Tag: Thomas Haugh

Florida basketball adds Australian center to 2023 recruiting class

The Gators earned a commitment from 6-foot-11 center Alex Condon from Australia this week.

Todd Golden has landed his second commit from the class of 2023, 6-foot-11-inch Australian center [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag], according to 247Sports.

Condon took an official visit to the University of Florida in January and couldn’t believe the atmosphere in an SEC area. Seeing Gators fans cheer on the Orange and Blue as they beat the Missouri Tigers was enough to convince him that Gainesville was home.

“I chose Florida because I believe that it was the best fit for me,” Condon said. “They are great people and the new coach is young and enthusiastic. Everyone was really welcoming and I got to meet all of the boys. It was an impressive school from the start of the visit to the end.”

Although it may take some time for Condon to find his footing at Florida, he’ll join the team right after it loses [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], who is also 6-foot-11-inches. Replacing the size is good for Golden and Co., but even better is that Condon sees himself stepping into Castleton’s role seamlessly.

“They got Collin Castleton who has done really well at Florida at been super successful,” he said. “They play through him quite a lot, which I saw in the Missouri game, so he said he sees me who can follow in his footsteps and they want to play through me a lot, through passing in the post, making moves off the dribble and things like that. Also, it’s a fast style they play and so for a 6-foot-11 guy, I move pretty well. He (Golden) thinks I can play serious minutes next season, as well.”

Condon joins three-star power forward [autotag]Thomas Haugh [/autotag] in the Gators’ 2023 recruiting class. While 247Sports has yet to give Condon a rating, he’s known as a high-IQ player who screens and rolls to the rim with finishing ability. He’s also a strong rebounder, which should come naturally with his height.

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Gators hoops hosting top-50 PG on official visit in the spring

The Gators are preparing to host one of the top point guards in the class of 2024 on an official visit in the spring.

Four-star Liberty (Henderson, Nevada) point guard [autotag]Dedan Thomas Jr[/autotag]. will take an official visit to the University of Florida on March 4, according to Jacob Rudner of 247Sports.

A top-30 prospect in the class of 2024 by 247Sports’ measure, Thomas is one of the top guards in his class. He said that multiple teams have posited the idea of him reclassifying and enrolling early but appears to be non-committal to the idea at this time. Right now, Florida’s pitch is that it needs a true point guard to join a team still figuring itself out.

“They got a new coaching staff this year and I already knew their staff from other schools so I already had a relationship with them,” Thomas said. “They said they’re having a rebuild year this year and then they will have that same group next year, the same core and they said they need a point guard and someone to run the team so they have a lot of talent and it’s a great position for a point guard to be in.”

The Gators offered Thomas in June after associate head coach Carlin Hartman reached out. Hartman and Thomas are already familiar with each other from the prospect’s days playing with the coach’s son. That relationship has only strengthened with time, which bodes well for Florida. UF’s director of player development, Taurean Green, also has a relationship with Thomas.

Currently, Florida has just [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] committed from the class of 2023 and no commitments from the class of 2024. Landing Thomas would be a huge win for Todd Golden and Co. regardless of whether he reclassifies or not.

The 247Sports composite ranks Thomas at No. 30 overall in the class of 2024 and No. 3 among point guards. He’s also the top-ranked player out of the state of Nevada.

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Gators power forward commit shows out at youth tournament

This 2023 MBK commit stood out among his peers in competition this week.

Florida pledge Thomas Haugh, a power forward from Pennsylvania, is playing a big part in his team’s efforts at the USA Basketball Finals this week.

Haugh, a three-star recruit in the 2023 class, recently committed to play in Gainesville. He’s ranked as the 199th player in the nation by the 247Sports composite, but his upside as a stretch four is immediately evident. He fits the profile of a modern big, standing at 6-feet-9-inches with a medium build and a weapons-grade shooting stroke. Clearly, the Gators staff values his archetype to pull him from so far north of the Swamplands.

He’s immediately making their decision look like a smart one, impressing national talent evaluators at the UAA Finals. In his game against West Coast Elite, he hit four shots from behind the arc during the first half. He’s also able to get to the rim vertically in-game, putting up both dunks and blocks on Tuesday.

Despite a wide palate of schools making offers on Haugh, the only school that may have threatened Florida was Maryland. In the landscape of Big Ten hoops, the Terps are a roughly equivalent team to the Gators. However, Haugh’s style of play fits Golden’s style better than the grinding toughness and clock management that take precedence for Maryland.

Haugh’s name isn’t one you’ll be seeing on a jersey in Gainesville next season, but he’s worth keeping an eye on this year. His skill set is fun and he’s a good candidate to rise up rankings as 2023 recruiting gains steam.

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Top 50 2023 power forward commits to the Gators

The basketball team added a recruit recently, take a look at who joined Todd Golden’s squad.

Thomas Haugh, the 6-9, 200-pound power forward out of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, announced his commitment to the University of Florida earlier this week via Twitter.

The 2023 Perkiomen School prospect is ranked 41st among 2023 power forwards according to 247Sports. Haugh is the first prospect to commit to the Gators in the 2023 class.

Haugh’s profile has risen as of late after he played with Under Armour’s We-R1 AAU program. His play in that circuit landed him high-major offers from programs such as Maryland, Georgia Tech, Illinois, and of course, Florida. Before that, his offers included programs such as Boston University, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, among others.

For Haugh, the decision to commit was a simple one, as he told 247Sports’ Jacob Rudner that UF was considered to be his “dream school” dating back to watching Florida quarterback [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag] carve out his legacy in Gainesville. Haugh’s commitment came after wrapping up an official visit to Gainesville earlier this week.

Before Haugh can join head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] in Gainesville, the new Gators head coach must tackle the challenge of coaching a team coming off a second-round NIT exit at the hands of Butler. The 2022 Florida men’s basketball season is scheduled to tip off in late November at the Phil Knight Legacy tournament to take place in Portland, Oregon.