Filling his final roster spot, Todd Golden looked across the Atlantic and signed his first international player as the head coach of the Gators.
Florida added German freshman forward Aleks Szymczyk to complete its 2022-2023 roster, coach Golden announced Tuesday.
Szymczyk has a six-foot-10 frame typical of a player who can dominate the post, but he also has the offensive skill to produce behind the three-point arc. That ability made Golden exhilarated about the newest addition to his team.
“Aleks brings great size, physicality, and basketball acumen to our program,” Golden said. “He can bang with bigs in the paint and also has the ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting ability. He’s a dual-threat big that will fit great within our program.”
The Frankfurt, Germany, native most recently played in the Pro B league in Germany as well as the International Basketball Academy Munich.
IBAM is well known for sending players to the top leagues in Europe and producing recent international division-I basketball players. A prime example in the states being Stanford forward Oscar Da Silva, who was an All-Pac 12 First Team selection two consecutive seasons before turning pro.
Szymczyk and the Gators will open the season against Stony Brook Nov.7.
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
