The second year of the Todd Golden era is about to begin, and Florida’s men’s basketball roster looks completely different from the one that took the court a season ago.
A mass exodus of Mike White-recruited players left the team, either to pursue professional careers or via the transfer portal, and Golden brought in his own crop of talent. While the incoming transfers are domestic additions, the freshman class is 50% international. And that’s a pattern that’s likely to stick while Golden is at the helm of Gators basketball.
At his SEC media day appearance on Wednesday, Golden said that Florida will continue international recruiting as long as he is there, according to Swamp247.
“You have a lot of guys who are focused and have a great understanding of why they’re coming over,” Golden said. “I think when you put those things together, it explains a lot. International players have done really well in our programs.”
Forward Aleks Szymczyk joined the team ahead of last season and worked his way into the rotation, and Australian center Alex Condon and Lithuanian guard Kajus Kublickas are this year’s additions.
Condon has set himself apart from the rest of the freshmen so far during workouts. With the season fast approaching, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get some early work in as Golden figures out his personnel.
If Condon is a success, Golden could dive even more headfirst into the international pool, especially considering the success of foreign players in the NBA.
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