There isn’t much time to rest in the life of a high-level Division I college basketball coach. Whether their team is in the middle of its conference slate, or it just went home for summer break, the workload is plentiful.
Between players coming off their final year of eligibility, entering their names in the transfer portal or declaring for the NBA Draft, programs across the nation have little time to rest if they wish to construct a roster capable of competing at a winning pace.
However, these narratives might not be as daunting for a Florida coaching staff that returns six key players to its roster from last year’s team after having its season end in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.
“In this day and age of college basketball to have the amount of guys we’ve got coming back, and the amount of key guys we have coming back is huge for our program,” said associate head coach Carlin Hartman. “It means a lot for Coach Golden and our staff to be able to have that kind of continuity.”
Florida almost lost its leading scorer and second-leading 3-point shooter from last season — rising seniors Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard. The teammates both entered this year’s NBA Draft process but made it clear they would play for UF if choosing to return to college.
With graduate students Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel departing after their final years of eligibility, Gator fans were forced to hold their breath as they were potentially set to see the three starting guards from 2023-24 walk out the door.
Nevertheless, UF head coach Todd Golden felt the program was still in a solid position.
“I think we’re in a really good spot right now,” Golden said. “Now we can kind of take a step back and kind of see what’s out there. Like I said, with Walt and Will, that’s going to determine a lot of what happens. If they both come back, we’ll definitely get one more guy in the frontcourt, maybe a younger guy in the backcourt [via the portal].”
Within the same week, both NBA prospects announced they would be returning for one last season donning orange and blue.
Clayton Jr. had the highest scoring average in the last 20 years by a Gator with 17.6 points per game last season while claiming second-team All-SEC honors. The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter Richard put together six 20-point scoring performances as a junior and knocked down a career-high 70 3-pointers for Florida.
“When you get players of that caliber [to come back] and for the positions that they play in the backcourt is huge,” Hartman said. “Huge for our team, for our program and for the prospects that are hoping we can take another step going into year three.”
Rounding out the likely starting backcourt for the Gators will be Florida Atlantic rising senior transfer Alijah Martin. The 1,000 point scorer was the second-leading scorer for the Owls’ 2023 squad that reached the Men’s Final Four in Houston.
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Martin was selected to the 2023 NCAA All-Tournament Team and averaged 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game at FAU last season.
“[Martin is] someone who’s been there and gone through the wars,” Hartman said. “That’s going to help us out a lot, and he also slots really well with Will Richard and Walter Clayton.”
Despite the returning firepower in Florida’s backcourt, the depth of it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Rising junior guard Denzel Aberdeen has shown patience throughout his career as a Gator. Although he didn’t start a game for Florida last season, he delivered a career-high 20 points against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament semifinal.
“He’s definitely capable of making a big jump,” said UF assistant coach John Andrzejek. “He’s had games where he’s played like one of the best guards in the league… We’ve seen what he’s capable of. I think for him, it’s just shaking off the jitters and just going forward and letting it all hang out there.”
Incoming freshman Isaiah Brown will enter the program as a four-star shooting guard and will have an immediate opportunity to impact the court for the Gators.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound freshman out of Orlando is ranked the 110th player nationally and 13th in Florida, according to 247Sports. Brown averaged 15.4 points per game at Orlando Christian Prep during his senior season.
“He’s really exciting,” Andrzejek said. “Just a good, talented guy who has a really good heart, loves the Gators, super excited to be here, has talent and has already produced on both sides of the ball whether it’s AAU or high school.”
Florida’s coaching staff has rebuilt its frontcourt to possibly be even stronger in 2024-25 despite sophomore center Micah Handlogten’s likely upcoming redshirt season due to a leg injury in the SEC championship.
An aspect of UF’s offseason strategy has been to recruit players to both fill the void left by Handlogten’s absence and improve the team’s defense, rebounding and pressure around the rim.
Newly signed rising junior and sophomore transfers in Chattanooga forward Sam Alexis and Washington State center Rueben Chinyelu will certainly be up for the task, said associate head coach Carlin Hartman.
“Sam’s gonna bring an element of athleticism [and] scoring power inside the post,” Hartman said. “Also an ability to make a perimeter shot, and he’s a very good defensive player…and a very good defensive rebounder as well.”
Alexis averaged just short of a double-double last year with 9.1 rebounds per game while recording 70 blocks.
Chinyelu played under 14 minutes per game for the Cougars in his freshman campaign but totaled 108 defensive rebounds and 45 blocked shots.
“He’s just a guy you can throw out there, and he’s gonna play his tail off at 6-foot-10 with a 7 [foot] 8 wingspan,” Hartman said of Chinyelu. “He’s very unique in a lot of ways…He’s a very elite defender, so I think we get better from a defensive standpoint, a little bit more stout.”
Alexis and Chinyelu will join the young core of forwards — rising sophomores Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh — who both contributed immensely throughout their freshman seasons en route to Florida’s best rebounding season in the history of the program grabbing 42.3 boards per game.
It was an unexpected surprise to the coaching staff. Hartman said it was a slow going for Condon and Haugh when first arriving on campus despite their play in 2023-24.
“Condon and Thomas, they came in last May as true freshmen that really didn’t know very much about what it was gonna take to get on the floor,” Hartman said. “They came in hungry to prove that they belong, and they did just that.”
As Florida continues to build its culture and brand as a college basketball program, it will assemble a roster of players committed to getting the Gators back on the national map.
Moreover, the near future looks bright for Florida fans who will be greeted with a variety of familiar faces from a team who put together the program’s winningest season since 2017.
But it won’t just be about the talent on the court contributing to UF’s success in the win-loss column. The continuity and togetherness of this year’s roster might just be what will stand out the most.
“I think we’re better and I think we’re better once again just because of the familiarity,” Hartman said. “We obviously lose some really good pieces in Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel of course. And those guys are going to be tough to replace. However, I do think that because of our continuity we will be better.”
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
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