Tag: Aleks Szymczyk

Florida basketball adding international center Viktor Mikic

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team is adding another big man to its roster, Viktor Mikic, who hails from Serbia.

Florida’s frontcourt got some added depth on Friday when it added 6-foot-11 center [autotag]Viktor Mikic[/autotag] to the team, according to a report from 247Sports.

The Serbian prospect played one year of high school ball in America at Chattanooga (Tennessee) Hamilton Heights.

He averaged 14.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, earning him offers from Bowling Green Chattanooga, Hawaii and Rutgers. Before moving to America, Mikic played in the Serbian Junior League, where he also averaged a double-double.

Mikic joins returning sophomores [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] and [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] in Florida’s frontcourt, along with incoming transfer center [autotag]Reuben Chinyelu[/autotag] (Washington State) and forward [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] (Chattanooga). There’s also 7-foot-9 freshman [autotag]Olivier Rioux[/autotag] to compete with.

This marks the third straight season that [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] brought in an international player, which worked for him in San Francisco. Forward [autotag]Aleks Szymczyk[/autotag] transferred from the program after suffering an injury his sophomore year and guard [autotag]Kajus Kublickas[/autotag] is still with the team.

Condon is the main success story. He came over from Australia ahead of last year and earned an SEC All-Freshman Team nod.

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Florida basketball losing second-year forward to transfer portal

Florida forward Aleks Szymczyk spent his second year in Gainesville sidelined with an injury, and now he’s entering the transfer portal.

Florida forward Alek Szymczyk has entered the transfer portal, according to both 247Sports and On3.

An international signee with the program out of Germany in the class of 2022 cycle, Szymczyk played in 14 games as a freshman. He averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds over 7.8 minutes per game. Nineteen of his 28 shots were 3-pointers, but he only converted four of them. He shot 4 for 19 at the free-throw line.

A broken left foot suffered in preseason camp kept him on the sidelines for the entire 2023-24 season. Szymczyk wasn’t guaranteed a prominent spot in the rotation, but it looked as if he would get a significant bump in minutes before the injury.

Florida returns just two forwards — Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Center Micah Handlogten is also on the roster, but he’ll miss most of the season after breaking his leg in the SEC Tournament. Just after Szymczyk’s announcement, Florida earned a commitment from Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis.

Szymczyk will have three years of eligibility wherever goes. There aren’t any obvious landing spots for him. He is the second player to transfer from Florida this offseason, following Riley Kugel’s commitment to Kansas.

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Florida basketball loses sophomore forward to foot injury

A tough loss for the Gators’ basketball team with a couple of months remaining before the season’s tipoff.

Florida’s men’s basketball team suffered a tough loss on Tuesday when sophomore forward [autotag]Aleks Szymczyk[/autotag] went down with a foot injury during team practice. After being evaluated, it turns out that the 6-foot-10-inch, 250-pound frontcourt player will miss 10 to 12 weeks and will require surgery, Florida Gators senior writer Chris Harry reports.

Somewhat ironically, Szymczyk appeared in a majority of his freshman games after center Colin Castleton went down with an injury last season. He averaged 2.1 points per game on 39.3% shooting along with 1.3 rebounds over 14 appearances.

The native of Germany logged eight points in 20 minutes along with six rebounds and four steals — all collegiate career highs — on Feb. 18 against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Szymczyk also drained 2 of 5 three-point attempts, which were also highwater marks for the young forward.

Florida’s 2023-24 campaign tips off on Monday, Nov. 6, inside the O’Connell Center against the Loyaola Maryland Greyhounds, with a start time still to be determined.

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Florida hoops hosting Iona transfer on official visit over weekend

The Gators are getting one of their top targets in the transfer portal on campus this weekend for an official visit.

Florida basketball’s efforts in the transfer portal continued on Friday when the team hosted former Iona guard [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. on an official visit, according to the New York Post.

Clayton broke out over the last two seasons with the Iona Gaels, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting an efficient 43.1% from three-point range in 2022-23. He led the country with a 95.3% free-throw percentage as well, making him one of the best shooters on the open market.

Despite entering the portal just a couple of days ago, Clayton is already down to two programs, the University of Florida and St. John’s University. Florida presents an opportunity to play in one of the toughest conferences in the country, and St. John’s is where former Iona coach Rick Pitino is headed after agreeing to a new deal.

“It’s really just between St. John’s and Florida, to be honest,” he said. “My mind is either going back down South or coming with Coach P.”

A reunion with Pitino seems like a tough story to beat, but student-athletes don’t always make decisions based on what their heart wants. The business decision might be going to UF and getting a closer look from pro scouts against tougher competition.

Clayton would immediately jump into the starting lineup with eight players from last year’s Florida team already gone. Right now, [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Klatsky[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag], [autotag]Jack May[/autotag], [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] and [autotag]Aleks Szymczyk[/autotag] remain on the team. Kugel could be selected in the upcoming draft, leaving Richard as the lone guard with playing experience on the team.

Adding a player like Clayton would be massive for Florida. It would give the Gators another scoring option in the backcourt that finished the season with almost twice as many assists as turnovers. UF didn’t exactly have that with [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] last season, and both are out of college eligibility anyway.

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