One percent.
While that’s the benchmark Florida center Rueben Chinyelu said he’s excited to improve in each aspect of his game, his growth has been far greater.
“I'm proud of everything,” he said. “Just getting better 1% in each aspect is a beautiful thing. I'm just enjoying it.”
Chinyelu exited last basketball season as a national champion and a full-time starter, but he ceded the spotlight to the main faces of the nation’s best squad. Behind Florida’s renowned veteran backcourt and then-sophomore forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, Chinyelu had a quieter but significant impact.
The Enugwu-Agidi, Nigeria, native averaged 6 points and 6.6 rebounds in his sophomore campaign and amassed four double-doubles across the season. He was one of only five players in Gator history to start 40 games in a season and was second on the team in boards.
“One of the greatest moments of my life has been winning a championship with my brothers,” he posted on social media. “That’s a memory I’ll cherish forever and an experience I’ll always hold close to my heart.”
As a transfer from Washington State who averaged 4.7 points and five rebounds across 35 games played in his freshman season, his commitment to growth was evident.
After a solid sophomore year, Chinyelu decided to declare for the NBA draft April 17, 2025, to take his career to the next level.
Despite testing out the waters of professional basketball for about a month, he announced his decision to return to Florida via social media May 19. With the return of Condon and Haugh as major players in the national championship as well, the trio quickly established themselves as one of the most dominant frontcourts in the nation.
With 6-foot-10 Chinyelu at the forefront, the Gators rank No. 1 in the nation in rebound margin and offensive rebounds per game, largely due to their size advantage.
While Florida’s combined frontcourt has been touted, Chinyelu’s individual accomplishments this season have not gone unnoticed, both in Gainesville and across the nation.
"He's playing so well,” sophomore guard Boogie Fland said Jan. 14. “Just look at the production, look at the level he's playing."
Beyond the recognition close to home, Chinyelu has been recognized twice nationally since his standout performances against Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.
Chinyelu logged 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win at then-No. 10 Vanderbilt on Saturday, recording a 16-point second half. The performance followed his 19-point, 12-rebound outing at Oklahoma Jan. 13.
The Monday following the win, Chinyelu earned his first-ever conference accolade, SEC Player of the Week. He was the second Gator to receive the distinction this season after Haugh in November. Just two days later, he was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, further showing his impact.
The accolades, though, are just a small part of the focus.
“The most important thing is make sure that I'm enjoying the game with my teammates,” he said. “Whatever it takes, I'm just going to go out there and do it, so it's a beautiful thing to see that I'm shedding light towards that part, and something that you got to be proud of the moment and enjoy it.”
The national splash has been just a piece of the documentation of his success in the Gators program. Following his 15-point, 21-rebound showing in Florida’s 79-61 win over LSU, he became the first Gator since Chip Williams in 1975 and the sixth in program history to have multiple career 20-rebound games.
He is also well on track to be the first Gator in 50 years to average a double-double. So far this season, he’s averaged 11.9 points and 11 rebounds per game. He recently logged four straight double-doubles, a streak that was just broken after a slight dip in production in Saturday’s loss to Auburn.
Recently, he’s found success beyond his dominance on the glass, drawing fouls and getting to the line. In the Gators’ three games before facing Auburn, he took 21 free throws, including 15-straight makes, his career best.
Across the season, he’s logged 11 double-doubles, almost tripling his total from last year.
“He’s just really come into his own,” head coach Todd Golden said after the win against LSU. “He just impacts the game so well defensively and on the glass that he’s become a real stalwart for us in the front court.”
Chinyelu and the Gators travel to Columbia to take on South Carolina (11-9, 2-5 SEC) next on Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
Ava is a sophomore sports journalism student and the Spring 2026 sports editor. Previously for The Alligator, she covered volleyball and did sports enterprise. Ava enjoys watching and playing sports in her free time and has been a Boston sports fan all her life. (Brad Marchand is still everything.)
