Florida basketball's backup forward Sam Alexis returns to NCAA transfer portal
Florida basketball's backup forward Sam Alexis returns to NCAA transfer portal
The 2025 men's basketball national champion Florida Gators saw yet another departure from the program on Friday with forward Sam Alexis announcing his entrance into the NCAA transfer portal. A year after arriving through the same route, it looks like he will seek greener pastures ahead of the 2025-26 schedule.
"Dear Gator Nation," Alexis' announcement on Instagram begins.
"First off, I want to thank the man above for blessing me and putting me in the position I'm in today. My journey at Florida hasn't been easy, I've faced a lot of adversity but every challenge has helped me grow into a better basketball player and a better man.
"I want to thank my teammate and the coaching staff for believing in me and giving me the highest level. Winning a national championship here will always be one of the greatest moments of my life.
"After praying on it and having deep conversations with the people I trust most, I've decided to enter the transfer portal."
Sam Alexis' arrival at Florida via transfer portal
Alexis landed in Gainesville following his first two collegiate campaigns with the UT-Chattanooga Mocs, where his sophomore numbers caught the eye of Todd Golden and his staff. He came to UF after starting 32 of UTC's 33 games, averaging 10.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while leading the Southern Conference with a 2.1 clip when it came to blocked shots.
The forward out of Apopka, Florida, earned All-Southern Conference and All-Defensive Team honors with Chattanooga after the 2023-24 campaign.
Sam Alexis' stats with the Gators
However, his playing time under Golden was limited by both his backup role and an ankle injury that kept him mostly benched during the late-season tournament run. Alexis played in 24 games with zero starts, going down with his foot affliction during the win at the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Feb. 11; he would appear in just one other game against the Maryland Terrapins in the NCAA Tournament, logging one minute of playing time.
Over the course of those 24 games played, Alexis averaged 4.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 11.9 minutes per game played on average. He shot 46.5% (41-for-101) from the floor overall while draining four of his 20 attempts from beyond the arc; at the charity stripe, he could only muster a 53.8% clip on 14-for-24 shooting.
On the glass, his numbers were split between 1.5 offensive rebounds against 1.9 defensive rebounds per game, as he was a solid contributor to Florida's premier frontcourt. Alexis also dished out nine assists and grabbed seven steals for the Gators last season.
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