SAN ANTONIO – Miami and Florida were on the field playing in a game of EA Sports' NCAA Football 2024 while chants of "DJ Lagway!" filled the space.
It sounded and felt like a typical college dorm room.
Instead, it was Florida basketball’s locker room two days before the program’s biggest game in a decade.
Inside the bowels of the Alamodome in San Antonio at the Final Four, the Gators projected a relaxed vibe. Florida's All-American point guard Walter Clayton Jr. was screaming, 7-foot-9 freshman Oliver Rioux enjoyed reporters gawking at his height and sophomore forward Alex Condon remained his stoic self.
Florida basketball feels it deserves this spot
Coach Todd Golden embraces his team’s mentality. Sure, UF's players, with the exception of Alijah Martin who made a Final Four run with FAU, have never been here before, but the team deserves to be here.
“We didn't make it here by accident,” Golden said. “We earned the opportunity to be here and to compete. I think they understand what's at stake, but at the same time they want to enjoy being here and enjoy the fruits of the labor that we've had all year.”
It stems from the maturity of UF’s group. Martin, Clayton and Will Richard all have four years of experience under their belt.
“Very unselfish group, guys that are very driven. You look at the way we played all year,” Golden said. “We've been a very consistent team. We've always been able to bounce back from losses the right way.”
Richard said his approach is to take it all in. Most collegiate basketball players never reach this stage.
“It's what you dream of as a kid,” Richard said. “It's a blessing to be a part of it.”
This is especially true for Richard, who transferred from Belmont in 2023 and bought into Golden’s vision before he ever coached in Gainesville. He saw the players coach that he was.
“He was just as eager to win as anyone I ever met,” Richard said. “I connected with him from my first conversation, and you knew that something goes on come out of this. It's good to see how big the program has changed from that first year to now.”
Gators big men ready to show themselves off
Center Micah Handlogten said the game story couldn’t be written up any better for him. Auburn, of course, is the team Florida was playing when he broke his leg in the SEC Tournament last season. He was still recovering when the Gators played the Tigers in February, meaning AU hasn’t seen him with the 40 pounds he put on. In addition, Handlogten believes his bench role this season allows him to impact the game in different ways.
“I can see how they're playing. What I can do to impact the game through looking at how they're playing,” Handlogten said.
Alex Condon’s injury in the Sweet 16 vs. Maryland applied quick pressure to Handlogten and the rest of the frontcourt. Handlogten, who scored six points against Texas Tech, didn’t shy away and called the frontcourt depth the "beauty” of Florida’s team.
“We have so ...
