GAINESVILLE — Florida has done it before.
Coach Todd Golden’s Gators are now trying to do once more what only two other programs have done during the past 50 years: Repeat as national champions in men’s basketball.
Since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty ruled the sport, winning seven straight during the ’60s and ’70s, only Duke (1991-92), UF (2006-07) and UConn (2023-24) have gone back-to-back.
Golden’s squad opened practice Monday with a legitimate shot to join those teams. But these Gators are much different than the group that repeated two decades ago with all five starters back from the 2006 winners.
“We have guys who played a huge role on that team, and for them that’s the goal,” Golden said Monday. “At the same time, we have some transfers and young guys that we’re trying to get there. So on a macro level, our goal is to win again, but with this team specifically we’re not talking a lot about repeating.
“We are talking about doing everything we can to play deep into March.”
In place are the pieces to make another deep postseason run. Yet the team’s strength has shifted inside a season after veteran guards Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard set the tone during the title run.
UF returners Ruben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, Micah Handlogten and Thomas Haugh comprise one of nation’s most versatile and athletic frontcourts.
“[The] expectation is for them to lead the way for the rest of the guys in terms of the work ethic and what the expectation is for practice every day,” Golden said.
The starting backcourt now features newcomers Boogie Fland and Xaivan Lee, each gifted ballhandlers, passers and scorers. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Fland, a sophomore Arkansas transfer, is “one of the better on-ball defenders we’ve been around in a while,” according to Golden.
Facing Fland every day, true freshman wing Alex Lloyd of Miami has been a surprise during offseason workouts, even though the nation’s No. 41 prospect in the 2025 class needs to beef up his lithe 6-foot-3 frame.
“He’s played with a lot more poise and just calmness than we thought he would,” Golden said.
Ohio transfer AJ Brown and sophomore returner Isaiah Brown are two brothers from Orlando vying for playing time on the wing while returning point guard Urban Klavzar is a proven ballhandler and shooter off the bench. Freshman wing CJ Ingram of Hawthorne, on the outskirts of Gainesville, arrives as the nation’s No. 29 prospect in 2025 after playing last season at Montverde Academy.
Despite the Gators’ depth and talent, Condon and Haugh are a pair of likely NBA first-round draft picks poised to lead the way.
Condon returned for his junior year pushing to raise his stock and deliver another national title after exploring his NBA options, which included individual workouts with seven teams.
“I feel like I’m a different player this year,” he said.
Condon looks like one. The 6-foot-11, 235-pound Aussie has cut his body fat 3 percentage points to just 5.5% and added at least five pounds of muscle.
He also has added a more consistent outside shot he’ll need to excel at the next level.
“He’s knocking down so many threes right now,” Haugh said. “It’s gonna be huge for us to open up the floor a lot.”
Haugh’s move to small forward at 6-foot-9, 215 pounds should also enhance the Gators’ ability to attack and defend.
A season after he burst onto the national scene as a sophomore sixth man, the former 3-star prospect could become a lottery pick because of his shooting range, tenacity and versatility.
“Defensively, it just gives us incredible length and athleticism out on the floor, great rebounding, the ability to cover up a lot of mistakes,” Golden said. “Offensively, Tommy knows how to shake up and get a catch and shoot. He knows how to get downhill going right. Really good basketball players kind of figure it out, and he’s one of those guys.”
The Gators could be one of those teams in the mix until the season’s final weekend. Having been there before, Condon is aware what it will take to get there again.
“It’s going to take a lot for this team to go all the way, but I think we have the capabilities to do it,” he said. “We just have to attack every game. Everybody is going to play their best when they play us so we have to be ready.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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