Alex Condon returning to Florida basketball for junior season
Florida basketball will return all four core pieces of its frontcourt rotation in the 2025-26 season following the news that rising junior Alex Condon is returning for another year with the Gators.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony broke the news Tuesday afternoon. Condon had been going through pre-draft evaluations and meetings to gauge his stock for the upcoming summer. The No. 38 overall prospect on ESPN's big board, Condon is looking to lock himself into a first-round pick with his decision to give college ball another year. Of course, Florida has a history of contending for back-to-back national championships while being led by a frontcourt duo.
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"It's a really good situation waiting for me there," Condon said. "A great coach with Todd Golden. Teammates I won a national championship with. I have great chemistry with those boys. We have a good transfer class coming in. I expect guys to make a leap. My big man coach, Carlin Hartman, is returning, so I will keep developing my game with him."
Condon averaged 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 blocks over 24.9 minutes per game last year. He earned a third-team All-SEC nod but did not receive much national recognition, even through the NCAA Tournament.
His return is Florida's biggest addition, or retention rather, of the offseason. Replacing the entirety of the backcourt has taken center stage, but getting Condon back makes the Gators surefire contenders heading into next season. He'll have to learn how to play with Boogie Fland and Xavian Lee; however, both are strong pick and roll players, which should make things easy/
Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu are also returning despite being draft prospects. Haugh never entered his name into the draft and Chinyelu withdrew a couple of weeks ago. Florida started Condon and Chinyelu for most of the year while using Haugh as a pseudo-starter off the bench. After a strong finish to the 2024-25 campaign for Haugh, the rotation might change in his favor, but there's also Micah Handlogten to consider. He'll be healthy and ready for more action next year as well.
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However, Todd Golden decides to play this group, getting Condon is the ribbon on top of the present or the star on top of the tree. He completes the roster and makes Florida a marketable top-5 team ready for the spotlight, both nationwide and within the SEC.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball F Alex Condon decides on return, exits NBA draft
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