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Friday, March 29, 2024
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden holds a ball during a a practice before the SEC men's basketball tournament Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden holds a ball during a a practice before the SEC men's basketball tournament Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Florida head coach Todd Golden walked into the Hugh Hathcock Basketball Facility with a small Starbucks drink in hand. In his usual Gators attire, he approached members of the media to discuss UF’s season and offseason plans.

About a year ago, the Gators named Golden UF’s new head basketball coach — replacing former Florida head coach Mike White.

Coming into his new role, Golden attacked a lot of unknowns, Golden said. He didn’t have the institutional knowledge of the program, and he didn’t know the players on a personal level.

Golden — going into his second season — now has a better understanding of the program after a full season against top competition, intense Southeastern Conference matchups and postseason play, he said.

“I feel like we’re in a much better place right now,” Golden said.

Golden needed time to build a coaching staff and recruit when he became the 20th men’s basketball head coach in program history ahead of the 2022 offseason, he said. Golden didn’t start recruiting until after the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four.

This time around, Golden and his staff are better prepared and organized, he said.

Florida has been more involved in recruitment at the high school level and in the transfer portal this offseason. Iona sophomore guard Walter Clayton Jr. visited UF March 24 after he entered the transfer portal, according to 247sports.

Clayton averaged 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in his sophomore season with the Gaels. He’s a 6-foot-2-inch guard from Lake Wales, Florida, who can bring offensive consistency for Florida.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year shot a nation-leading 95.3% from the free-throw line. He also shot a career-best 43.1% from behind the arc in the 2022-2023 season.

Clayton is also expected to visit St. John’s April 6. His former head coach, Rick Pitino — who coached him last season at Iona — is the new head coach of the Red Storm.

Eight players ran out of college eligibility or entered the transfer portal. Florida guards sophomore Kowacie Reeves and junior Niels Lane became the first players to enter the transfer portal March 16.

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UF senior center Jason Jitoboh, senior forward CJ Felder and junior guard Trey Bonham entered the portal after Reeves and Lane made the move.

“You go your separate ways, and you hope for the best for everybody,” Golden said. “Everybody is going to be OK and we’ll continue to try to build the roster this year.”

Golden will look through the portal throughout this offseason to replace more than half of UF’s players from the 2022-2023 roster. A lot of players currently in the portal have reached out to him to join Florida and vice versa. 

Golden acknowledged recruiting in today's college basketball has changed drastically with the transfer portal.

“This is as important, if not, the most important time period in terms of building a roster,” Golden said. “I’ve definitely have had a lot of conversations.”

When looking for players, Florida evaluates analytics, character and overall fit in the program. He’s also looking overseas for recruits — something he said is important to him.

“You can find guys that are really high-level players that might not have the same type of recruitment or the same shine on them as some players here,” Golden said.

The Gators will prioritize players with size, physicality and ball-handling skills this offseason, Golden said. He thinks those are areas the program needs to grow in to improve next season.

He also wants to find guys who can go and get a basket when things break down, he said. Florida didn’t have a lot of players like that last year, Golden said.

“I think we may have learned that we need more usage out there,” Golden said. “I think that’s something that held us back at times.”

Freshman guards Riley Kugel and Denzel Aberdeen, sophomore guard Will Richard, sophomore forward Alex Fudge, freshman forward Aleks Szymczyk, redshirt sophomore Jack May and redshirt junior Alex Klatsky are still on the roster as of March 29.

Golden and the Gators’ coaching staff continue to speak to a majority of the returning players — including Kugel and Richard.

Golden wants to support and help Kugel get to a spot where he can succeed, he said.

He was most impressed that Kugel navigated his freshman year better than usual first-years. Golden saw Kugel’s offense make a jump in SEC play after he started the season slow.

The freshman scored double-digit points — including three 20-point games — in the last 10 games of the season. The run matched former Florida guard Bradley Beal for UF’s longest stretch of double-figure scoring games by a freshman this century.

The Orlando, Florida, native's ability to create shots on the ball and score in streaks made him a potential future National Basketball Association draft prospect. Golden believes Kugel can improve more of his game with one more year at UF, he said.

“He's proven the capacity to do really well,” Golden said. “My goal is to just help him get better in all areas, to make him a more complete player and to give him a better chance to compete in the next level.”

Richard embodies what the Gators want in a player, Golden said. Golden hopes to see Richard become more of a leader on the court next season.

“We believe he can do a great job out on the floor, so I think the play will take care of itself,” Golden said.

Florida’s 2023 high school recruits will also join the team and mark Golden’s first recruiting class with the Gators. This group includes 247Sports composite three-star power forward Thomas Haugh and NBA Global Academy center Alex Condon from Australia.

Both big men weigh more than 200 pounds. The 6 foot, nine inch Haugh and 6 foot, 10 inch Condon will add to UF’s size.

Haugh is ranked as the fourth best player from Pennsylvania in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports. He’s a versatile defender that can guard all positions on the floor. Haugh turned down offers from Northwestern, Maryland and other schools for Florida.

Condon was a double-double machine at Hale boarding school in Perth, Australia. He did a majority of his work in the low post before he went to the Australian NBA Academy. He’s currently unranked by all major basketball recruiting services.

Florida will continue to look for additional players as the offseason progresses. Recruiting is one of the jobs Golden and his coaching staff enjoy the most, he said.

“Building a roster and getting organized on that,” Golden said, “it changes frequently in terms of what we need, or what we think we need, as we go and look.”

Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @BranH2001.

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Brandon Hernandez

Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.


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