When Gators center Micah Handlogten collapsed on the floor in the opening minutes of the 2024 SEC Championship game, the entire outlook of Florida’s NCAA Tournament run changed in an instant, even heading into the following year.
Handlogten fractured his left leg, and the Gators, known for their dominance on the glass, lost their top rebounder.
“Playing a big-time game like this, to go out that way, I just feel for him,” UF head coach Todd Golden said.
Without Handlogten, the Gators were quickly eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Colorado.
It will be crucial for Florida to return as an elite rebounding team while Handlogten redshirts to recover from injury.
Florida ranked No. 8 in the nation in offensive rebounding efficiency. Now, several key returning players are primed to take a step up for the Gators’ frontcourt heading into the 2024-25 season.
Among the key returning big men for the Gators are sophomore forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, who are both expected to make significant contributions this season.
“They’re making a jump, real time,” Golden said. “They're incredible competitors, really smart guys and really driven… I think both those guys are geared to really, really help us this year."
Condon, a Perth, Australia, native, played primarily off the bench his freshman season and started one contest. In his 36 appearances, he averaged 7.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Condon blossomed with Haugh at a similar pace throughout their freshman campaigns, growing close both on and off the court.
“I love playing with him, and I think we play really well off of each other,” Haugh said. “I know he knows where I’m at, and I know where he’s at on the court at all times. And with this offense, I think he took in the same way that I did coach Golden’s schemes.”
In 15 minutes per game, Haugh averaged 3.9 points and 3.7 rebounds. Standing at 6-foot-9, Haugh offers immense value as a defender and rebounder. Haugh said he’s also developed past the perimeter, where he shot just 25.5 percent on 1.3 attempts per game in 2023-24.
“I think with this offseason stuff that I’ve been doing with coach [Jordan] Talley, it’s definitely helped me a lot to be a more perimeter player than inside,” Haugh said. “But I can still go inside and play like I did last year.”
Regardless of his role, he’s willing to do what Golden asks of him, he said.
“I'm going to do whatever coach Golden needs me to do,” Haugh said. “If it's score so many points, or just play defense the whole time and space out, I'll do whatever, man. It doesn't [matter], just let the game come to me.”
According to his teammates, Haugh made significant strides during the summer. Moreover, Condon expects he’ll be a significant contributor for UF this season.
“I think Tommy's going to play a bigger role this year,” Condon said. “He's been killing it at practice. I think all the coaches see that as well, so props to him.”
The growth of Haugh and Condon will be of the utmost importance toward Florida’s success in the frontcourt, Golden said.
The Gators will look to former Washington State sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu and former Chattanooga junior forward Sam Alexis, who transferred to UF during the offseason, to maintain their dominance on the boards without Handlogten.
“I think Rueben is a fantastic offensive rebounder in his own right, and then Sam again, and Condo and Tommy should be a little better than last year," Golden said. “We need our three (small forward position) to rebound a little bit better, but I think we will be a very good offensive rebounding team again.”
Alexis and Chinyelu have established themselves as stellar defensive rebounders. In less than 14 minutes per game at Washington State, Chinyelu boasted a 25.4 percent defensive rebound efficiency. Alexis matched that exact percentage at Chattanooga last year.
Both also offer offensive upside to Florida’s frontcourt. Although Chinyelu saw limited playing time at Washington State, he made the most of his opportunities, averaging 4.7 points per game with a 61.7 field goal percentage.
Meanwhile, Alexis played 26.4 minutes per game during his sophomore year at Chattanooga and averaged a near double-double with 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
“One thing about Sam [Alexis] is that he's always working,” senior guard Will Richard said. “He is really eager to get better. He wants to help the team out in any way possible. For me, what impresses me is his work ethic and how he attacks workouts every day.”
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 X @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.
