Florida Projected to have Second Straight Big NBA Draft in 2026
The Florida Gators had a very successful 2025 NBA Draft this past week with all three members of their backcourt trio being selected.
Advertisement
Walter Clayton Jr. was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 18th overall selection in round one while Alijah Martin (Toronto Raptors) and Will Richard (Golden State Warriors) went in the second round.
This marked the second time in program history that UF had at least three players selected in the same draft. The only other time was in 2007, after Florida's back-to-back national championships when the Gators sent five members to the NBA.
Looking ahead, Florida still has a wealth of possible NBA-ready talent for the 2025-26 season. On Friday, USA Today released its "Way-too-early" 2026 NBA Draft first-round projections, which named three Gators going in the first 29 picks.
Florida Gators players hoist the trophy. Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
In the mock draft, USA Today dubbed Boogie Fland, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh worthy of first-round selections next year.
Advertisement
Fland was marked as the No. 10 overall prospect for 2026. He is entering his first season with the Gators after transferring from Arkansas this offseason. As a freshman, Fland put up 13.5 points, 5.1 assists and over a steal per game with the Razorbacks. Now, in the absence of Florida's three-headed monster, Fland promises to have a big season.
The national publication labeled Condon No. 19 in its mock draft after a very successful sophomore season at UF. He declared for this year's draft but ultimately withdrew his name. The Australian forward averaged over 10 points with 7.5 boards per game last year in the Gators' run to the national title. Condon will play an even bigger role next season, leading to a better draft position.
Haugh, the No. 29 prospect, like Condon, tested the waters of the 2025 NBA Draft before deciding to come back to Todd Golden's Gators for one more year. Entering his junior year, Haugh will likely be in Florida's starting five after making just five starts last season. Off the bench, Haugh scored 9.8 points per contest to go along with over six rebounds.
Although UF will miss its three leading scorers from its 2025 NCAA championship, Golden's reloaded roster will no doubt grace the NBA draft boards in 2026.
Related: Will Richard Becomes Third Florida Player Selected in NBA Draft
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Not again: Mets trade deadline acquisition blows second consecutive game
NEW YORK — A deep, heavy and ominous bell reverberates around Citi Field, and the lights begin to flicker on and off. The bell dongs again. This time, as the sound echoes around the stadium, fans begin to recognize it as Mets right-hander Ryan Helsley's entrance song, 'Hells Bells' by AC/DC. When Helsley served as the St. Louis Cardinals' closer, the song represented the figurative end of the game. With the Mets, since their big trade deadline acquisition transitioned to a middle reliever, it represents the end of whichever inning he's appearing in. Not anymore. These days, it might as well signal the end of a good time. The moment before a lead is about to be squandered. Less than 24 hours after blowing a save, giving up two runs in the Mets' 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants, Helsley did it again. Entering the game with a 6-5 lead in the seventh inning, Helsley only needed to face three batters to surrender the lead. His final line: two runs on two doubles in 1/3 innings. After handing the ball to left-hander Brooks Raley, who gave up three runs in 1/3 innings, and then Ryne Stanek, Helsley was in line for the loss. After the final out was made, with the Mets down 11-9, it was official. Helsley earned his third loss as a Met. 'It's hard to describe,' Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, trying to understand the bullpen's recent struggles. 'Especially with how much talent and elite arms that we've got back there.' In seven appearances with the Mets, Helsley has already blown three saves, while allowing nine runs (five earned) over 5 1/3 innings for an 8.44 ERA. That's a marked increase from his ERA with the Cardinals (3.00 ERA). Helsley might be the main culprit, but he's not the only pitcher in squandering leads for the Mets. Their relievers have allowed 24 runs in their last six games (29 1/3 innings), a 7.36 ERA. The bullpen isn't making any excuses. After the game, Raley answered questions in front of reporters. There, he exuded confidence in the team's ability to turn things around. 'No one's going to feel sorry for us,' Raley said. 'We've had great leaders. (Francisco Lindor) has done a heck of a job every day leading guys, and there's no one dropping their head. We've got lots of baseball left. When it turns I know it's going to be a lot of fun.' Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Manny Gómez may be reached at mgomez@
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Should Yankees be mad or even keel about all the losing? Brian Cashman says …
ST. LOUIS — The post-game win music was blaring in the Yankees clubhouse Friday night when a jam that Aaron Judge really likes started up just as the first player interview was about to begin. With winning pitcher Luis Gil waiting at his locker 10 minutes after the final out to a 4-3 win over the Cardinals, Spanish interpreter Marlin Abreu made eye contact from across the room to Judge, then held up his right arm and made a twisting motion. Abreu wanted someone to turn down the volume on the music so the media could hear what he and Gil had to say. Pretending to be mad, Judge gave Abreu a scary glare that he held for about five seconds before cracking a smile. The Yankees like celebrating wins for a few minutes, first with their player of the game belt ceremony and then the music track, which usually includes the same handful of high-energy tunes, new hip-hop as well as George Benson's 1980 R&B classic, 'Give Me the Night.' Once the music is turned down, a lot of Yankees players go out of their way to talk up teammates while keeping everything in perspective when giving interviews. One win is just one win. They feel the same after losses, And over the last two months when a lot of losses followed a lot of winning baseball in April and May, the quotes coming out of the clubhouse mostly were unchanged. Nobody ever confessed to being mad or worried or upset that the Yankees had gone from being first in the AL East by seven games on May 27 and May 28 to falling into third place 6 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays and having a small hold on the last AL wild-card spot with the season getting shorter and shorter. Before the Yankees beat the Cardinals to remain 6 ½ behind the Jays with 40 games to go, general manager Brian Cashman's rare roadtrip appearance included a 20-minute on-field interview with beat writers. One of the subjects that came up was Yankees' players' public reactions to all the losing. Would Cashman like to see more emotion, or, like manager Aaron Boone, is he all-in on the even-keel stance, too? 'I think whatever works for every individual,' Cashman responded. 'I don't judge people by their sound bites, but the sound bites and stuff gets judged radically out there. All I would care about judging these guys is by performance, and that's positive performance. 'How they speak to something or not speak to something, that's less important to me. The only thing important to me is them putting a really great performance out on the field on a day to day out basis because that's what's going to be putting us on overdrive and getting us to where we need to go. 'How they speak to it doesn't matter. How they play is all that matters.' The Yankees' summer slide has mirrored their 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons. All of those teams also were having good seasons, then went to a long slump. Last year the Yankees were 50-27 after 77 games, then 30-33 in their next 63 before finishing the regular season 14-8 and going on a playoff run that took them to the World Series. In 2023, the Yankees were 48-38 after winning on the Fourth of July, then went into a tailspin that never really ended and they ended up having their worst season in decades, 82-80 with no playoffs. It was similar in 2022, too, when they were 61-23 through July 8, then 12-25 in their next 37 before snapping out of it and finishing with 99 wins. 'I know it's happened the last few years,' Cashman said. 'I don't have an answer to (why), but when the dust settles all that's going to matter is where we sit in the end. 'And the end isn't here yet. There's a lot of games to play and where we sit when the season is over, we're certainly hopeful we'll be in a good spot.' Yankees players didn't show much or emotion during those slumps, either. 'We just need to win,' Cashman said. 'One game at a time, then string together win after win after win to get to where we want to go. We just have to play good baseball. 'We've had a bad run at it, but it's a very long season and obviously we have a chance to still accomplish what we want to accomplish.' Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2025 NFL preseason: How to watch the San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders game today
Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll's first preseason game with the team ended in a tie against the Seattle Seahawks, and the team will move on to the San Francisco 49ers, who will visit Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this Saturday. It's expected that quarterback Geno Smith will lead the team's offense, while running back Ashton Jeanty will continue to try and prove himself as he begins his rookie season with the team. You can tune in to all the action when the game kicks off at 4 p.m. ET this Saturday. Here's all the info you need about Saturday's game, plus the dates and times for the rest of the NFL's preseason games. How to watch the 49ers vs. Raiders preseason game: Date: Saturday, August 16 Time: 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas Game: 49ers vs. Raiders TV channel: NFL Network and local stations Streaming: NFL+, DirecTV and more 49ers vs. Raiders game time: The 49ers will play the Raiders on Saturday, August 16, at 4 p.m. ET. What channel is the 49ers vs. Raiders game on? The San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders game will air on the NFL Network and locally on FOX5 in Las Vegas. The game will be available to stream for out-of-market viewers on NFL+. How to watch the 49ers vs. Raiders game: How long is the NFL preseason? The 2025 NFL preseason began on July 31, and games will be played through Saturday, August 23. 2025 NFL preseason schedule: All times Eastern Week 2 Friday, Aug. 15 Titans vs. Falcons: 7 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Chiefs at Seahawks: 10 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Saturday, Aug. 16 Browns at Eagles: 1 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Patriots at Vikings: 1 p.m. ET Packers at Colts: 1 p.m. ET Dolphins at Lions: 1 p.m. ET Panthers at Texans: 1 p.m. ET 49ers at Raiders: 4 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Ravens at Cowboys: 7 p.m. ET Buccaneers at Steelers: 7 p.m. ET (CBS) Jets at Giants: 7 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Chargers at Rams: 7 p.m. ET Cardinals at Broncos: 9:30 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Sunday, Aug. 17 Jaguars at Saints: 1 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Bills at Bears: 8 p.m. ET (Fox) Monday, Aug. 18 Bengals at Commanders: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) Week 3 Thursday, Aug. 21 Steelers at Panthers: 7 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Patriots at Giants: 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video) Friday, Aug. 22 Eagles at Jets: 7:30 p.m. ET Vikings at Titans: 8 p.m. ET (CBS) Falcons at Cowboys: 8 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Bears at Chiefs: 8:20 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 23 Ravens at Commanders: 12 p.m. ET Colts at Bengals: 1 p.m. ET Rams at Browns: 1 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Texans at Lions: 1 p.m. ET Broncos at Saints: 1 p.m. ET Seahawks at Packers: 4 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Jaguars at Dolphins: 7 p.m. ET (NFL Network) Bills at Buccaneers: 7:30 p.m. ET Chargers at 49ers: 8:30 p.m. ET Raiders at Cardinals: 10 p.m. ET (NFL Network) How to watch the 2025 NFL preseason: Many NFL preseason games are broadcast on local channels, so if you're looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7/month subscription to NFL+ will get you access to NFL Network, which will have every out-of-market game in the preseason. The downside of NFL+? When it comes to the regular season, it's a much less helpful option because there are far fewer NFL Network games during the regular season. More ways to watch NFL games in 2025:
