Florida basketball fans got some rather expected news on Friday when head coach Todd Golden suggested that one of his injured players is expected to redshirt next season.
Center [autotag]Micah Handlogten[/autotag], who sustained a severe compound fracture of his lower left leg in the Southeastern Conference finals against the Auburn Tigers, is likely to sit the season and save his eligibility for once his recovery is complete.
“Just talking to him, it would be best for him to know that he doesn’t feel pressured to get back quick, which we didn’t want him to feel anyway,” Golden noted on Friday morning. “So, when we had that conversation, it was great. It provided clarity to him. It gave him comfort.”
The 7-foot-1-inch junior, originally from North Carolina by way of the Marshall Thundering Herd, started 32 of the 33 games he appeared in for the Gators last season. He averaged 5.5 while pulling down 7.1 rebounds per game — the latter the second-best on the team — also swatting 29 blocks and snatching 19 steals in 18.9 minutes of play per game.
The additions of Washington State Cougars transfer center Rueben Chinyelu and Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs forward Sam Alexis are expected to help fill the void left behind by Handlogten.
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