Florida Men’s Basketball Opens Practice with Unfinished Business
Gator Boys are back – almost.
Men’s basketball officially kicks off its season in November, but the SEC regular-season champions started practice Monday. After a disappointing end in Florida’s pursuit of back-to-back national titles last season, coach Todd Golden and the team are coming into the season with a mindset to finish the job.
“You could see it during the summertime, everyone grinding, being out there, adding extra work,” SEC and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Reuben Chinyelu said. “That’s something you want to see your teammate doing.”
A major advantage for the 2026-27 Gators team is the number of returning players. Florida lost only four players: Xaivian Lee, Micah Handlogten, Cooper Josefsberg, and Olivier Rioux.
Minus Lee, the starting five is intact, with Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, and Chinyelu leading the front court and Boogie Fland running the point.
The return of the frontcourt cost each player a potential spot on an NBA team, which each player gave up to play for the Gators. Chinyelu himself went through the pre-draft process before formally withdrawing his name from the 2026 NBA Draft to return for his senior season. Golden felt those three have proven themselves enough and should focus on sharpening individual skills to raise their stock in the 2027 NBA Draft.
The Gators roster one player who is part returner and part new transfer: Denzel Aberdeen.
Despite Aberdeen being in the midst of a lawsuit that determines his eligibility for the season, Golden and the Gators anticipate his return. Aberdeen brings veteran experience and elevated perimeter shooting, averaging 13.5 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 36.3% from the 3-point range during his last season at Kentucky.
Outside the numbers, Aberdeen’s experience with Golden and the Gators gives him an advantage in team chemistry. He has already played alongside returning players like Chinyelu and Haugh, easing his transition back to Gainesville.
Specifically, Golden mentioned Aberdeen and Fland’s connection, adding that they play off each other, and their mutual respect elevates both games. Fland had only one word to describe the backcourt duo: “deadly.”
That confidence comes from the chemistry the two have already built on top of their skill set.
“That brotherhood and that bond you have off the court trickle on the court,” Fland said. “We definitely have the IQ and the skills to do so [blend well together].”
Outside the two starting guards, the rest of the backcourt is showing promise. Players like Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram had flashes of good moments throughout the summer, according to Golden.
Last season, Ingram played in 21 games, with Lloyd close behind, showing up in 17 games.
Bench players like Lloyd and Ingram remind Golden of the players who established the Florida program: lesser-known hard workers. A significant part of Florida’s identity and success comes from the development of these kinds of players, who mature into well-known college names.
Golden and the recruiting staff pride themselves on finding undervalued players who want to be coached and improve.
Through hard work and eventual maturity, Golden said the bench can develop into high-usage players, pointing to the starting frontcourt as an example of that progression.
Two players starting this process are new transfers Domen Petrovic and Arturas Butajevas. Both players have already met expectations according to Golden, working hard on the court and in the classroom.
Standing at 6-foot-10, Butajevas adds depth to Florida’s frontcourt. He averaged 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds at the 2025 FIBA U18 EuroBasket.
Petrovic, the Slovenian who played alongside Urban Klavžar in 2024 at the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket, is older and brings maturity, reminding Golden of a younger Haugh and Condon.
“[He’s] coming in as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshman that doesn’t really know everything that’s going on, but he plays his butt off,” Golden said. “This guy, if he stays the course, he’s going to get really good for us.”
For now, that development continues through the preseason, beginning with a mid-October exhibition against Baylor in Jacksonville and another against Stetson. The regular season officially begins on Nov. 2 against Miami.
Golden predicts the season opener will be a challenge, crediting Hurricanes coach Jai Lucas for building a competitive roster in a short period.
He also mentioned Malik Reneau’s potential eligibility to return for Miami. Reneau, who averaged 18.9 points per game, posted 22 points against the Gators in last year’s matchup.
Not only will the game be an in-state rivalry, but the venue is also in Tampa.
The last time the Gators played in Tampa, they were the No.1 seed against the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes in the second round of the NCAA tournament. A transition corner three and a missed opportunity on the other end crushed the dreams of the team and Florida fans of winning a national title.
With that nightmare continuing to linger, Florida is ready to be back where it all went wrong, hoping this time, the Gators end up back on top.
“Everything aligned for us to be back there,” he said. “We’re excited to go play there.”
Changes made: added specific detail about Chinyelu formally withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft, and fixed the missing closing quotation mark on Golden’s Petrovic quote.
