Florida basketball was set back a set during its Southeastern Conference Championship Game against the Auburn Tigers on Sunday when center [autotag]Mich Handlogten[/autotag] went down with a gruesome leg just three minutes into the game.
The sophomore transfer from the Marshall Thundering Herd sustained a fracture that required surgical intervention at the nearby Vanderbilt University hospital. On Monday, Gators head coach Todd Golden spoke with the press to update them on his player’s current condition.
“He had a really good surgery. I think it went about as well as anybody could hope for,” Golden said. “I don’t really know the exact timetable. Obviously, it’s a pretty severe injury, so it’s gonna take a little bit.”
As far as Hadlogten’s state of mind — and that of his fellow teammates — Golden took a positive approach.
“I think it’ll be a huge lift for him and kind of get his spirits back. He’s honestly in great spirits, all things considered. Way better spirits than I’d be in, to be honest. But it’s going to be a huge lift for the team also,” Golden offered. “It obviously shook everybody up a lot. I think we’re still feeling it a little bit. But it gives us a great thing to rally around in the tournament.”
He went on to detail what the 7-footer also has to offer the program off the court.
“Everybody really respects Micah. Everybody loves him as a teammate. He’s one of, if not the best, teammates that we have and to have him there I think will bring joy to everybody. My hope is that the guys want to do everything they can to play their butts off for him on Friday.”
His frontcourt teammate Tyrese Samuel also had some kind words.
“He said he was doing really well, he’s in good spirits,” Samuel said. “What happened to him was kind of tragic, but, as long as he’s in good spirits and he’s happy for us and he wants us to do well in the tournament, that’s all we can really ask for.
“It’s going to be great to see him (in Indy). We haven’t seen him since what happened, the last thing we did to him was touch the stretcher, make sure he’s alright. So, seeing him is going to be good because he always brings positive energy.”
Florida will open up tournament play against the winner of Wednesday’s Boise State Broncos-Colorado Buffaloes play-in game on Friday, March 22, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
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