The entire college basketball world has its eyes on the Gators as they look to defend their national championship, but the team itself is focused on this new season, with a new look and the same goal.
On the first day of fall practice, head coach Todd Golden and players alike were welcomed to the expectations and pressure of defending a national title. As comparisons to the 2005-06 and 2006-07 teams that went back-to-back were made, the Gators try to avoid getting caught up in comparisons and emphasize that this is a new season with a new team.
“It’s tricky, because unlike 20 years ago, we don’t have our whole starting five back,” Golden said. “Obviously, we have guys who played a huge role on that team and that expectation, for them, that’s the goal. At the same time, we have some transfers and young guys that we’re trying to get in there.”
Last year, Florida’s backcourt consisted of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard. While Clayton took more of the ball-handling duties, Martin was the off-ball playmaker. With these two gone, Golden looks to change things up with a two-guard system, giving both guards the opportunity to bring the ball up the court.
The two at the helm of the system will be Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland and former Princeton guard Xavian Lee.
Junior forward Alex Condon said he looks forward to having this two-guard system between Fland and Lee.
“I think we’re going to have a lot more of a versatile team with having two guys who can bring up the ball well,” he said. “When I'm rebounding, I can look for either of them and if one is getting more covered, then the other one I can go to.”
Fland averaged 13.5 ppg, had four games with at least 20 points and shot 36.5% from three before he sustained sports hernia last season with Arkansas. He will look to complement Lee in the backcourt, as the two alternate between point guard and shooting guard.
Condon said he was impressed at Fland’s ability to come back from his injury.
“He’s come back and played a lot better basketball,” he said. “We’re relying on Boogie to be a shot maker for us this year, and I think he’s been confident in the shots he’s been taking.”
Golden said that, for now, Fland will take on the majority of ballhandling opportunities.
“Off dead balls, we’ll probably have Boogie bring it to start, just from an organizational standpoint,” Golden said. “Boogie will trigger a lot of our dead ball or half-court stuff.”
Lee, a Toronto native, seeks to adjust to transferring from an Ivy League school into the Southeastern Conference.. Last season, he averaged 16.9 ppg, shot 33.6% from three and had 10 games with at least 20 points.
Golden said he’ll look to have Lee off the ball to start offensive possessions so he can get to his strengths.
“We want to get him in positions where he’s a decision maker and a playmaker,” Golden said. "We just need to get him into positions where he can make plays and so getting him downhill to his right and off some different actions that we can run with Boogie starting in the offense will be really good for us and make teams guard both sides of the floor.”
Junior forward Thomas Haugh, who played high school ball with Lee at Perkiomen in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, spoke highly of his teammate’s development since their high school days.
‘He’s going to be great for us and I’m super glad to have a familiar face here,” he said. “He’s doing crazy passes and finishing and dunking between the legs and stuff. I love playing with him too. He makes crazy passes to you and he’s a great competitor.”
Fland and Lee look to make an impact as the Gators get ready to start their season, first with two secret exhibition games before their season kicks off against Arizona on Nov. 3.
On Oct. 18, they'll host Florida International. Then on Oct. 25, Florida takes on Illinois in Orlando.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
