies: PF Marquel Sutton (6-7, 205, JR, from Nebraska-Omaha ); SG Max McKinnon (6-5, 200, JR, from Pepperdine ); SG Rashad King (6-6, 198, JR, from Northeastern ); PG Dedan Thomas (6-0, 175, FR, from UNLV ); C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, from Mississippi State ); PF Lassina Traore (6-10, 230, SR, from Xavier )   MISSISSIPPI STATE Goners: C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, to LSU ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR to Auburn ); SG Riley Kugel (6-5, 210, JR, to UCF ); PG Kanye Clary (5-11, 190, JR, to Oklahoma State ); SF Adrian Myers (6-6, 205, FR); C Jeremy Foumena (6-11, 235, SO); SF Harrison Alexander (6-4, 190, FR) Newbies: C Quincy Ballard (6-11, 240, SR, from Wichita State ); PG Ja’Borri McGhee (6-0, 200, FR, from UAB )   MISSOURI Goners: C Josh Gray (7-0, 260; SR); SG Marcus Allen (6-7, 200, FR); SF Aidan Shaw (6-9, 210, JR, to Boston College ); C Peyton Marshall (7-0, 300, FR) Newbies: SG Sebastian Mack ( from UCLA ); C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO from Oklahoma ); PF Jevon Porter (6-11, 235, JR, from Loyola Marymount ); C Shawn Phillips (7-0, 245, JR, from Arizona State )   OKLAHOMA Goners: C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO to Missouri ); SF Tae Davis (6-9, 240, JR, from Notre Dame ); SG Duke Miles (6-2, 175, SR, to Virginia ); SF Jacolb-Fredson Cole (6-7, 220, FR to McNeese); C YaYa Keita (6-9, 241, JR) Newbies: PG Nijel Pack (6-0, 180, SR, from Miami ); SF Tae Davis ( from Notre Dame ); PG Xzayvier Brown (6-2, 165, SO, from Saint Joseph’s )   OLE MISS Goners: C John Bol (7-2, 210, FR); SG TJ Caldwell (6-4, 190, JR); SG Robert Cowherd (6-5, 200, SO) Newbies: PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, from LSU ); PG Koren Johnson (6-2, 175, RSO, from Louisville ); SF AJ Storr (6-6, 200, JR, from Kansas )   SOUTH CAROLINA Goners: PF Okku Federiko (6-8, 220, FR); SF Morris Ugusuk (6-4, 170, SO); SG Cam Scott (6-6, 170, FR); PG Jamarii Thomas (6-0, 185, SR); PG Meechie Johnson (6-2, 175, SR, to Ohio State ); SG Austin Herro (6-3, 180, FR); C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, to Arkansas ); SG Arden Conyers (6-7, 204, FR); SG Zachary Davis (6-7, 200, JR) Newbies: SG Kobe Knox (6-5, 185, JR, from South Florida ); C Christ Essendoko (7-0, 285, SO, from Providence ); PF Elijah Strong (6-8, 220, SO, from Boston College )   TENNESSEE Newbies: PF Jaylen Carey (6-8, 265, SO, from Vanderbilt ); PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6-1, 175, JR, from Maryland )   TEXAS A&M Goners: George Turkson (6-7, 220, JR, to Maryland ); SG Andre Mills (6-4, 200, FR, to Maryland ); C Pharrel Payne (6-9, 230, to Maryland ); SF Solomon Washington (6-7, 225, JR); PF Janus Ratowski (6-11, 225, FR); SF Jaelen Lee (6-6, 195, S0); SF Rob Dockery (6-6, 215, FR) Newbies: SF Zach Clemence (6-10, 225, RFR, from Kansas ); PG Jacari Lane (6-0, 178, JR, from North Alabama ) VANDERBILT   Goners: PF Jaylen Carey ( to Tennessee ); PG Jason Edwards (6-1, 175, JR, to Providence ); PG Jordan Williams (6-2, 215, JR); SF Alex Hemenway (6-4, 190, SR); PF Jaqualon Roberts (6-8, 230, SO); PG Karris Bilal (6-2, 190, FR) Newbies: PG Frankie Collins (6-1, 185, JR, from TCU ); C Mason Nicholson (6-10, 280, JR, from Jacksonville State ); PF Jalen Washington (6-10, 225, JR, from North Carolina ); Mike James (6-6, 195, RSO, from North Carolina State )