Tag: Denzel Aberdeen

Three key takeaways from Florida basketball’s win over Virginia

The Gators have opened their season with nine straight wins for the first time since 2005.

Florida basketball continued its hot start to the season with an 87-69 win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday night inside the O’Connell Center.

After falling behind 18-9 early, the Gators rallied with determination, clawing their way back into the game before seizing control and turning up the pressure. It was a pivotal early-season test for head coach Todd Golden and his squad, as they sought to make a statement and build on their strong start to the season.

Florida leaned on standout performances from Walter Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon, as well as key contributions from their bench, to get the win. As a result of the midweek victory, the Gators are off to a 9-0 start to the year for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

Here are three key takeaways from Florida’s win over Virginia.

Clayton and Condon steer the ship

Clayton and Condon led the charge for Florida, combining for 46 points. The former showcased his scoring ability, pouring in a game-high 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting, including five three-pointers, adding four assists and two steals.

Condon provided a strong inside presence, contributing 19 points on an efficient 7-for-8 from the field while pulling down eight rebounds — including five on the offensive glass. He also played well defensively, tallying two steals and a block.

Gators’ bench provided a spark

Florida’s bench provided a much-needed spark in the game, particularly in the first half, led by junior guard Denzel Aberdeen. The junior had 12 points on a 4-for-5 shooting effort — including a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc — in 21 minutes of action.

Sam Alexis also contributed valuable minutes grabbing six rebounds and adding physicality on both ends of the floor.

This kind of depth not only gives Golden more flexibility in rotations but also underscores the team’s ability to find contributions from up and down the roster.

Defense forcing turnovers

Florida’s defensive intensity was on full display as the Gators forced Virginia into 15 turnovers — a key factor in their victory. Aggressive on-ball pressure and active hands disrupted the Cavaliers’ offensive flow, creating opportunities for transition and quick scoring chances.

The Gators’ ability to force mistakes prevented the Cavaliers from gaining consistent momentum. The 15 turnovers translated into crucial stops and kept Florida in control during key stretches of the game.

Florida converted Virginia’s turnovers into 20 points, providing a crucial boost to their offensive output and helping to secure the victory.

Up next for Florida

The Gators will play against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, Dec. 14 as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving Event in Atlanta, Georgia. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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Three takeaways from Florida basketball’s season-opening win over USF

It took a little while for the Gators to get going, but Florida looked like the No. 21 team in the country (or better) in its season opener vs. USF.

Florida men’s basketball opened the 2024-25 season with a 98-83 win over the South Florida Bulls on Monday.

[autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. led all scorers with 29 points, followed closely by [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag], emphasizing the impact the returning duo had on the team. Four of the five Gators starters finished the game in double figures, with [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] giving eight off the bench.

Florida won the rebounding battle 37-32, even with starting forward [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] on the bench for nearly half the game thanks to some foul trouble. Clayton finished the game with four fouls as well, but the bigger news is that he hobbled off the court in the closing moments of the game.

Perhaps he didn’t need to be out there with a 15-point lead and two minutes to go, but the Gators only played eight against a tough USF squad that led at the half.

Double-headed monster dominates

Getting back Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard is a huge deal for Florida. The veteran duo combined for 54 points on 20-of-32 (62.5%) shooting for the Gators, 33 of which came in the second half. Elite players take over in the final 10 minutes, and that’s exactly what Clayton did. He missed just one shot in the second half and scored seven from the line to put the game out of reach.

Richard is the X-factor of this team. If he’s not on, there’s little hope for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament come the spring. He took 10 minutes to get going but got hot in the middle 20. A 2-for-7 night from deep isn’t ideal, but he put up solid all-around numbers.

Alijah Martin, who transferred from FAU, has a chance to be the third head of this monster, but he struggled shooting the ball tonight. A 3-for-12 night with zero makes on six attempts from deep isn’t going to cut it in SEC play. Fortunately, Martin’s best tool, his defense, was on full display with four steals on the night.

First-game jitters evaporate in second half

Even though Florida won the game by double digits, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the Gators all night long. In fact, the Orange and Blue trailed by 13 with 6 minutes left in the first half, and USF entered halftime with a one-point lead.

Taking nothing away from the Bulls — who were raining down threes at a torrid pace early — Florida seemed a bit skittish to start the season. Clayton, Martin and Richard forced shots, hitting just five of the team’s first seven attempts. Then, the big men, [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] and Alex Condon, found success in the paint, opening things up for the backcourt to score.

The same thing happened once [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] checked into the game. The offense looked rushed and a bit lost, leading to a 1-for-9 stretch. Once again, Condon scored two buckets down low, sparking a barrage from Clayton and Richard.

No such magic was needed in the second half, though. Condon got into foul trouble quickly after the break, but Clayton started to attack the rim. The Gators went on one four-shot cold streak in the in the first five minutes of the half, but they only missed consecutive shots once more through the rest of the game.

It’s not too concerning to see some of those early struggles. This is a new team with new roles, even if 60% of last year’s points return to the lineup. Chalk it up to first-half jitters and commend the team for figuring it out before things got too ugly.

Living at the (free throw) line

Florida’s free throw success was a major reason for the second-half comeback. Good teams know how to get the line, and the Gators missed just one of its first 20 shots at the stripe. A couple of late misses led to a 27-of-33 finish at the charity line, but Clayton was a perfect 7-of-7 and the bigs were 7-of-9.

Alijah Martin missed three of his 10 attempts, which could be cleaned up a bit, but it’s a positive to see him getting to the line frequently on a night he struggled in the field.

It may seem minor, but good free throw discipline is one of many small signs that the Gators are a legitimate threat to finish the season ranked for the first time since 2020. There are still 30 games to go in the regular season, though, so let’s not put the cart before the horse just yet.

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‘We feel good’: Todd Golden previews Florida basketball season

Gators men’s basketball coach Todd Golden likes where the team’s at leading up to the season-opener.

Florida men’s basketball head coach Todd Golden shared an optimistic outlook on his team’s progress on Thursday, praising his players’ effort, commitment and development during a very productive training camp.

Entering his third year with the Gators, Golden emphasized the depth of the team’s roster as well as the team’s balanced offensive potential and ability to perform under pressure. With a focus on reaching top-40 defensive status, Golden is confident that Florida will shape into a strong, cohesive group poised for success as they prepare for their season-opening game against South Florida on Nov. 4.

Golden met with the media on Thursday and these are some things to take away from what he said.

Feelings on where the team’s at right now

“We feel good about where we’re at. I think we’ve had a good training camp. Feel like the guys have done a really good job of working collectively towards being ready to go for the beginning of the year. I thought we weren’t necessarily great in our first scrimmage, some positive things, but some things we need to do better.

“I thought we were better this past Saturday, just more complete, a little more physical, better on the glass. Looked more like the group that we want to be over the course of the year. So I think we’re tracking, but until we play the real games, TBD.”

The health of the team

“We’re in pretty good shape. I think as of today, we’ll have everybody lined up and ready to go for next week. Obviously, it’s end of training camp. Guys have bumps and bruises, some some soreness here and there. But overall, big picture we’re in good shape heading into the opener.”

Alijah Martin’s preseason performance vs. Charleston

“He played fantastic, obviously, was very efficient. I thought was impactful, not just scoring the ball, though, in all areas, did a great job defending and getting on the glass. And that’s kind of the benefit of having that perimeter with Walt (Clayton Jr.), Will (Richard), Alijah (Martin), Denzel (Aberdeen).

“These guys are all potent. They can all get you 20 (points) on any given night. Just having the ability to take advantage of a matchup where maybe a weaker defender is guarding one of those guys is going to benefit us all year. They’ve continued to be unselfish and play together.

“Saturday was Alijah’s turn. Monday, it could be Will’s or Walt’s or Denzel’s. We’ll see what it looks like. But I really think that’s going to be kind of the most important part of our success this season is that those guys continue to be unselfish. If they do that, we should be fine.”

Striving to be just as good on defense as on offense

“Just continuing to build off of our offensive success last year and, like we’ve talked about a lot, just making sure we can get in the ballpark defensively of being a really good team. Our goal internally is to be a top-40 defense. I think we were 91 or two or three on KenPom so that’s a big jump. That’s not going to be easy to do.

“But, I do think if we’re able to accomplish that, it will give us a good landing spot for where we want to go. Obviously, the defensive side of the ball being much better but without sacrificing any of the growth we’ve made on the offensive side of the ball.”

Feeling good on the team’s depth

“Yeah, I am. I think our roster’s continued to improve every year. I think depth is something that we have this year, obviously. We gotta stay healthy also. That’s really important. But guys like Kajus (Kublickas) now being a second year player. I feel better about his ability to help us in games.

“Isaiah Brown is a playable freshman. He’s a guy that’s capable. He’s behind some really talented older guys in front of him, but if we had an injury or if we had an issue, I think Isaiah could be more than serviceable out there and our front court’s deep right now with those four guys. So I feel good about that. But you can never have enough, for sure.”

Walter Clayton’s preseason accolades

“He’s been great. I think Walt (Clayton) is a guy that has a lot of confidence regardless. I think whether he was named preseason Naismith or not, he was going to be very confident in his abilities in a good way. So I think he takes it in stride.

“I think he appreciates the recognition, but he understands that at the end of the day, it’s more important to be on that list at the end of the year than it is at the beginning. And it’s gonna be very important that our team has a lot of success for him to continue to be recognized as well as other guys in a program like Will or Elijah.”

Florida basketball season opener

The Gators will face the South Florida Bulls in the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational to open the schedule on Monday, Nov. 4 in Jacksonville. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network.

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Gators basketball adds Slovenian guard Urban Klavzar to fill out roster

Florida basketball’s final roster spot goes to another player from the international scene. Slovenian sharpshooter Urban Klavzar is now a Gator!

Florida’s backcourt got help in a big way on Monday as Todd Golden completed the 2024-25 men’s basketball roster with the addition of Slovenian point guard [autotag]Urban Klavzar[/autotag], according to Swamp247.

While technically a freshman, the 20-year-old Slovenian product has been around European professional basketball since 2014. He debuted in 2021 and got significant playing time last season in Spain’s second division. He’s a three-point specialist who shot 42.7% from deep.

Klavzar should get playing time early on, giving Florida’s veteran backcourt a break in any non-conference games that get lopsided. [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. and Will Richard are both back and shoe-ins to start. They could end up at the 2 and 3, allowing FAU transfer [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] to break into the starting five. Junior [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] is in the mix, too.

That leaves Klavzar fighting to break into a fairly established rotation, but he has the experience to do it. Some of the international teams Klavzar has played against are comparable to the NBA G-League or better, so the transition to college ball shouldn’t be too shocking.

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Gators add Iona G Walter Clayton Jr. through transfer portal

Florida basketball continues to add pieces through the transfer portal, and the latest addition is a lights-out shooter from Iona that was the conference player of the year last season.

For the second day in a row, the Florida Gators added a key piece to its men’s basketball team through the transfer portal.

Former Iona guard [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. announced his commitment to the University of Florida Tuesday morning, making him the 10th scholarship player on the Gators’ 2023-24 roster. Clayton’s decision is not only significant because it’s a new name for Gator Nation to learn, but he also chose UF over St. John’s, which is where his old coach Rick Pitino is now.

The SEC is obviously appealing, but Clayton’s commitment — along with the additions of big men [autotag]EJ Jarvis[/autotag] and [autotag]Micah Handlogten[/autotag] — signals that top transfer players are open to joining what Todd Golden and Co. have going in Gainesville.

Of course, Florida lost several players of its own through the portal, which has left an incredible amount of minutes to replace. Playing time in an elite conference is always enticing.

Clayton averaged 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Gaels last season and won the MAAC Player of the Year Award. The name of the game for Clayton is scoring, and he does it efficiently. He shot well over 40.0%  from three-point range last season and is a 95.3% shooter at the stripe.

Florida is adding a smart player that usually puts up good shots and makes the right decision. He’ll help space the floor for the bigs on the team and be the second option to [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] out wide often.

A starting five of Clayton, Kugel, [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and Handlogten seems realistic at this point, with [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag], Jarvis and [autotag]Alex Szymczyk[/autotag] all fighting for minutes off the bench.

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Florida basketball adds elite transfer portal C Micah Handlogten

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team have added a second player through the transfer portal, former Marshall center Micah Handlogten.

The second year of the (Todd) Golden Era at Florida will look a lot different from the first with the departures of three of the team’s most prominent big men, Colin Castleton, Jason Jitoboh and CJ Felder.

Replacing the production those three provided is no easy task, especially Castleton’s workload, but the Gators added a major piece of its new-look frontcourt on Monday with the commitment of former Marshall center Micah Handlogten. The 7-foot-1-inch big man chose Florida over Auburn and NC State after entering the portal as one of the top big-man transfers in the country.

His commitment comes fresh off a visit to the Swamp over the weekend. On3’s Joe Tipton spoke with Handlogten about the decision and learned that the visit was among the many reasons the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year chose Florida.

“I chose Florida because of the opportunity that the University holds,” Handlogten said. “They have an opening for a center to come in and play major minutes. After going on my visit, I mesh really well with the players and I love the coaches. I really think I can thrive under their coaching and become a pro at Florida.”

Handlogten is among the nation’s top shot blockers, which is something Florida fans have gotten used to with Castleton down low. Speaking of the now-former Gator, Castleton was a direct participant in Handlogten’s recruitment, according to Jacob Rudner of 247Sports. The two big men caught up during Handlogten’s recent visit, and Castleton sold the University of Florida to him.

Gainesville is certainly a good place for big men to thrive, and Handlogten has the numbers to warrant a starting role right away. He averaged 7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 assists in 25.3 minutes per game as a freshman.

His conditioning should only improve, which means his playing time will too. Averaging a double-double seems attainable for him in his first season in the SEC.

Handlogten is the second transfer to join the Gators over the offseason. Former Yale forward EJ Jarvis is also committed to Florida, and the two could spend plenty of time on the court together next season.

Alex Fudge, Riley Kugel and Will Richard all figure to be major pieces for UF next season, and guard Denzel Aberdeen should get a chance to play more as a sophomore.

Alex Szymczyk is the other returning player on the roster, and freshmen Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon will join the team. That leaves four scholarship spots left for Florida to fill through the transfer portal.

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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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Top-100 SG picks up Florida offer after midweek visit

The Gators offered this in-state shooting guard after a midweek visit to see the team in action against the SEC.

Florida’s basketball program offered Orlando Christian Prep shooting guard [autotag]Isaiah Brown[/autotag] on Wednesday night after the four-star recruit visited the Gators for the game against Texas A&M, according to 247Sports.

Brown confirmed the offer on social media Thursday morning, and the report is that Florida is in the unofficial top three after becoming the first major program to offer him. Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast are the other major programs, signaling an in-state bias. Brown has been waiting on UF to offer since his September visit and says the new coaching staff is like a family.

While Brown has no future visits planned just yet, Florida will likely get him on campus again for an official visit at some point, especially if other SEC programs get involved. Brown mentioned Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt as visits he would like to make, but Florida will always be the first that reached out.

Brown knows plenty of the young pieces on Florida’s current roster, including former Orlando-area stars [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] and [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag]. He’s also familiar with LSU transfer [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag], who played high school ball in Jacksonville. Perhaps most importantly, Brown is close with five-star Montverde Academy power forward [autotag]Asa Newell[/autotag], who Florida is targeting heavily as well. Getting the elite AAU duo to stay in-state would be huge for Todd Golden and Co.

The recruiting process is nowhere near completion for Brown, but the Gators do sit in an undeniably favorable spot. A decision isn’t supposed to come until the fall, but these things can always get moved up or pushed back in a second.

Brown is ranked No. 97 overall on the 247Sports composite and is the No. 19 shooting guard in the class of 2024. He’s the 12th-best player in the state of Florida, according to the service.

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Gators hoops prospect reopens recruitment, still considers UF ‘home’

Seems like with good news always comes the swing of the pendulum in the other direction.

Not long after Florida basketball got word that former VMI point guard Trey Bonham would be joining the team through the transfer portal, effectively replacing the departing [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag], it got some bad news from the recruiting front on Monday. Power forward signee [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] of the 2022 prospect class announced on Twitter that he is reopening his recruitment, though has not ruled out UF as his final destination.

“2022 has brought many changes and after much consideration, I have decided to reopen my recruitment,” according to Reed’s Twitter post. “I am open to the many possibilities while still considering The University of Florida as my college home.”

The 6-foot-10-inch, 220-pound prep prospect from Castaic, California, was considered a four-star prospect in the 2022 class, sitting at No. 75 overall according to the 247Composite, while ranking as the No. 16 power forward as well as the No. 10 player in the state of California. Reed committed to the Orange and Blue in late October and officially signed during the early period in November, choosing Florida over Ole Miss, Arizona State, Maryland, and Oklahoma.

Reed is the second player from the 2022 recruiting class to have cold feet about their commitment, joining five-star prospect [autotag]Malik Reneau[/autotag], who also announced Monday that he is joining the Indiana Hoosiers. That leaves combo guard [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] as the lone remaining commit from the class currently planning on suiting up for [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s team next season.

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Florida guard Myreon Jones set to return for extra year

First Colin Castleton announced his return to Florida basketball and now Myreon Jones has done the same.

On Monday, [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] received the good news that [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] would be exercising his extra year of eligibility to return to Florida for another season. Six days later, [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] followed in his footsteps and decided to return for a super-senior season, according to a report from Jon Rothstein.

Jones’ return gives the Gators a veteran ball-handler in the backcourt to pair with rising sophomore [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] and Belmont transfer [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag]. There’s also sophomore [autotag]Elijah Kennedy[/autotag] and incoming freshman [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] to consider in the backcourt rotation.

The thought was that Florida would need to grab a point guard from the portal after [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag] announced his decision to transfer, but Jones fills that spot in nicely. Golden can still go after someone he likes in the portal with three open roster spots, though.

Jones transferred from Penn State in 2021 and averaged 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game with the Gators as a senior. He was very streaky over the season and finished with the season shooting 35.5%. Most of Jones’ shots came from beyond the arc, which made for some exciting offense at times. His best performance came against Georgia when he made seven three-pointers en route to 23 overall.

If Jones can find some consistency, he can be a valuable piece of this Gators team. Golden’s usage of him could help Jones improve his stats and allow the younger guards to grow as the seasons unfolds.

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