With one month before the 2024-25 season kicks off, junior center Rueben Chinyelu is working on expanding his game to make a longer-lasting impact on the team both on and off the court.
During the offseason, and after testing NBA waters, the Enugu, Nigeria, native took what he learned from last year’s championship run to improve different factors of his game.
He enters the 2025-26 season looking to become more of an offensive threat and embraces his new role as a leader, catching the eyes of his teammates as they aim to follow last year’s success.
“I just see him getting more and more confident on the court and making quicker decisions on the block,” head coach Todd Golden said. “He’s starting to counter a lot more, but his passing and decision-making has really gone up from last year.”
Chinyelu came to Gainesville last year after transferring from Washington State, where he averaged 4.7 points, five rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. While his offensive stats didn’t jump off the page, Golden believed Chinyelu would contribute significantly on the defensive end.
In his sophomore campaign, the 6-foot-10 center was a consistent force. He started all 40 games, averaging six points, 6.6 rebounds and just under a block per game. Chinyelu provided the Gators with a rim-protecting presence, but was shadowed by forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, who provided a much larger scoring threat.
As a result, when Chinyelu first declared for the NBA draft, he quickly realized that it would be best for him to improve his offensive game before advancing to the next level.
“It’s helped craft me during the offseason on where I need to focus on,” he said. “The feedbacks were really good, and I was glad that I did that, and I’m glad I got to hear other inputs from teams.”
One area of offense that Chinyelu worked on was his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Over the summer, a video surfaced of Chinyelu landing several three-point shots in a row during a workout.
Last season, he did not attempt a single shot from distance. Now, there is a serious chance that fans can expect him to attempt shots beyond the arc when given the opportunity.
“We will see some of that during the season,” Chinyelu said. “I’ll take good shots, shots that you need to take depending on how they play me.”
Another area of offense where Chinyelu looks to improve is his free-throw shooting.
Chinyelu shot 58% from the line last season, which is slightly more reliable than his backup senior Micah Handlogten (33%). Still, Florida will look for Chinyelu to improve those numbers so he can be a more reliable option late in the game when teams intentionally foul him.
One person who has been central to Chinyelu’s development as a Gator is associate head coach Carlin Hartman. Chinyelu said that Hartman's tough coaching style helped him get on the right path toward being a more complete player.
In addition to his work during the offseason, Chinyelu will be more involved in the team’s offense due to changes in the lineup.
With Haugh making the switch from power forward to small forward, now Chinyelu will have less competition in the backcourt. His replacements in the rotation are Condon, who is expected to start with Chinyelu, Handlogten and forwards CJ Ingram and AJ Brown could contribute throughout the season.
As a result, Chinyelu has more opportunities to play on the court, surrounded by talented players who are likely to draw more attention from the defense and increase his chances of scoring.
“He’s going to be left open a lot,” Condon said. “Every time he takes a shot, I’m really happy with that shot.”
Beyond the court, Chinyelu will expand his role as a leader.
With players like Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard gone, it will be up to Chinyelu and the other three rotational big men to lead by example.
“The four big guys coming back, I like a lot,” Golden said. “It’s kind of the maturation of this group. All four of those guys … are doing a great job from a leadership perspective. Their energy and enthusiasm has been great.”
Chinyelu has been at the forefront of setting the tone at practice each day, and that’s something he uses to lead by example.
“My motto is come out there, play hard and give it all,” he said. “It’s already part of me, so why not just show them that we have to do it?”
With just over a month before the season starts, Chinyelu aims to continuously expand his game and bring that energy to prepare the team for its season opener against Arizona on Nov. 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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.
