Senior guard Alijah Martin casually strutted into the Hugh Hathcock Basketball Complex to speak to the media ahead of his first official practice.
Martin, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, carefully navigated through a swarm of reporters, making sure not to bump into anyone, and confidently stepped to the center of the circle. It looked as if he’d been there a thousand times before.
“Is this the most people who have interviewed you at one time?” someone asked.
“Nah,” Martin said. “But I like the scene though.”
The senior guard attended his first media press conference since joining Florida this offseason. He is one of three transfers and eight new players head coach Todd Golden added to his roster this summer.
“Me and Todd [Golden], we clicked really fast,” Martin said. “What he offered me was to be me and be able to play freely, just right up my alley.”
The Gators’ roster looks heading into the 2024-25 season, and Martin fit in just right in the Gators’ first official practice of the preseason.
Here are three takeaways from UF’s first open-media practice:
Greater focus on defensive improvement
Golden touched on it several times during his preseason press conference — the defense needs to improve.
“That was our Achilles heel last year,” Golden said. “We didn’t spend as much time on defense last year as we did on offense, and I think you could probably see that by the way we played.”
Last season, Florida ranked No. 206 in team defensive efficiency. It marked a staunch difference from its offense, which finished No. 19 in the nation.
Defense was the main focal point in the Gators’ first open practice. The team spent the first two hours running defensive-minded drills like two-on-one’s, fastbreak transition plays and four-on-four shell drills.
“If we can maintain our offense and improve our defense I think that’s where we make our jump,” Golden said.
The Gators added three defensive-talented transfers during the offseason, Martin being one of them.
“Alijah Martin is very strong and does a great job of keeping guys in front,” Golden said. “[He] fights through screens and competes.”
In addition to Martin, Florida added former Chattanooga sophomore forward Sam Alexis, who was the No. 109-ranked transfer in the 2024 portal, and former 6-foot-11 Washington State freshman center Rueben Chinyelu who boasts a 7-foot-8 wingspan.
“Rueben is a rim protector, so I think we’ve raised the bar there,” Golden said. “Sam is also a great rim protector. Good feel. Understands where to be and when to be.”
Rebounding could be a struggle
Florida’s 2023-24 rebounding numbers showed a significant disparity between its offensive and defensive rebounding efficiency.
The Gators ranked No. 8 in the country on the offensive glass. It was one of their biggest strengths that contributed to their success throughout the year.
However, that unit was led by redshirt center Micah Handlogten, who will miss the 2024-25 season due to a leg fracture he suffered in the SEC championship game.
Without him, offensive rebounding might be at a premium. However, defensive rebounding, which Florida ranked outside the top-200 in, could improve.
Each of the transfer additions — Martin, Alexis and Chinyelu — are all above-average defensive rebounders. In less than 14 minutes per game at Washington State, Chinyelu boasted a monstrous 25.4 percent defensive rebound efficiency. Wildly enough, Alexis matched that exact percentage at Chattanooga.
Martin could be the key piece toward an improvement in Florida’s defensive rebounding efficiency at the guard position. He emphasized one of his strengths is crashing the boards.
“We can't give up offensive rebounds, and we've got to get offensive rebounds,” Martin said. “Rebounding is a big part of the game, for sure.”
A scoring-dominant backcourt
Last season, Florida had one of the most impressive guards in the nation in point guard Zyon Pullin. Pullin was the main facilitator for the Gators and averaged 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
The former Gator signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. will fill in as his successor.
Clayton Jr. was the Gators’ primary scorer a season ago and averaged 17.6 points while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3-point range.
The senior guard said he feels ready for the position change and the responsibilities that will come as Florida’s primary ball handler.
“If I have a good shot, I'm going to take it,” Clayton Jr. said. “If I have a bad shot, I'm going to pass it. Different games are going to call for different things.”
Golden said despite losing Pullin, he thinks Clayton Jr. can be just as effective as a score-first guard while running the point.
“Your team is not going to be the same every year,” Golden said. “You’re going to have one year where maybe you have a more ball-dominant point guard. You’re going to have one year where you have more of a team where maybe you’re going to spread it out more. This collection of players works really well together. Walt is going to have a lion’s share of it.”
In addition to Clayton Jr., senior guard Will Richard could see increased production this season. Richard averaged 11.4 points in the 2023-24 season, but his efficiency dipped beyond the 3-point arc compared to his sophomore campaign.
Richard shot 39.8 from 3-point range in 2022-23 and fell to 34.5 percent the next season.
He said he spent much of his efforts during the offseason focusing on his 3-point shot and nailed nearly every 3-pointer he attempted in Florida’s first open practice.
“This summer, I just needed to find a consistent routine,” Richard said. “It's been going well, and I feel confident in my shot and feel like it is going to be a good year."
Florida will tip off its season against South Florida in the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational Nov. 4 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @lukeadrag.
Luke Adragna is a third-year journalism student and the Florida Gators football reporter at The Alligator. He is a cat ethusiast and completes the NYT Daily Mini in less than a minute each day.
